Tools of the Trade

Here's a peek into the craft of DIY bookmaking. This is an art that had been disappearing or relegated to specialty craft status, but scrapbookers have revitalized the artform, though in a way that I suspect makes some book artists a little queasy. You can now find bookmaking tools in most craft stores in the scrapbook aisles, and of course your better art supply stores will have some tools and supplies as well.

In the photo above you see (clockwise from upper right corner) a saddle-stitch stapler, a binder's needle with thread, an awl, and the white thing on the cover is called a bone folder. Binder's needles have blunt tips to keep from snagging on the paper (thus the need for the awl), and the thread I'm using for the limited edition of Electric Bathtub Psalms is acid-free linen. Some crafters use embroidery floss that they've pulled through beeswax, which I may experiment with later.

Coming soon: a step-by-step sewing demo!

Covers for Electric Bathtub Psalms

The covers for the limited edition of Mariette Papic's Electric Bathtub Psalms have arrived, and they're wonderful.


The cover art illustration is by Mariette Papic with screen printing by New York street artist and photographer Nathan Reimer. I really love the interpretation they did of the mouse logo on the back cover.


The paper is archival quality, pressed in France and hand-dyed in a tea bath (PG Tips!) in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

I've been practicing my binding knots and will begin assembling them as soon as Mariette has approved her blue-line copy. Pre-orders through PayPal will be available on the website probably next week.