Page 12 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Spring 2017

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAPTER CHAIR IN THIS ISSUE

Six questions
Pages 2-3
As the temperature climbed into the low 80s this past week, I sat on my porch and
SAVE THE DATE for our annual meeting!
Crisscross Binding
enjoyed the sound of all the birds tweeting away. I was also thinking happily of the Page 4-5
nice pile of 35 prints that I exchanged with DVC members for our current
June 27 th , 2017
Bowling Party
collaborative project “Birds in Hands.” This time around each participant choose a Page 5
bird and made an edition with an image of the bird and its name on the page. We Valentine’s Exchange

5:30 at the Cassatt House, also asked that every page have some evidence of handwork (thus the plural
“hands”). We collated the pages on April 8 and it was so exciting to see them all!
Page 6
Endbands Workshop

1320 Locust St., Philadlephia

Page 7-9
They are really wonderful. The next step will be to bind them and everyone is Notable News
encouraged to do whatever they want. We are hoping to re-run the drumleaf Page 10

binding workshop that Alice Austin and I taught a few years ago for the ABC
Collaborative. That particular structure would be a good option for these pages.
The Living Book
Announcement

Page 11
Then in the fall, we will
exhibit the bird books DELAWARE VALLEY
at UArts. I want to CHAPTER OFFICERS
thank Madeline Jennifer Rosner
Lambelet for taking Chapter Chair
The Library Co. of Philadelphia over the not-so-easy Alice Austin
C/O Jennifer Rosner Vice Chair
1314 Locust St
task of sending out Lisa Scarpello
Philadelphia, PA 19107 reminders, collecting Treasurer
descriptions, and Rosae Reeder
answering all the Secretary
various questions that Denise Carbone

Programs Coordinator
come with these
Becky Koch
projects. It can be a lot
like herding cats and I
Jackie Manni
Newsletter Editors
was happy to have Valeria Kremser
someone else take that Webmaster
on this time around. Ruth Scott Blackson
Lisa Scarpello turned Madeline Lambelet
Exhibitions Co-chairs
all that text into a title
page and colophon.
Many thanks to both of
them!

Collation party at the Library Company of
Philadelphia on April 8, 2017

Page 2 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Spring 2017 Page 11 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Spring 2017


6 Questions: The Maryland Edition

Dorothy Haldeman

1
How long have you been a member of the GBW?

About seven years.

2 Where are you from originally?

My first 13 months were spent in Ohio followed by a lot of moving around - seven states - some of
them multiple times - and one foreign country.

3 When did you realize you wanted to learn bookbinding?

A friend invited me to join her at a bookmaking workshop with Lynn Sures, and I was hooked.
What I made was far from anything I would take home to Mom, but the materials and the making
really pleased me and the possibilities were limitless.

4 What is your favorite book structure these days?

I just took a pierced vellum workshop with James Reid Cunningham and I loved it and I’m itching
to make another, better one. Maybe. While vellum is luscious, it’s not inexpensive.

5 What are you working on right now?

I recently returned from a trip to Japan where I collected a lot of papers including flyers and
candy wrappers, all with beautiful and fascinating writing I will likely never decipher, but is still
or maybe even more beautiful and fascinating for all that. So, right now I’m working on how to
work it out.

6

Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us.

I am a licensed glider pilot.










