Lobster Books

Chain Stitch Binding

2008-12-13T16:39:00.001-08:00

Last night I experimented with a chain stitch for the first time post learning it in class. At first, it didn't go so well. But then I ended up with these and felt completely better.

These books appear larger in the photograph than they are in real life. I actually cut an 8.5 by 11 sheet of paper into fourths, and they measure up to one of those fourths.

You can probably see the chain stitch better in these pictures. This is an exposed spine. They are connected with a stitching that I can only compare to knitting, though I don't know how accurate that is.

These papers were some leftovers from my friend Kate's mom. She was going to use them for Kate's wedding but ended up not. They are actually from Paper Source, one of the top stores for this sort of thing. This paper was actually pretty perfect for the covers. It was easy to glue, and there were no glue bubbles after I was done.

I will admit though, this chain stitch was a disaster the first and second time I tried. Luckily starting over isn't so bad. You basically cut out the string and begin again. It's very much like knitting in that way. The key to chain stitching (in my opinion) is making the stitch as tight as possible so the book doesn't fall apart.

I think these books will be great for general note taking, maybe for to-do lists or assignment books for students.

Final Outcome: I am really happy and can't wait to give them out as gifts. Though I will say that I need to spend a lot more time with the chain stitch to master it properly.

Swallow

2008-12-09T20:00:00.001-08:00

It's done. It's finally finished! After weeks of cutting, gluing, sewing and printing, I present you with my book about oatmeal - Swallow.

Not only did I make one book. I made fifteen in total. Here they are, perfectly lined up in the one place where they'd all fit.

When you open the cover, you see the title page. This is a Micro-Fiction Oatmeal Cookbook made in 2008. They are about the size of a 5 by 7.

What's great about micro-fiction is that it takes a short story and condenses it into under 500 words. Each entry in my book looks something like this:

There is a corresponding photo and story. Each piece of micro-fiction is about a person and written in second person. For example, the first line of Peach Puzzle is this: "Parts of you didn't fit together."

Each bowl of oatmeal represents a person I've met. Sometimes the pictures are clear and very representative. Other times they are more abstract. In this entry, there is a bowl of oatmeal with a lemon slice on top. The corresponding story is about a friend of mine who loves all things lemon.

The book is 24 pages long with an Author's Biography and Colophon at the end. A colophon is a list of all materials used to make the book.

Here's my list:

Binder board
Decorative paper
Cardstock
Ink
Hemp String
A Drill
Burlap
Plastic envelopes
Oats
Matte photos
Super glue
mod podge
hot glue
Spoon flattened by a hammer
Permanent marker

The back of the book is just one solid color.

You may notice that I spent a good amount of time working on the cover of the book.

I was really aiming for a layered look - the way that a bowl of oatmeal can be layered with different toppings and items. I used a bird's nest paper because I liked the texture. I then cut out squares of burlap - sort of like a placemat - and then placed a small bag of oats on top each book. I placed the oats in plastic bags to preserve them properly. I then affixed a spoon on top.

My experience in making these books took a lot of time and space. Here are some process photos that you may remember:

I individually cut each piece of paper and all the hardcover parts of the book.

My bedroom was a disaster.

Final Outcome: I am more than happy with the way my books turned out. I think the writing is solid, and I think the pictures really add to the dimension of the book. I love the cover, and I'm glad I took the time to really figure out a layered look. I am also happy that I made a hardcover book, as that was something I aimed to do from the beginning.

Things I'd do differently: I printed photos and taped them into the book by hand. In the future, I would probably have these pages professionally printed (in color for the photos) and then cut. This would have saved me a good two hours worth of work.

Several of you have let me know that you're interested in one of these books.... for all of you who are interested, a special surprise is coming soon in the form of a contest. Keep your eyes open and keep reading the blog!

Time Check

2008-12-01T18:40:00.001-08:00

Tonight in class we were all asked to bring in random materials - anything we could find, scraps of paper, etc. When we got into class, our professor had lined up enough paper bags for everyone. In each bag was an object; our goal was to create a book from that object and the scraps we had brought.

Here's a close-up of mine. Can you guess what it is?

Can't figure it out? Here's another hint.

It's a wrist watch book, but most people thought it looked like a corsage.

My object was a magnet that was curled up like a bracelet. I wanted to keep it in that form, so I covered it with burlap and then punched a hole through two layers. I inserted a wire that serves as the latch to the watch.

