Posts
Friday, December 31, 2010
Happy New Year!
Just finished celebrating London New Year (which happens at 7:00 our time), with my brother, sister-in-law, nieces and nephew. Here's a picture of the younger members of the party. :)
Monday, December 27, 2010
Well of COURSE it's legit!
Dear User,
We are sorry to inform you that we are currently working on securing our
server for the year, during this process accounts which are not manually verified by us
will be deleted, Please confirm and submit your information for manual
verification.
Information which is to be provided is below:
User Name:
User Id:
Password:
Date Of Birth:
Occupation:
Upon confirmation of information from you, we will manually verify your
Hot mail! Account and reserve it from being deleted, we are sorry for any
inconveniences this might have caused providing your information over the
email.
Warning Account owner that refuses to update his/her account after two
weeks of receiving this warning will lose his or her account permanently.
Thanks Hot mail..
Spammers would be greatly benefited by some self-study on grammar and punctuation. :)
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Decorated Paper
In my class last fall, we learned to make decorated paper out of torn-up magazine pages. You layer them, sand them, then paint and wax them. I was working on a sample of this with a friend, and we finished ours today. Here's what I came up with.It was great fun!
As with a lot of what I'm doing right now, it was a learning project. Next time, I'll definitely use smaller pieces, and will sand a bit more, and use paint with more color. But it was encouraging.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Some Sweet Fellowship Last Night
Last night our new interim pastor and his wife organized a Christmas get-together for the staff, elders and deacons at a camp out in Allegan.
It was a very nice evening, and one of the things he did was pass out a list of things to think about based on Christmas carol titles.
I found it brought up some really sweet memories, and I thought maybe you'd find it the same!
* Silent Night: Has God brought special direction or answers in the silence of a long, sleepless night?
* Joy to the World: Has your heart ever been so full of joy that you felt like shouting it to the world?
* O Come, All Ye Faithful: Have God's "faithful ones" been there for you in a time of great need?
* God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen: When has God brought a supernatural peace into your life?
* Go Tell it on the Mountain: Tell about a time when you felt led to share the good news.
* Winter Wonderland: Share a time when you were overwhelmed by the beauty of a winter scene.
* Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas: Relate a Christmas that was meager with little resources, but became a blessing.
* Let it Snow: Describe a meaningful "snowed in" experience
* O Come Emmanuel: When did God's presence shine through after desperate cries for help?
It was a very nice evening, and one of the things he did was pass out a list of things to think about based on Christmas carol titles.
I found it brought up some really sweet memories, and I thought maybe you'd find it the same!
* Silent Night: Has God brought special direction or answers in the silence of a long, sleepless night?
* Joy to the World: Has your heart ever been so full of joy that you felt like shouting it to the world?
* O Come, All Ye Faithful: Have God's "faithful ones" been there for you in a time of great need?
* God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen: When has God brought a supernatural peace into your life?
* Go Tell it on the Mountain: Tell about a time when you felt led to share the good news.
* Winter Wonderland: Share a time when you were overwhelmed by the beauty of a winter scene.
* Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas: Relate a Christmas that was meager with little resources, but became a blessing.
* Let it Snow: Describe a meaningful "snowed in" experience
* O Come Emmanuel: When did God's presence shine through after desperate cries for help?
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Starting work on a Bible for a friend
One of my friends asked me to work on his Bible. Some pages were loose, 
and pretty curled, so the first step will be to get them nice and flat again.
To do that, they need to start with 4-6 hours in a "humidification chamber."
So - here they are just before I put the lid on.
Any resemblance between my "humidification chamber" and my regular 9x13 cake pan is purely coincidental, I assure you. :)
and pretty curled, so the first step will be to get them nice and flat again.
To do that, they need to start with 4-6 hours in a "humidification chamber."
So - here they are just before I put the lid on.
Any resemblance between my "humidification chamber" and my regular 9x13 cake pan is purely coincidental, I assure you. :)
Monday, November 29, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Yesterday's workshop on book repair
Yesterday confirmed my suspicion that I enjoy repairing books far more than binding them. Binding is fun ... but repair is WAY cooler. I love being able to see something put back together and useful again.
I started with my volume of William Cowper's poetry. The text block, covers and spine were all separated.
I learned how to use Japanese paper to put it all back together again.
LOVE LOVE LOVE learning this stuff!!!
I started with my volume of William Cowper's poetry. The text block, covers and spine were all separated.
I learned how to use Japanese paper to put it all back together again.