 Page 10 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers
Notable News
Dee Collins will be teaching a workshop on
Moravian Paste Papers at the Moravian Archives
in Bethlehem on April 21st and 22nd.
Member Beth Curren has an exhibit of works of
art on paper entitled “Little Worlds: Skopelos
Dreams” at the Studio Gallery at 2108 R Street,
NW, Washington, DC. The exhibit will run from
March 29th to April 22nd.
Thomas Parker Williams has work appearing in
two exhibitions: BUILT Book Art & Architecture
from April 7 to May 27, 2017 at 23 Sandy Gallery,
Portland, OR
His work is also appearing in Celebrate!, An
exhibition of contemporary artist book works
featuring food, music and dance from April 7 -
June 25, 2017 at Abecedarian Artists Books, at
Anderson Academic Commons University of
Denver
He will also have pages from a new book "BIG
small" featured in The Hand Magazine, Spring
issue no. 16.
Lisa Scarpello was in a group exhibition called
Little Lexicons curated by the board of the
Philadelphia Center for The Book. The exhibition
was held at the Free Library of Philadelphia,
November 4 - January 13, 2017. Her book was
an accordion with text, image and a hand stitched
design running through it. Title: HCG
Encyclopaedia, 2016.
Cynthia Nourse Thompson will be teaching a
workshop, Within the Sheet: Contemporary
Watermarks at the Morgan Conservatory of
Papermaking in Cleveland, Ohio June 24 and
June 25, for more info please visit
http://www.morganconservatory.org/contemporar
y-watermarks
PRESSING MATTER Spring 2017
Member Maria Pisano has a solo exhibit of works on paper entitled
1
Reflections at the Italian Educational and Cultural Center for the Arts
at Casa Colombo in Jersey City, NJ http://www.casacolombo.org/
2
3
Maria also had an exhibit entitled The Sculpted Book at the Therese
A Maloney Art Gallery between January 26 – April 9, 2017 at the
College of St Elizabeth, Morristown, NJ 07960 -
www.maloneyartgallery.org
And the exhibit LAVORI SU CARTA: Books and Works on Paper
January 23 to February 17, 2017 at NYU Casa Italiana Zerilli –
Marimo, 24 West 12th Street, NYC 10011
Maria Pisano is teaching a workshop on Carousel books April 22nd and
23rd And “Printing Without a Press” on May 20th and 21st, at the
Center for Book Arts, NYC. She is also teaching “Paste Papers:
Owning the Mark “on July 29th and 30th, at the Morgan Conservatory,
4
Cleveland, OH. For more information about these workshops, please
refer to the following websites
http://centerforbookarts.org/event/carousel-books/
http://centerforbookarts.org/event/printing-without-a-press/
http://www.morganconservatory.org/paste-paper
5
Alice Austin, Andrea Krupp and Jennifer Rosner have been curating
an exhibit at the Library Company titled The Living Book: New
Perspectives on Form and Function which will open on May 9th.
They will also host a half-day seminar on The date of the seminar is
Thursday, May 18, 1-5 pm, with a reception to follow. Description
below:
This half-day symposium, being held in conjunction with The Living
Book exhibition, will bring together three experts to share their unique
6
perspectives on the book. Mark Dimunation, Chief of the Rare Book
and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress will present
Ten Moments in the Stacks: A Curator’s View. Alice Austin, book
conservator at the Library Company of Philadelphia will present Book
Theater: The History of the Tunnel Book, and Russell Maret, a type
designer and private press printer working in New York City will
present Hungry Bibliophiles: An Experiment in Utilitarian Bookmaking.
To register please follow the link below:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-living-book-symposium-tickets-
33342543445
Page 3 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Spring 2017
Beth Curren
How long have you been a member of the GBW?
I am embarrassed to admit that I have forgotten when I joined; I am fairly sure that I became a
member of the Delaware Valley Chapter first, encouraged by Alice Austin, about eight or ten years ago;
then it dawned on me that the Potomac Chapter was virtually in my own backyard, so I joined the local
chapter as well. I have met so many terrific people through the Guild; I am always trying to encourage
book artists to join.
Where are you from originally?
I was born and raised in Rhode Island; I am from a large family of Red Sox/Celtics/Bruins fans. We
honor our Irish and Scots heritage from our great-grandparents who emigrated to New England in the
third quarter of the 19th century. Growing up, I was very influenced by the ocean and beach
communities of Rhode Island. There is something in me that remains very much attached to salt
water, quahogs, blue fishing, and stone walls. I still miss Rhode Island.
When did you realize you wanted to learn bookbinding?
I have not actually realized that yet. I am a very middling
sort of bookbinder. What I really love is making artists’
books and since that requires binding, I’ve done my best to
be a diligent student. I learned papermaking from Georgia
Deal while I was an undergraduate at the Corcoran College
of Art + Design. She introduced me to artists’ books and that
was a revelation. It played right into my storytelling gene.
Those early experiences of designing and producing small
one-of-a-kind handmade books gave me the new direction. I
attended a couple of the PBI’s and was just gobsmacked that
there was this entire art genre that had thrived for over a
hundred years and virtually no one at the Corcoran (in
1982-1986) was teaching it to students.
What is your favorite book structure these days?
For me, some structures never get old: accordion-fold; tunnel books; carousel books; flag books and
pop-ups. I think this is because I just love the anticipation in handling and examining artists’ books. I
cannot wait for the surprise, or the sense of discovery, or the mystery of unfolding, turning things
around, looking at them in three dimensions, trying to see how the structure was engineered.
What are you working on right now?
An exhibition of my prints and watercolors (Little Worlds: Skopelos Dreams) is up in a gallery in
DC; I have just finished an edition of collagraphs for a collaborative book with the Delaware Valley
Chapter; I just completed my teaching for the semester and I just handed in a review of an artists’
book for a fine press magazine. So, at this moment, I am breathing a sigh of relief. I want to clear my
work surfaces, rearrange my studio space and get to work on developing a couple of long-range
projects. There is something terribly exciting about starting a new body of work.
Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us.
When I was four years old, I was in a small room that was struck by lightning. Although the room was
destroyed and I was covered in glass shards and shocked, I was unharmed. There is about a minute of
time that cannot be accounted for---it was my first experience of missing time---and to this day, I am
fascinated by electrical storms.
Page 4 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Spring 2017 Page 9 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Spring 2017


