Interview with Stacie Dolin co-author of Book Art Studio Handbook

Today I have a special treat for you. I have an interview with Stacie Dolin, co-author of Book Art Studio Handbook: Techniques and Methods for Binding Books, Creating Albums, Making Boxes and Enclosures, and More.

   

1. What does your workspace/ design space look like?

  

My workspace is mostly in a corner of my dining room - I store supplies and materials in an old sideboard, and presses and a papercutter are in the room as well.  I do design work in my office, which also serves as a bookbinding library.

2. Do you save your mistakes/ or designs you don't love right away -or ditch them?

  

I save many of my mistakes and failed designs and use them to experiment with solutions.

3. What's on your "next to try" list?

  

Nothing specific, but I like to explore new techniques and methods!

4. Do you ever work with recycled materials?

  

Occasionally I'll re-purpose some old cloth or fiber for book use.
 

5. What music do you listen to when designing?

   

I listen to NPR/WBUR pretty much all the time.

6. How long does a design take you to create?

   

I hate to say "it depends", but it depends!  Sometimes simple is best.  I spend a lot of time going back and forth with a client in order to come up with a design that is exactly what they want.
 

7. How do you organize your supplies? 

  

All of my tools are in an old machinist's chest.

Paper is organized by text or decorative.  Leather is on loose rolls in a large basket.  

8. What books/magazines do you read?

   

Cabinet, The Bonefolder, Print, I also read a bunch of book-related blogs.  

9. How would you describe your personal style?

  

I like to incorporate aspects of other crafts (knitting, spinning, paper-cutting, tatting) into my work. 

10. How do you determine what a design is going to be made with?

  

I'll try out many different mini-models/samples of things to find the right material and make sure that it works well with any other materials on the book.  No bleeding, shrinking, glue reactions, etc.

11. Do you have a collection of anything?

  

Oh man.  I have a house full of assorted ephemera and books.  So in many ways I have a collection that consists of a little bit of everything.

12. How did your book come to be made? 

  

Amy invited me to join her in writing a book after she replied to a call for authors.

13. And the all important question (from Ravelry) what is your favorite swear word?

   

I'm going to have to go with the multi-use "f*ck" (and it's variants)

And the bonus round:

  

14. Name 10 things you've done that probably no one else has. Stacie had four, but wow are they impressive!

• Learned to drive by driving cross-country for 6 weeks with no license.
• Knit my own wedding dress.
• Had my tonsils grow back.
• Lived in a big old house where I had 76 roommates over the course of 9 years.

Thanks Stacie for sharing!

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Check out  book designs in an Online Exhibit made by 11 members of the

New England Chapter of The Guild of Book Workers at their site.

More about the Quarry book:

Book Art Studio Handbook:
Techniques and Methods for Binding Books, Creating Albums, Making Boxes and Enclosures, and More

by

Stacie Dolin

and

Amy Lapidow

How to Make Books, Albums, Slipcases, and More

There’s nothing like making your own sketchbook, or wrapping a favorite book in the perfect homemade slipcase. And you can create it all yourself! Select the tools and materials you’ll need, master basic book-binding techniques, and practice your new skills on 12 eye-catching projects. Then explore the gallery of variations for more inspiration to make each book form your own. Whether you’re an experienced book binder or new to the art, Book Art Studio Handbook will help you take your books to the next level.

 

With Book Art Studio Handbook, you’ll learn how to:

 

- Set up your workspace or studio

- Choose the right board, paper, book cloth, and other supplies for your project

- Fold a textblock, make a sewing template, glue a cover, and practice other essential techniques

- Create albums: Imagine your photos in an Accordion Album with Frames, for example

-  Create books: How about a flexible Tacketed Book to customize?

- Create enclosures: From Slipcase to French Box

- Challenge yourself: Try your hand at an advanced project, such as a Travel Journal

Stacie Dolin is a bookbinder and consummate crafter located in Arlington, MA. After working in the silkscreen industry for a number of years, she moved to Boston to study bookbinding at the North Bennet Street School. She now teaches numerous bookbinding workshops and does independent binding and book repair. When not playing with books, Stacie knits, spins, and quilts, and looks for ways to integrate her fiber activities into her bookbinding.

Amy Lapidow is a hand bookbinder, trained through The North Bennet Street School and several other institutions including Rare Book School and CBBAG. She teaches through the NBSS workshop program, where she has developed classes on a number of bookbinding concepts. Her personal interest is taking historic bookbinding structures and updating them by using alternate materials and for contemporary uses. Her work has been seen in 500 Handmade Books and as part of the exhibit One Book Many Interpretations at The Chicago Public Library, where she combined a classic binding style with QR codes. She lives in Somerville, MA.