The Litabug Phlog » Bookbinding http://www.litabug.com Daily bits of life through my lens. Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:30:23 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1-alpha Open Studios http://www.litabug.com/blog/2006/12/05/open-studios/ http://www.litabug.com/blog/2006/12/05/open-studios/#comments Tue, 05 Dec 2006 19:53:54 +0000 Melita Matzko http://www.litabug.com/blog/2006/12/05/open-studios/ On Saturday, Sam and I went with friends to Easthampton to visit Allie. They were having Open Studios at the building where she works. We toured the bindery where she spends her days, met her very talented boss and saw some of the projects she’s currently working on. Outside the bindery, the long halls were decorated with Christmas lights, and floor after floor was filled with artisans showing off their works. We saw paintings, pottery, woodwork, glass, and more. Even the old factory building that houses the studios is fascinating. There are piles of wood, machinery, old doors, and who knows what else stored in the labyrinth of hallways there. You can find out more about One Cottage Street (and see some of the artwork that was on display) at cottagestreetstudios.com.

Where we goin'? Easthampton Too windy!! One Cottage Street Reclaiming Territory Allie's Workspace Admiring the Bindery Machinery Stop! Colorful Abstract Spattered Sink What's the big secret? Explaining the Process The Boat The Building

]]> http://www.litabug.com/blog/2006/12/05/open-studios/feed/ 0 Confessions of a Paper Geek http://www.litabug.com/blog/2006/01/27/confessions-of-a-paper-geek/ http://www.litabug.com/blog/2006/01/27/confessions-of-a-paper-geek/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2006 19:16:03 +0000 Melita Matzko http://www.litabug.com/blog/2006/01/27/confessions-of-a-paper-geek/ You know I’m not a technophobe, or I wouldn’t have started this phlog. I used a PDA quite successfully for some time. If pressed, I could live a paper-free lifestyle. But I wouldn’t like it. I would always come home to my old-fashioned daytimer, notepads, and colorful little envelopes with postage stamps (remember those?)

The problem is, I have a minor obsession with all things paper. I like writing on it, folding it, gluing it, cutting it, mailing it, and just about everything else. One manifestation of this obsession is that I love bookbinding. This is a relatively new hobby for me, so I prefer to use pre-sewn textblocks, usually from kits sold at my workplace. My friend Allie plans to convert me to hand-sewing at some point. :-) In the meantime, I love creating the spines, covering the bookboard with beautiful paper, and adding embellishments (especially title frames set into the front cover). Here are a few photos. The brown book is our guestbook (friends who’ve visited our apartment recognize that one). The one with the fish-patterned chiyogami paper is a journal I made for Austin’s birthday last year. The green and gold one with the tie closure and wooden plate on the front is my journal. The last is my most recent project, an album for ultrasound photos and other pregnancy-related memorabilia. I tried dressing it up a little by adding a lace paper tissue layer inside the front and back covers.

Guest Book Austin's Journal Lita's Journal Photo Album Inside Cover

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