Crisscross Binding: A Workshop with Denise Carbone For the final headband of the class, Tara demonstrated the
headband with two colors where the bead sits at the front.
By Meg Kennedy This was without a doubt the trickiest of all the headbands to
learn but definitely the most satisfying. I first practiced on the
With enthusiasm, energy, and an impressive amount of organization, Denise perfect bound text block using linen waxed threads and then
untangled the intricacies of Crisscross Binding—a.k.a. the Secret Belgian Import—by for the silk threads I used a text block with sewn signatures
dividing each volume into a weaving stage and a sewing stage. Each 3-piece case (two that I had prepared before class. The silk threads are a little
covers and a spine) was woven together and then the text block was sewn in using a format more difficult to handle but after some time, patience and
similar to a long-stitch. Although it sounds fairly straightforward, I found the execution of practice it becomes easier.
each binding to require more concentration than expected (i.e. no chatting with your

neighbor or you’d screw up!).
Note to self, Langes Fädchen, faules Mädchen, translated
We worked on two versions of the Crisscross Binding. The first had covered boards and to Long thread, Lazy girl. I am sure many in the bookbinding community are familiar with the
translation of this German proverb. I had heard this term in a bookbinding class I took around 6
uniformly spaced holes on the front and back covers. The text block was sewn in without a
years ago and Tara mentioned it again during class this weekend. It is tempting to thread a lot on
kettle stitch. The second volume, the “naked board book,” employed various sized chisels to your needle however it is inevitable that with too much thread knots occur and you have to start
make larger openings in the covers that were wrapped multiple times across the adjacent the whole thing again.
spine, producing more of a woven look. For this one, a kettle stitch was used along with the
long-stitch to attach the text block. Since the holes on the covers were large and exposed the Overall this was a very enjoyable class and I hope to use some of the methods I learned in the
inside pages, we added colored sheets as flyleaves to the first and last signatures. The spines work of my clients or even on some of my own artist books.
for both volumes were covered with book cloth. One of the [many] challenges in making
these books is the need to be aware of what is going on both on the outside of the book and
inside the book (or more specifically the inside of the spine).

Denise’s many examples of Crisscross Bindings included multiple spines; single and
double threads; leather replacing board covers; and vellum, Tyvek, or suede replacing thread
attachments on the
covers. This style of
binding, first
introduced by Anne
Goy of Belgium and
brought to this
country by Hedi
Kyle, offers almost
limitless possibilities
for variation,
decoration, and
materials.