LOVE LOVE LOVE learning this stuff!!!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
When the invading army is just over horizon
2 Chron. 20:3-4, 12b
And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah, and Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord … we have no might against this great company that cometh against us, neither know we what to do; but our eyes are upon thee.
I was reading in this passage this morning, and it was such an encouragement. King Jehoshaphat and Judah were facing an army coming against them, and it was WAY too big for them to tackle.
The actions of the fed last week in monetizing the debt (essentially de-valuing our dollar considerably) has been a temptation to me to worry.
Money is always a struggle, but the predictions about what this could do to inflation are staggering - particularly to the cost of staple items like groceries, gas, utilities, etc.
It’s led me to keep chewing over and over how I'll manage if these exponential price increases start to hit.
And while it’s good to plan and be wise … I was noticing this morning what King Jehoshaphat did when he was faced with an invading army … he DID fear … as is our nature when faced with a big threat. But his next step was to “set himself to seek the Lord.”
It sounds as if he made a deliberate effort to throw his thoughts God-ward. I want this to be MY response to fearful times!
His next step was to encourage everyone around him to seek God too.
They were honest with God - there wasn’t a blooming thing they could do to save themselves. BUT their eyes were on God. He can be trusted!
And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah, and Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord … we have no might against this great company that cometh against us, neither know we what to do; but our eyes are upon thee.
I was reading in this passage this morning, and it was such an encouragement. King Jehoshaphat and Judah were facing an army coming against them, and it was WAY too big for them to tackle.
The actions of the fed last week in monetizing the debt (essentially de-valuing our dollar considerably) has been a temptation to me to worry.
Money is always a struggle, but the predictions about what this could do to inflation are staggering - particularly to the cost of staple items like groceries, gas, utilities, etc.
It’s led me to keep chewing over and over how I'll manage if these exponential price increases start to hit.
And while it’s good to plan and be wise … I was noticing this morning what King Jehoshaphat did when he was faced with an invading army … he DID fear … as is our nature when faced with a big threat. But his next step was to “set himself to seek the Lord.”
It sounds as if he made a deliberate effort to throw his thoughts God-ward. I want this to be MY response to fearful times!
His next step was to encourage everyone around him to seek God too.
They were honest with God - there wasn’t a blooming thing they could do to save themselves. BUT their eyes were on God. He can be trusted!
Saturday, November 06, 2010
Books for next week's book repair workshop
I am taking a book repair workshop next weekend down in Normal, Illinois, and I need to choose two cloth bound and two leather bound books to bring along. They needed to have sound text blocks, and damaged covers. I have a LOT of books with damaged covers ... but the "sound text blocks" was a challenge. :)
Here are pictures of 3 that I've picked out - one leather bound copy of Cowper's Poetical Works. It belongs to my friend Deb, and is the most beautifully bound book I've ever handled. The leather is so soft it just melts into your hand. But the spine is suffering.
One is my copy of Cowper's Poetical Works. It's cloth bound, and in pretty ratty shape.
The last one is Olson's Meditations on the Psalms. This is Deb's too, but I'm hoping she won't mind if two of her books are experimented on. Promise not to do anything about which I'm not absolutely certain!
I still need to pick one more leather bound volume. I'd like to take a Bible, but finding one that's sufficiently ratty, but with a solid text block, is proving to be a challenge.
I'll also post pictures of the workshop, and of the finished products.
Here are pictures of 3 that I've picked out - one leather bound copy of Cowper's Poetical Works. It belongs to my friend Deb, and is the most beautifully bound book I've ever handled. The leather is so soft it just melts into your hand. But the spine is suffering.
One is my copy of Cowper's Poetical Works. It's cloth bound, and in pretty ratty shape.
The last one is Olson's Meditations on the Psalms. This is Deb's too, but I'm hoping she won't mind if two of her books are experimented on. Promise not to do anything about which I'm not absolutely certain!
I still need to pick one more leather bound volume. I'd like to take a Bible, but finding one that's sufficiently ratty, but with a solid text block, is proving to be a challenge.
I'll also post pictures of the workshop, and of the finished products.
Friday, November 05, 2010
Office re-arrangement
Warning: this post will only be of interest to those who actually know me ... and probably not all of THEM! :)
This is the new partners' desk we've gotten for the church office, so the book-keeper and I can each have our own space. We're re-arranging and prettying-up, and hope to re-paint in February. We're both very pleased with how it's looking!