It looks ridiculous, I know. But the point was to experiment and have fun. On each panel I inserted a time that meant something to me.

And on the other side, I wrote in some words that I associate with that time of day.

Final Outcome: This was a fun book to make while in class. If I had different materials, I would have made something to keep the "book" shut a little better. I basically just tied a string around it since that's all I had.

Would you consider this a book? It may not be traditional, but it still has a story to it, I think...

To check out the other books made in tonight's class, click here. They will soon be posted if they aren't already.

Baby Shower Book

2008-11-08T05:21:00.001-08:00

My friend Liz is having her baby shower today. In honor of the occasion, I decided to make her a journal using a signature stitch.

The front, back and spine of the book were made using Binder's board and decorative fabric paper (and of course mod podge).

The inside cover includes a colored piece of paper. I also attached a note for Liz that she can either glue inside this book or keep elsewhere. I wanted to give her the option.

The inside pages were sewed together in panels using dental floss. They were then glued into the spine with hot glue.

This is the colophon on the back cover of the book.

The backside of the book.

The back spread of the book.

I hope she likes it. I will soon find out!

Speak

2008-10-28T19:45:00.001-07:00

One thing I always enjoy about my "art" is the sitting back and just taking a look at the finished piece. I am more of a product person than process. This translates well to my life as a writer, food artist/cook and public relations practitioner. I can certainly work hard to get somewhere - but I relish in what I've accomplished, despite the (sometimes challenging) journey it took to get there.

That being said, I have a final product I'm excited to share. Welcome to my midterm project in my bookmaking class: the newest journal out there - Speak.

This quarter's issue focused on food. What would your food say to you if it could speak? When opened, there is a note from me - the author, or rather Editor, of this publication.

Of course, this is a Lobster Books production.

Writers were asked to submit a picture along with what that food item would say to them if it could speak. Because this was cooking-related, I decided to opt for a recipe box that housed the separate submissions. (Here's what the inside looks like... sorry my color balance was off.)

Each serves as recipe card. Here is a sampling of the submissions I received.

After I selected a few entries, I put out an additional call for recipes. Therefore, each book contains a story, recipe and a section for notes. I decided to make these books using the matchbook form. Except that my books are horizontal matchbooks - rather than the traditional vertical style.

VERTICAL HORIZONTAL

Here's what the first page looks like. I'm using Kath Eats as an example, since she used her blog name.

Here's a sampling of the insides of the recipe books. I'm using an intentionally blurry picture for internet privacy purposes.

Final Outcome: There are a few things I'd do differently with this project, and it all comes down to having time. I changed my mind about what I was going to do about a week ago - which only gave me a few solid days to do the legwork. If I had thought of this sooner, I would have:

Constructed my own recipe box using binder board
Included more submissions
Included blank matchbooks so readers could make their own

Special thanks to everyone who submitted to this project. Without you, it wouldn't have been possible.

Hardcover Journals

2008-09-29T20:17:00.001-07:00

Front

Inside

Back Cover

Front (flat)

Binding

Mixed Muffins Photo Book

2008-09-28T12:27:00.001-07:00

You may remember the other day when I baked Cranberry Almond Fig Muffins? Using the pictures from that baking experience, I made a photo book for my class assignment.

Here are some of the materials I used:

I first printed out the photos I needed from the baking day and got to work making panels for the accordion. I used a heavy, almost cardboard like material and cut them into squares. I then covered the squares in white paper so they looked a little more attractive.

Instead of gluing the photos on first, I decided to make the accordion. I first tried sewing the panels together but they didn't link properly. I then decided to use thinner strips of the cardboard and some heavy duty super glue. I ended up liking the look of the accordion. I thought the cardboard strips would bother me, but I didn't think they looked too bad.

Do you see the cardboard sides of the accordion? I decided I would glue the photos on that side, so you could see each one as it popped up. I didn't realize until later that the white panels would be a little boring and just blank. So I pulled out some more ~~ingredients~~ materials, which will be featured later.

Ready for the final result? Here is a series of photos.

Did you notice the extra "materials"?

As with other books I've made, there are always complications and happy accidents.

Complications: After I glued the photos to their appropriate panels, I was very discouraged by the white sides. I didn't intend on using food in this project (mainly because I don't know what will happen to it over time), and I only did this to cover up the spots. I think I should have glued back-to-back photos, but I didn't know how that would "read" as the accordion was stretched out. I thought about starting over, but I'd already spent a good amount of time on the book and wanted to finish.