Page 8 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Spring 2017 Page 5 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Spring 2017

In order to get the hang of the different types of headbands Tara demonstrated on a sewing card,
which was made from corrugated acid free board. We cut a 1/2" slot on one end of the card, and Denise shared many tips and techniques throughout the day. In my 7 pages of notes I jotted
labeled one side "spine" and the other "fore edge" so not to get confused. the following:

• the covers and text block are the same size for these bindings
• she prefers awls that are tapered and removes the burrs on cover boards with a scalpel
• to protect cutting mats when piercing paper and boards, she makes a punching block: craft
foam on top, two layers of corrugated cardboard, and a bottom layer of binders board
• she adds the pastedowns to the inside covers after all the sewing/weaving is complete to
stabilize the threads and prevent them from moving about

• it’s always best to make a jig before punching or sewing

• when punching holes in boards with chisels, use a rawhide mallet

• these larger holes were smoothed with emery boards

• hole punches can be sharpened with aluminum foil

• low-tack painter’s tape is very handy in setting up the covers and spine and keeping
them from flopping around when you’re trying to weave them together
As you can see we use a piece of cord to make the headband and to begin we used waxed linen • when weaving, the tension on the thread has to be constant and consistent since you
thread, it is much easier to use when learning this process. Once we had finished our cards Tara
can’t go back and tighten your stitches
then demonstrated on a perfect bound text block - using the same approach but on the book
• adding a slight bend to your sewing needle greatly helps with attaching the text block
rather than the card. Here is the version I made, you will see that the anchoring point is
supposed to land just beyond the kettle stitch, (or in this case on the pencil line) - however mine to the inside spine (this was done with a lighter to heat the metal and a pliers)
is a bit of a jumble, sometimes landing before, after and on the imaginary kettle stitch line, yet
not too bad for a first try. It was a wonderful workshop with an incredibly talented instructor. I think we all left with a
healthy respect for Crisscross Bindings and many ideas for adapting this technique to our
In the afternoon we then all own projects. Thanks, Denise!
took a stab at creating a
conservation endband, this
particular endband features

a little bead in the process. It

looks like a little pearl on the

outside of the spine and
would usually be done in a
white linen thread. Tara also
showed us a trick that aided
in keeping the cord straight
against the book rather than
it flopping around while
trying to sew the headband
to the book. One way to do

this is to pin it but then there DVC Annual

is the danger of pricking
oneself - the foolproof Bookbinders,
method is to take your cord Beer, and
and cover it in Japanese Bowling Party
tissue paper using PVA glue and then adhered it to the spine - this enables the cord to be held on January
attached nicely to the spine and then you can begin sewing. 10, 2017.





Page 6 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Spring 2017 Page 7 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Spring 2017


Valentine’s Day Mail Art 2017 Long Thread, Lazy Girl
By Ruth Scott Blackson
By Jackie Manni
If you read all the way through this article the title will become clear, or if you are familiar with
Very few of us would disagree with the statement that we are living in that Chinese blessing/curse of
"interesting times." It feels like every day brings a new report to make a person outraged, saddened, bookbinding you can probably guess where I am going with this ...
and demoralized. What can we do to mitigate this constant barrage of bad news? There is protest, there is
activism, and then there is art. This year's Valentine's Day Mail Art project was a welcome antidote to the times As someone who runs their own small bookbinding and book restoration business I often put an
we are living through. endband onto the books that come into my studio. These generally consist of strips of fabric that
are pre -made or if I am giving a large family bible a new set of endbands I will use striped fabric
Making each Valentine was a balm to my soul. Each time I wrote the word love, every time I stamped a heart to wrapped over peach board (an improved type of chipboard).
paper, and all of the marks I made shifted my focus to the good, to the creative, and to persisting (we had to
make 18 after all!). Putting my work into the mailbox felt like an act of resistance. Negativity: take a hike!

Then, the love started pouring in. Every day, there was something beautiful, funny, charming, clever, and
inspiring coming to me. As I look at a Valentine on my wall, in a book holding my page, on my refrigerator door,
or propped up against a plant at work I know we can create good.

Many thanks to all participants: Cindy Au-Kramer, Alice Austin, Kristin Balmer, Denise Carbone, James
Engelbart, Sharon Hildebrand, Andrew Huot, Becky Koch, Val Kremser, Dana Kull, Karen Lightner, Jackie Manni,
Todd Pattison, Rosae Reeder, Jennifer Rosner, Lisa Scarpello, Ruth Scott Blackson, Kristin Ziegler

On hearing that the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers would be running a
workshop at the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, that explored the sewn-on endband I signed
up to the class right away. It is all well and good pasting a piece of fabric onto the head and tail
of a book but sometimes a client may want something a little more special.