This is the new partners' desk we've gotten for the church office, so the book-keeper and I can each have our own space. We're re-arranging and prettying-up, and hope to re-paint in February. We're both very pleased with how it's looking!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Condensed version of last night's condo meeting
Building Manager: We will be investigating whether switching our pool to salt instead of chlorine will save us money, ...
Resident: Why does the pool cost so much? Have we considered switching to salt water? (This question was asked more than once by more than one person.)
Building Manager: These white notebooks will be put in wall pockets by the maintenance room. If you ever need to find a shut-off valve, this has all your information. ...
Resident: Where will those books be? .... Do they have information on shut off valves in them?
Building Manager: We will have a pest removal service dealing with the bats in the attics of buildings A and B. After the attics are sealed, the pest service will go up in the attics to make sure there are no remaining bats and clean up the mess.
BOARD MEMBER: (I'm not kidding - even the board members weren't paying attention!) What if there are bats trapped up there? Will anyone check on that?
Building Manager: We will be closing the fire doors in the buildings, to help protect people if there is a fire. We've always left them open in the past, but this isn't safe.
Resident: Will someone tell us which doors are fire doors?
Building Manager: The steel doors are fire doors.
Resident: But will there be signs on them?
Does NOBODY listen and comprehend basic information?
I brought a book along because I know the meetings go like this, and even THEN, I was able to understand what was being said. Granted, often the questions were separated by a span of 2-3 minutes from the original declaration. But ... really ...
Resident: Why does the pool cost so much? Have we considered switching to salt water? (This question was asked more than once by more than one person.)
Building Manager: These white notebooks will be put in wall pockets by the maintenance room. If you ever need to find a shut-off valve, this has all your information. ...
Resident: Where will those books be? .... Do they have information on shut off valves in them?
Building Manager: We will have a pest removal service dealing with the bats in the attics of buildings A and B. After the attics are sealed, the pest service will go up in the attics to make sure there are no remaining bats and clean up the mess.
BOARD MEMBER: (I'm not kidding - even the board members weren't paying attention!) What if there are bats trapped up there? Will anyone check on that?
Building Manager: We will be closing the fire doors in the buildings, to help protect people if there is a fire. We've always left them open in the past, but this isn't safe.
Resident: Will someone tell us which doors are fire doors?
Building Manager: The steel doors are fire doors.
Resident: But will there be signs on them?
Does NOBODY listen and comprehend basic information?
I brought a book along because I know the meetings go like this, and even THEN, I was able to understand what was being said. Granted, often the questions were separated by a span of 2-3 minutes from the original declaration. But ... really ...
Friday, October 22, 2010
Ah ... memories ...
This is an ad for WordStar. I used this software when I worked for the English Department at Kellogg Community College in 1989.
It was this magical program that convinced me that computers DID have an advantage over the typewriter. You could COPY things, and PASTE them ... and then there was MAIL MERGE (something Apple's I-work didn't do as well in its first version last year as Word Star did then!)
Made me smile to see it.
Friday, October 08, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
The Gun is Civilization
Borrowed from a friend's facebook post:
"The Gun Is Civilization" by Maj. L. Caudill USMC (Ret)
Human beings only have two ways to deal with one another: reason and force. If you want me to do something for you, you have a choice of either convincing me via argument, or force me to do your bidding under threat of force. Every human interaction falls into one of those two categories, without exception.
Reason or force, that's it.
In a truly moral and civilized society, people exclusively interact through persuasion. Force has no place as a valid method of social interaction, and the only thing that removes force from the menu is the personal firearm, as paradoxical as it may sound to some.
When I carry a gun, you cannot deal with me by force. You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to negate your threat or employment of force.
The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal footing with a 19-year old gang banger, and a single guy on equal footing with a carload of drunk guys with baseball bats. The gun removes the disparity in physical strength, size, or numbers between a potential attacker and a defender.
There are plenty of people who consider the gun as the source of bad force equations. These are the people who think that we'd be more civilized if all guns were removed from society, because a firearm makes it easier for a [armed] mugger to do his job. That, of course, is only true if the mugger's potential victims are mostly disarmed either by choice or by legislative fiat--it has no validity when most of a mugger's potential marks are armed.
People who argue for the banning of arms ask for automatic rule by the young, the strong, and the many, and that's the exact opposite of a civilized society. A mugger, even an armed one, can only make a successful living in a society where the state has granted him a force monopoly.
