2004: june 13
Crimson and Clover
This is a travelling book for my friend. Evert wanted something for his cross-Canada adventure. The book needed to be strong enough to withstand the proper beating of backpack travel, and yet it had to open flat. I made a wooden book to ensure Evert would always have a hard surface to write on. Then to protect the book, and perhaps act as an additional folder for things collected along the way, I created a portfolio-style case for the book.
The case is covered in 100% silk--an elegant finish and rock solid in its strength. The inside fabric is one that Evert chose and features the kokopelli (a mythical creature from the Hopi Indians who represents fertility, music, dance and mischief). Although the kokopelli fabric was the inspiration for the binding, I know nothing about its composition and did not trust it for anything other than a lining. Both the silk and the kokopelli fabric are lined with a Japanese kozo to add stability to the fabric.
The ribbon used to hold the case shut is also 100% silk. It is hand dyed and was purchased from the Japanese Paper Place. The ties are not attached to the book in any way--they are simply woven through the front and back covers. Were the ribbon to fray or otherwise break a new ribbon could be easily woven through the case.
The case was the only part of the binding that used an adhesive. For this project I used flour paste--including the making of the silk and kokopelli book cloth.
The book itself is a wooden book (poplar) bound in the Coptic style using a maroon and white linen thread. It is approximately the size of an American Letter sized paper folded in half (although it's not made from 8.5x11 sheets due to grain considerations).