The workshop was a one day class taught by Tara O'Brien, the Head of Conservation at The
Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Tara was an excellent teacher and made the skill of learning
to sew on endbands easy to understand. The goal of the class was to learn three basic endbands -
a simple wound endband (one color), a conservation endband (one color), and a headband with
a bead on the front (two colors). Tara often referred to the book, Headbands and How To Work
Them by Jane Greenfield and Jenny Hille throughout the class which is a step by step guide on
how to create 14 different headbands.

You might have noticed that I have used the words 'endband' and 'headband' - these terms are
interchangeable and amount to the same thing, a decorative element that sits on the head and
tail of the spine adding protection and some aesthetic sensibility. As I mentioned before I have
used glued on headbands since I started bookbinding, you will see this on a lot of hardbound
commercially produced books, however this is not a new invention and can be traced back to the

1800's. The sewn-on endband is more versatile and stronger since it is sewn into the spine of
the book.

Page 6 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Spring 2017 Page 7 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Spring 2017


Valentine’s Day Mail Art 2017 Long Thread, Lazy Girl
By Ruth Scott Blackson
By Jackie Manni
If you read all the way through this article the title will become clear, or if you are familiar with
Very few of us would disagree with the statement that we are living in that Chinese blessing/curse of
"interesting times." It feels like every day brings a new report to make a person outraged, saddened, bookbinding you can probably guess where I am going with this ...
and demoralized. What can we do to mitigate this constant barrage of bad news? There is protest, there is
activism, and then there is art. This year's Valentine's Day Mail Art project was a welcome antidote to the times As someone who runs their own small bookbinding and book restoration business I often put an
we are living through. endband onto the books that come into my studio. These generally consist of strips of fabric that
are pre -made or if I am giving a large family bible a new set of endbands I will use striped fabric
Making each Valentine was a balm to my soul. Each time I wrote the word love, every time I stamped a heart to wrapped over peach board (an improved type of chipboard).
paper, and all of the marks I made shifted my focus to the good, to the creative, and to persisting (we had to
make 18 after all!). Putting my work into the mailbox felt like an act of resistance. Negativity: take a hike!

Then, the love started pouring in. Every day, there was something beautiful, funny, charming, clever, and
inspiring coming to me. As I look at a Valentine on my wall, in a book holding my page, on my refrigerator door,
or propped up against a plant at work I know we can create good.

Many thanks to all participants: Cindy Au-Kramer, Alice Austin, Kristin Balmer, Denise Carbone, James
Engelbart, Sharon Hildebrand, Andrew Huot, Becky Koch, Val Kremser, Dana Kull, Karen Lightner, Jackie Manni,
Todd Pattison, Rosae Reeder, Jennifer Rosner, Lisa Scarpello, Ruth Scott Blackson, Kristin Ziegler

On hearing that the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers would be running a
workshop at the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, that explored the sewn-on endband I signed
up to the class right away. It is all well and good pasting a piece of fabric onto the head and tail
of a book but sometimes a client may want something a little more special.

The workshop was a one day class taught by Tara O'Brien, the Head of Conservation at The
Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Tara was an excellent teacher and made the skill of learning
to sew on endbands easy to understand. The goal of the class was to learn three basic endbands -
a simple wound endband (one color), a conservation endband (one color), and a headband with
a bead on the front (two colors). Tara often referred to the book, Headbands and How To Work
Them by Jane Greenfield and Jenny Hille throughout the class which is a step by step guide on
how to create 14 different headbands.

You might have noticed that I have used the words 'endband' and 'headband' - these terms are
interchangeable and amount to the same thing, a decorative element that sits on the head and
tail of the spine adding protection and some aesthetic sensibility. As I mentioned before I have
used glued on headbands since I started bookbinding, you will see this on a lot of hardbound
commercially produced books, however this is not a new invention and can be traced back to the

1800's. The sewn-on endband is more versatile and stronger since it is sewn into the spine of
the book.