Then there's the argument that the gun makes confrontations lethal that otherwise would only result in injury. This argument is fallacious in several ways. Without guns involved, confrontations are won by the physically superior party inflicting overwhelming injury on the loser.
People who think that fists, bats, sticks, or stones don't constitute lethal force watch too much TV, where people take beatings and come out of it with a bloody lip at worst. The fact that the gun makes lethal force easier works solely in favor of the weaker defender, not the stronger attacker. If both are armed, the field is level.
The gun is the only weapon that's as lethal in the hands of an octogenarian as it is in the hands of a weight lifter. It simply wouldn't work as well as a force equalizer if it wasn't both lethal and easily employable.
When I carry a gun, I don't do so because I am looking for a fight, but because I'm looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only persuaded. I don't carry it because I'm afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn't limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force. It removes force from the equation... and that's why carrying a gun is a civilized act.
By Maj. L. Caudill USMC (Ret.)
"The Gun Is Civilization" by Maj. L. Caudill USMC (Ret)
Human beings only have two ways to deal with one another: reason and force. If you want me to do something for you, you have a choice of either convincing me via argument, or force me to do your bidding under threat of force. Every human interaction falls into one of those two categories, without exception.
Reason or force, that's it.
In a truly moral and civilized society, people exclusively interact through persuasion. Force has no place as a valid method of social interaction, and the only thing that removes force from the menu is the personal firearm, as paradoxical as it may sound to some.
When I carry a gun, you cannot deal with me by force. You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to negate your threat or employment of force.
The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal footing with a 19-year old gang banger, and a single guy on equal footing with a carload of drunk guys with baseball bats. The gun removes the disparity in physical strength, size, or numbers between a potential attacker and a defender.
There are plenty of people who consider the gun as the source of bad force equations. These are the people who think that we'd be more civilized if all guns were removed from society, because a firearm makes it easier for a [armed] mugger to do his job. That, of course, is only true if the mugger's potential victims are mostly disarmed either by choice or by legislative fiat--it has no validity when most of a mugger's potential marks are armed.
People who argue for the banning of arms ask for automatic rule by the young, the strong, and the many, and that's the exact opposite of a civilized society. A mugger, even an armed one, can only make a successful living in a society where the state has granted him a force monopoly.
Then there's the argument that the gun makes confrontations lethal that otherwise would only result in injury. This argument is fallacious in several ways. Without guns involved, confrontations are won by the physically superior party inflicting overwhelming injury on the loser.
People who think that fists, bats, sticks, or stones don't constitute lethal force watch too much TV, where people take beatings and come out of it with a bloody lip at worst. The fact that the gun makes lethal force easier works solely in favor of the weaker defender, not the stronger attacker. If both are armed, the field is level.
The gun is the only weapon that's as lethal in the hands of an octogenarian as it is in the hands of a weight lifter. It simply wouldn't work as well as a force equalizer if it wasn't both lethal and easily employable.
When I carry a gun, I don't do so because I am looking for a fight, but because I'm looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only persuaded. I don't carry it because I'm afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn't limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force. It removes force from the equation... and that's why carrying a gun is a civilized act.
By Maj. L. Caudill USMC (Ret.)
Monday, September 27, 2010
My little work area
Got a little spot set up to work on books.
I know ... my time may have been better spent painting the wall behind it ... but that's SO much less fun. :)
I know ... my time may have been better spent painting the wall behind it ... but that's SO much less fun. :)
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Two books
One more day of the workshop. These two books are the finished product (well ... the one on the right has one more step to go, but it's very close.)
I have two small books started that I'll get to work on tomorrow, and we're also going to learn to make paper out of magazine scraps -- the results are quite lovely!
I have two small books started that I'll get to work on tomorrow, and we're also going to learn to make paper out of magazine scraps -- the results are quite lovely!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Look, A book!
Today we formed the hollow spine and shaped the pared leather to it. This book will have a partial leather spine, and our second one will be entirely leather covered.
While this one isn't finished yet (it will have paper covering the other part of the cover, leather hinges, and endpapers), it LOOKS like a book. That was exciting! Also, this was the first day of the class where I haven't had to rip out & re-do anything. This felt very good. :)
Saturday, September 18, 2010
The two hour headband.
Today we learned to sew the headbands from scratch. The little white sticks are tiny rolls of paper, and the pattern is half woven, half-sewn around them. Getting it even, and neat is a real trick, but I enjoyed the process. You're looking at my third or fourth try. :)
Had a compliment that blessed me - one of the other ladies in the class said she appreciated that I didn't get discouraged and mopey when I had to keep ripping out things and re-doing them again and again and again and again ...
