Houston Book Arts Group January 5, 2006

Rather than beginning with introductions, we will start the night by introducing ourselves through our work. If you are interested, please bring an object of book art which you have produced to show the rest of the Group. If you like, prepare a brief discussion of the piece. And since we are most interested in your current efforts, please select a work which you have created in the past month or two. If anyone has done anything with the Coptic model from our last meeting, I'd be particularly excited to see it.

In addition to discussing upcoming meetings and the Museum's workshop schedule, we will also be working on another skills project. This month, Amanda Focke, Assistant Head of Special Collections at Rice University's Woodson Research Center, will be leading our class. We will be building upon our Coptic binding by creating a modern re-imagining of the structure, the sewn-boards binding. Like the Coptic, this binding is formed with some simplicity, by stitching gatherings of paper to heavy, protective boards. Unlike the earlier version, the sewn-boards binding takes an innovative (and much easier) approach to attaching the boards. It is also teaches valuable sewing skills for those interested in learning to make case bindings (like the familiar rounded-back book). Even though we won't be able to finish the book completely, we plan to teach the structure of the book, and offer a demonstration of pasting and decorating.

If you are interested in taking part in this process, r.s.v.p. to the Group list online, or respond to Todd Samuelson at tsamuelson -at-
printingmusem -dot- org. (We'll need to know how many kits to make.) You will need to bring a sewing needle, and one dollar for paper and thread.