Page 8 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Spring 2017 Page 5 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Spring 2017

In order to get the hang of the different types of headbands Tara demonstrated on a sewing card,
which was made from corrugated acid free board. We cut a 1/2" slot on one end of the card, and Denise shared many tips and techniques throughout the day. In my 7 pages of notes I jotted
labeled one side "spine" and the other "fore edge" so not to get confused. the following:

• the covers and text block are the same size for these bindings
• she prefers awls that are tapered and removes the burrs on cover boards with a scalpel
• to protect cutting mats when piercing paper and boards, she makes a punching block: craft
foam on top, two layers of corrugated cardboard, and a bottom layer of binders board
• she adds the pastedowns to the inside covers after all the sewing/weaving is complete to
stabilize the threads and prevent them from moving about

• it’s always best to make a jig before punching or sewing

• when punching holes in boards with chisels, use a rawhide mallet

• these larger holes were smoothed with emery boards

• hole punches can be sharpened with aluminum foil

• low-tack painter’s tape is very handy in setting up the covers and spine and keeping
them from flopping around when you’re trying to weave them together
As you can see we use a piece of cord to make the headband and to begin we used waxed linen • when weaving, the tension on the thread has to be constant and consistent since you
thread, it is much easier to use when learning this process. Once we had finished our cards Tara
can’t go back and tighten your stitches
then demonstrated on a perfect bound text block - using the same approach but on the book
• adding a slight bend to your sewing needle greatly helps with attaching the text block
rather than the card. Here is the version I made, you will see that the anchoring point is
supposed to land just beyond the kettle stitch, (or in this case on the pencil line) - however mine to the inside spine (this was done with a lighter to heat the metal and a pliers)
is a bit of a jumble, sometimes landing before, after and on the imaginary kettle stitch line, yet
not too bad for a first try. It was a wonderful workshop with an incredibly talented instructor. I think we all left with a
healthy respect for Crisscross Bindings and many ideas for adapting this technique to our
In the afternoon we then all own projects. Thanks, Denise!
took a stab at creating a
conservation endband, this
particular endband features

a little bead in the process. It

looks like a little pearl on the

outside of the spine and
would usually be done in a
white linen thread. Tara also
showed us a trick that aided
in keeping the cord straight
against the book rather than
it flopping around while
trying to sew the headband
to the book. One way to do

this is to pin it but then there DVC Annual

is the danger of pricking
oneself - the foolproof Bookbinders,
method is to take your cord Beer, and
and cover it in Japanese Bowling Party
tissue paper using PVA glue and then adhered it to the spine - this enables the cord to be held on January
attached nicely to the spine and then you can begin sewing. 10, 2017.





Page 4 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Spring 2017 Page 9 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Spring 2017


Crisscross Binding: A Workshop with Denise Carbone For the final headband of the class, Tara demonstrated the
headband with two colors where the bead sits at the front.
By Meg Kennedy This was without a doubt the trickiest of all the headbands to
learn but definitely the most satisfying. I first practiced on the
With enthusiasm, energy, and an impressive amount of organization, Denise perfect bound text block using linen waxed threads and then
untangled the intricacies of Crisscross Binding—a.k.a. the Secret Belgian Import—by for the silk threads I used a text block with sewn signatures
dividing each volume into a weaving stage and a sewing stage. Each 3-piece case (two that I had prepared before class. The silk threads are a little
covers and a spine) was woven together and then the text block was sewn in using a format more difficult to handle but after some time, patience and
similar to a long-stitch. Although it sounds fairly straightforward, I found the execution of practice it becomes easier.
each binding to require more concentration than expected (i.e. no chatting with your

neighbor or you’d screw up!).
Note to self, Langes Fädchen, faules Mädchen, translated
We worked on two versions of the Crisscross Binding. The first had covered boards and to Long thread, Lazy girl. I am sure many in the bookbinding community are familiar with the
translation of this German proverb. I had heard this term in a bookbinding class I took around 6
uniformly spaced holes on the front and back covers. The text block was sewn in without a
years ago and Tara mentioned it again during class this weekend. It is tempting to thread a lot on
kettle stitch. The second volume, the “naked board book,” employed various sized chisels to your needle however it is inevitable that with too much thread knots occur and you have to start
make larger openings in the covers that were wrapped multiple times across the adjacent the whole thing again.
spine, producing more of a woven look. For this one, a kettle stitch was used along with the
long-stitch to attach the text block. Since the holes on the covers were large and exposed the Overall this was a very enjoyable class and I hope to use some of the methods I learned in the
inside pages, we added colored sheets as flyleaves to the first and last signatures. The spines work of my clients or even on some of my own artist books.
for both volumes were covered with book cloth. One of the [many] challenges in making
these books is the need to be aware of what is going on both on the outside of the book and
inside the book (or more specifically the inside of the spine).