I guess, if nothing else, you can always serve as an example of how to deal with failure. :)
I've been thinking today about Psalm 18. God's gentleness makes us great. Interesting, isn't it? We don't think often about gentleness being associated with greatness, do we? But in God's definition, it is.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Tonight should prove interesting
There's a U of M football game tomorrow, and the hotel I'm in is about 2 miles from the stadium.
As a sample ... I awoke to this classy site this morning. A rented RV parked behind the motel, with a lovely view of the dumpster ... surrounded by beverage containers, with a guy sleeping on the roof.
Gonna be an interesing evening. :)
As a sample ... I awoke to this classy site this morning. A rented RV parked behind the motel, with a lovely view of the dumpster ... surrounded by beverage containers, with a guy sleeping on the roof.
Gonna be an interesing evening. :)
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Thursday
First, since my computer appears to be cooperating tonight, I thought I'd show you some pictures that will show a little of how my book will look eventually.
The red material is the leather I'm using, and the patterned paper will be the outside of one book that has a leather spine and corners, and the inside endpapers for the book that will have a full leather binding.
Then the other picture shows the edge decoration I've done so far. I've never had any success with anything remotely artistic, but I had a BALL painting these pages. I used a technique the teacher used in her demonstration -- mixing watercolor paint to match the color you wanted, and painting it on the surface, and then using saran wrap to dab other colors of water color on top to make designs.
Then there was a technique you used to burnish the paint, so it was glossy and so pretty. The picture doesn't show it well, but I'm just thrilled. When I got discouraged, I just kept going back and looking at it. :)
And for the discouraging aspect ...
The rounding and backing process I discussed yesterday? Well I had tried doing my second book on my own ... and I bungled it royally. I had a very gracious man step in and undo the damage I'd done, but it was an all day process, and took a great deal of his time. I'm thankful the book was salvageable, but it was certainly a knock to my confidence!
I got to the studio at 6:30 this morning, and got home at 6:00, and I was just worn out. Today and tomorrow are our "weekend" so we had the choice of either going in to work on our own, or taking some time off. I think tomorrow I'm going to take a bit of a break!
Saturday is a U of M football game, and I'm told it will be a zoo both around the hotel and the area of the studio. Should be an interesting (if not entirely pleasant) experience!
We'll see if I end up back at the studio tomorrow after all. While I AM tired, I also LOVE working on this stuff, and I might end up being drawn back tomorrow despite my thoughts tonight. :)
The red material is the leather I'm using, and the patterned paper will be the outside of one book that has a leather spine and corners, and the inside endpapers for the book that will have a full leather binding.
Then the other picture shows the edge decoration I've done so far. I've never had any success with anything remotely artistic, but I had a BALL painting these pages. I used a technique the teacher used in her demonstration -- mixing watercolor paint to match the color you wanted, and painting it on the surface, and then using saran wrap to dab other colors of water color on top to make designs.
Then there was a technique you used to burnish the paint, so it was glossy and so pretty. The picture doesn't show it well, but I'm just thrilled. When I got discouraged, I just kept going back and looking at it. :)
And for the discouraging aspect ...
The rounding and backing process I discussed yesterday? Well I had tried doing my second book on my own ... and I bungled it royally. I had a very gracious man step in and undo the damage I'd done, but it was an all day process, and took a great deal of his time. I'm thankful the book was salvageable, but it was certainly a knock to my confidence!
I got to the studio at 6:30 this morning, and got home at 6:00, and I was just worn out. Today and tomorrow are our "weekend" so we had the choice of either going in to work on our own, or taking some time off. I think tomorrow I'm going to take a bit of a break!
Saturday is a U of M football game, and I'm told it will be a zoo both around the hotel and the area of the studio. Should be an interesting (if not entirely pleasant) experience!
We'll see if I end up back at the studio tomorrow after all. While I AM tired, I also LOVE working on this stuff, and I might end up being drawn back tomorrow despite my thoughts tonight. :)
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Wednesday report
Class today was very interesting. We worked on paring leather and creating spines and corners for books, and also the little headband at the top of the spine.
I also did the edge decoration on my book, and started on the second. I'm surprised how much I enjoy that! I'm a very non-artsy person, but I liked mixing the colors I wanted, and doing some little splatter effects. After the edges were painted, the teacher loaned us an agate burnishing tool that shined the surface up like crazy - it's SO neat looking!
