Shank Button Book

These pictures show a recycled book binding. I really enjoy doing these. I've only done a few so far, but have gathered shank buttons to make a couple more. First you gut a hardcover book taking out the text block (and keeping it for other projects!). Then you put together signatures of whatever types of paper you want your book made from (this one is handmade-type papers and napkin covered papers). Prepare the spine (this one is done with hand-dyed muslin, cardboard, glue whereas sometimes I use book cloth). Put eyelets through the spine, punch holes in your signatures with the awl, and start binding. You will be stitching in a shank button on the spine as you stitch. You'll need the same number of buttons across as signatures and the same number of buttons down as holes in the signatures. That's a general idea of the process for these type books. I really liked the cover on this book (an old Wordsworth book) and was even able to salvage the inside cover papers.

Next time I'll show you some collages and/or the atcs I talked about last time.

Today I taught a workshop at my library to 6th and 7th graders - Artist Trading Cards. I haven't taught a kid's workshop in a couple years and I really enjoyed it. It was reported to me later that they were all saying it was awesome when they got upstairs, so that made me feel good. That can be a tough age to please! At the end of the class we had a trading session and I gave each of them one card that I brought that I had made and they were really thrilled with that, too.

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be." Douglas Adams