Paper is an amazing material,. True paper contains only plant cellulose which is pulped, diluted with water, and laid out into thin sheets. Gangolf Ulbricht https://papiergangolfulbricht.com/en/philosophy/ , a paper maker in Germany produces some incredible handmade papers. A webinar that I attended by him through the Society of Bookbinders, was fascinating and I learnt so much about the differences between handmade papers and commercially produced ones. In the 18th century and before, ll...

As the Christmas decorations came down and were packed away for another year, we found ourselves wondering whether we could give some of the waste material a new life beyond simply chucking it in the recycling bin. We took a pile of festive wrapping paper and a few Christmas cards out to the bindery to see what we could do! With a few sheets of A4 printer paper, a needle and thread, and something to cut with, we were able to make a cheerful set of little paper notebooks that will be useful...

It is always tricky for me to decide whether bookbinding is a craft or an art. I have had many discussions with people over the years at craft fairs and on courses about exactly what bookbinding is. I have always said it is a craft and yet my work has been exhibited in Art exhibitions. It is certainly a creative endeavour as whilst making a new book you are constantly making aesthetic and creative decisions. The late Sir Ken Robinson ( https://www.sirkenrobinson.com/) described...