Our project for May in the Handmade Book Club was a Laced in Concertina Binding. This structure is based on medieval laced limp binding, which used parchment and vellum for the covers, plus laces and straps. In other old book collections, you will also see laced-in bindings with wooden covers.
We added a twist by using modern materials and including a concertina spine, which allowed for expansion of the signatures so that items could be added to the pages.
Here’s the book I created. I used Kraft-tex, but suggested heavy paper as another good choice for the cover.
See What the Club Members Made
Barbara used Kraft-Tex for her cover and Mulberry paper-laced strips for her gorgeous book. Jean used a lovely cork fabric. Robin incorporated an adorable carrot ribbon into her creation.
Lenny used card and ribbon, while Karen used a Kraftex cover that had been colored with watercolor and then mono-printed with some foliage. She used ribbon for the lacing, with the middle ribbon left longer to use as a closure.
I’m a wee bit obsessed with this clever construction by Lesley! Lesley used Kraft-tex for her cover, cotton weave ribbon, and 300 gsm watercolor signatures.
Johanna also used a Kraft-tex cover and fabric backed with artist tape for the straps. Kimberly incorporated acrylic canvas paper detailed with rubber stamping.
I adore Sherry’s use of “eye” washi tape!
Rebecca created her covers with cork, backed with handmade paper, and decorated cork straps. Barbara cleverly used wallpaper, canvas, and rafia!
Robin used watercolor on her Kraft-tex cover, 224 gsm multimedia paper, and a vintage buckle closure. Jeneia’s cover was made with handmade paper & marbled paper that she glued together, with a circle cutout spine!
What did the Club Members Say?
What a beautiful book structure. This is going to be fun. – Jean G.
This. Is. So. Cool! I was excited all day yesterday at the thought of a new book today — woke up at 6 a.m. to go have a peek! — and this does not disappoint! – Kimberly L.
As you said, so many possibilities! I cannot wait to work this one out. As always, well done, Ali! – Dorothy W.
I love learning about the history of the book structure. Thank you Ali for including that interesting information. – Dee S.
WHAT IS THE HANDMADE BOOK CLUB?
The Handmade Book Club grew out of my love for teaching and community. Having spent more than 10 years teaching in-person classes, I decided to reach a wider audience in 2019 and founded the online Handmade Book Club.
The Handmade Book Club is a community of bookmakers from around the world. Each month, I teach a new book binding project to the club members. In addition to making books, we love learning about ways to fill our handmade journals. That’s why we have guest artists and speakers join us every month! Club members also have access to a robust selection of past projects within the archives.
Whether you’re an experienced bookmaker or a complete novice, the Handmade Book Club is a community for you. You can try out a free book project here.
We’d love to have you join us! Sign up for the waitlist!