The schedule has gotten changed some. The teacher needs to leave town for a couple days for a family emergency, so we're taking our 'weekend' tomorrow and Friday. Then we'll have class straight through Satuday-Friday of next week.
I'm a little disappointed that I won't be able to get to church Sunday. There was one here in town that I was looking forward to visiting. But I trust God was superintending the schedule!
I haven't mentioned the makeup of the class.
There are 8 students, including me.
One is from Hong Kong
One from Alaska
Two from Wisconsin
One from Kentucky
and 3 of us from Michigan.
It's quite a neat group of folks, thought quite opposite from me politically. That has made for some interesting discussions! Four of us are staying here at the same motel, and able to ride to class together, so that's created an almost summer-camp-like atmosphere that I'm enjoying.
Computer started blue-screening again tonight. So the problem is obviously NOT fixed. But I was too weary to call tech support back again. Maybe tomorrow. :)
So ... no pictures, though I took plenty!
I also did the edge decoration on my book, and started on the second. I'm surprised how much I enjoy that! I'm a very non-artsy person, but I liked mixing the colors I wanted, and doing some little splatter effects. After the edges were painted, the teacher loaned us an agate burnishing tool that shined the surface up like crazy - it's SO neat looking!
The schedule has gotten changed some. The teacher needs to leave town for a couple days for a family emergency, so we're taking our 'weekend' tomorrow and Friday. Then we'll have class straight through Satuday-Friday of next week.
I'm a little disappointed that I won't be able to get to church Sunday. There was one here in town that I was looking forward to visiting. But I trust God was superintending the schedule!
I haven't mentioned the makeup of the class.
There are 8 students, including me.
One is from Hong Kong
One from Alaska
Two from Wisconsin
One from Kentucky
and 3 of us from Michigan.
It's quite a neat group of folks, thought quite opposite from me politically. That has made for some interesting discussions! Four of us are staying here at the same motel, and able to ride to class together, so that's created an almost summer-camp-like atmosphere that I'm enjoying.
Computer started blue-screening again tonight. So the problem is obviously NOT fixed. But I was too weary to call tech support back again. Maybe tomorrow. :)
So ... no pictures, though I took plenty!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Rounding & Backing, Trimming the Top, Edge decoration
These are the things that were dealt with today. Rounding is getting a round shape to the spine of the book. Backing is where the roundness is firmed up, and the "shoulders" are created, where the hinges fit. If you look at the books from the profile, with the spine up, it looks like a mushroom shape.
Then we trim the top edge of the book & coverboards, so it's very even, and put it in a press, where it's finished to a smooth surface, and then the edge is decorated with paint.
That's the step I'm in now -- I'll be decorating the top edge of my first book tomorrow. We'll also be starting to work with leather.
Didn't get too many pictures of this process, but here is my book in the press following the rounding & backing process. You can KIND of see the shape of the spine.
Then we trim the top edge of the book & coverboards, so it's very even, and put it in a press, where it's finished to a smooth surface, and then the edge is decorated with paint.
That's the step I'm in now -- I'll be decorating the top edge of my first book tomorrow. We'll also be starting to work with leather.
Didn't get too many pictures of this process, but here is my book in the press following the rounding & backing process. You can KIND of see the shape of the spine.
Sewing
This is the process of sewing teh book on the frame.
My biggest discouragement was here. When I got it all completed Monday, I was behind all the others because my book is quite large.
the instructor was displeased with it -- the sewing was quite loose, and she said that it was workable, but not good.
I asked if it should be re-done, and she said, "no". However this morning, while preparing for the next step, she changed her mind, and said it really needed to be re-sewn. So I tore it down and started over.
I did learn a lot, and the practice was good ... but now I'm still behind, and taking in information for steps quite a long way ahead of where I'm at in practice.
Definately feels like trying to drink from a fire hose!
My biggest discouragement was here. When I got it all completed Monday, I was behind all the others because my book is quite large.
the instructor was displeased with it -- the sewing was quite loose, and she said that it was workable, but not good.
I asked if it should be re-done, and she said, "no". However this morning, while preparing for the next step, she changed her mind, and said it really needed to be re-sewn. So I tore it down and started over.
I did learn a lot, and the practice was good ... but now I'm still behind, and taking in information for steps quite a long way ahead of where I'm at in practice.
Definately feels like trying to drink from a fire hose!
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