Overall: I am happy with my idea and that I decided to go for it. Although this story may not seem to have layers, there are side stories that I hope viewers can see in the details. I was happy with my use of the plastic spoon as I think that makes the book more interactive. I intended on using a baking rack at first, but I liked the idea of the Tupperware because it could hold the story together, along with serving as the "end" of a muffin's story too.

Books Without Words

2008-09-28T12:09:00.001-07:00

The other night in class we talked about making books using only photographs. We were all given the same sampling of photos and told to make our own individual stories using an accordion spine.

The first picture (below) reminded me of the forming of cells to create life. Using that as inspiration, I decided to make a book about my life in pictures.

The explosion (shown right) expresses my birth.

These panels represent times of turbulence and confusion.

Here is a sampling of the photographs.

The end of the book, where I start to form my own life as an adult on my own path.

I liked this exercise a lot. For next week's class, we are to make another book on our own using only photographs. It's somewhat challenging to leave words out of a book; it almost feels unnatural. But it really helps you start to see things in a different way.

Sample Work

2008-09-24T17:29:00.001-07:00

If there's one thing I've learned in the past year, it's that books with all types of materials. Below please view some samples of my work from the past year.

Artist Interview Book

This book was inspired after meeting and interview a mosaic artist living in Baltimore. The assignment was simply to create a book. There rules were pretty loose. I decided to create a mosaic so I could fully understand the artist before writing a feature story.

Art Exhibit Book

This book was inspired after spending one hour at an art exhibit in DC. I sketched a photograph taken by Ansel Adams of a carved wall in California. I then took the photo I sketched and carved it onto chalkboards, which serves as the front and back of the food. The inside stories focus on individual names on the carving.

Book about a Color

The assignment for this book was to write about a color using text and images. I decided to make a create-your-own adventure book that starts with the first envelope.

The story can go in one of two directions. Number 7 is missing at the moment.

Daily Journal

I made all of the above books and this journal in the same course. The assignments for the journal varied from week to week, but we were able to take this in many directions.

Lifesavers

2008-09-21T14:58:00.001-07:00

Using some lines from this story I wrote, I decided to make an accordion book from a box of Cheerios.

I posted the original story on the side of the box and an accordion containing words pours from the mouth of the box. This represents the way a box of Cheerios is poured into a bowl. Like this:

When I was trimming the words for each panel, they got mixed up into a pile. I was really annoyed by this at first. But then I thought about this boy and his "disease" that's noted in the story. I put disease in quotes because the boy does not have a disease. This is what his mother calls it because she doesn't know how else to label it. On the outside, he's a normal, good and wholesome, like the box of Cheerios. But on the inside, things are mixed up. I placed the words out of order to represent his inner emotions. The words follow a pattern on the accordion.

But at one place, they are different and double up.

This represents the boy's gene mutation on the inside of his body. This is where his "disease" stems from.

There is only one lifesaver on a strand of Cheerios.

It seems that the one thing that's different about this boy might be the one thing that's saving him from being just like everybody else, another box of Cheerios, another little boy.

Complications: With any book, there are complications in the creation. I intended to have these words pour out of the box at once - like cereal. But upon further investigation, I realized that most people read from top to bottom. I had my words coming from the bottom to the top. With the entire strand unraveled, they would have to read backward if reading top to bottom. I purposely taped the top shut so readers had to pull the words out one at a time. I justify this by saying that like cereal, you don't know what you're going to get.

Overall: The idea behind this assignment was to use different materials while still using one of the forms we learned in class. The accordion book is, to my knowledge, one of the most basic styles. I liked using food and having a literal representation in book form. I also like the way this book evolved over the course of my creation. This is not entirely what I imagined at first, but I am happy with the results.

About

2008-09-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

Lobster Books is a place for my bookmaking. It is a collection of the books I've made with details about the my intentions, my processes and the final executions. It is the Brother Blog to On a Lobster Placemat, where I blog about food and healthy living. It is a sibling of Alphabet Fruit, where I write microfiction about the food I create and enjoy. This is another part of the Lobster Family, otherwise known as a collection of my personal and professional interests - writing, publishing and healthy living. Sometimes these are all combined. Sometimes they are not. The Lobster Family continues to grow over time.