Denise’s many examples of Crisscross Bindings included multiple spines; single and
double threads; leather replacing board covers; and vellum, Tyvek, or suede replacing thread
attachments on the
covers. This style of
binding, first
introduced by Anne
Goy of Belgium and
brought to this
country by Hedi
Kyle, offers almost
limitless possibilities
for variation,
decoration, and
materials.

 Page 10 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers
Notable News
Dee Collins will be teaching a workshop on
Moravian Paste Papers at the Moravian Archives
in Bethlehem on April 21st and 22nd.
Member Beth Curren has an exhibit of works of
art on paper entitled “Little Worlds: Skopelos
Dreams” at the Studio Gallery at 2108 R Street,
NW, Washington, DC. The exhibit will run from
March 29th to April 22nd.
Thomas Parker Williams has work appearing in
two exhibitions: BUILT Book Art & Architecture
from April 7 to May 27, 2017 at 23 Sandy Gallery,
Portland, OR
His work is also appearing in Celebrate!, An
exhibition of contemporary artist book works
featuring food, music and dance from April 7 -
June 25, 2017 at Abecedarian Artists Books, at
Anderson Academic Commons University of
Denver
He will also have pages from a new book "BIG
small" featured in The Hand Magazine, Spring
issue no. 16.
Lisa Scarpello was in a group exhibition called
Little Lexicons curated by the board of the
Philadelphia Center for The Book. The exhibition
was held at the Free Library of Philadelphia,
November 4 - January 13, 2017. Her book was
an accordion with text, image and a hand stitched
design running through it. Title: HCG
Encyclopaedia, 2016.
Cynthia Nourse Thompson will be teaching a
workshop, Within the Sheet: Contemporary
Watermarks at the Morgan Conservatory of
Papermaking in Cleveland, Ohio June 24 and
June 25, for more info please visit
http://www.morganconservatory.org/contemporar
y-watermarks
PRESSING MATTER Spring 2017
Member Maria Pisano has a solo exhibit of works on paper entitled
1
Reflections at the Italian Educational and Cultural Center for the Arts
at Casa Colombo in Jersey City, NJ http://www.casacolombo.org/
2
3
Maria also had an exhibit entitled The Sculpted Book at the Therese
A Maloney Art Gallery between January 26 – April 9, 2017 at the
College of St Elizabeth, Morristown, NJ 07960 -
www.maloneyartgallery.org
And the exhibit LAVORI SU CARTA: Books and Works on Paper
January 23 to February 17, 2017 at NYU Casa Italiana Zerilli –
Marimo, 24 West 12th Street, NYC 10011
Maria Pisano is teaching a workshop on Carousel books April 22nd and
23rd And “Printing Without a Press” on May 20th and 21st, at the
Center for Book Arts, NYC. She is also teaching “Paste Papers:
Owning the Mark “on July 29th and 30th, at the Morgan Conservatory,
4
Cleveland, OH. For more information about these workshops, please
refer to the following websites
http://centerforbookarts.org/event/carousel-books/
http://centerforbookarts.org/event/printing-without-a-press/
http://www.morganconservatory.org/paste-paper
5
Alice Austin, Andrea Krupp and Jennifer Rosner have been curating
an exhibit at the Library Company titled The Living Book: New
Perspectives on Form and Function which will open on May 9th.
They will also host a half-day seminar on The date of the seminar is
Thursday, May 18, 1-5 pm, with a reception to follow. Description
below:
This half-day symposium, being held in conjunction with The Living
Book exhibition, will bring together three experts to share their unique
6
perspectives on the book. Mark Dimunation, Chief of the Rare Book
and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress will present
Ten Moments in the Stacks: A Curator’s View. Alice Austin, book
conservator at the Library Company of Philadelphia will present Book
Theater: The History of the Tunnel Book, and Russell Maret, a type
designer and private press printer working in New York City will
present Hungry Bibliophiles: An Experiment in Utilitarian Bookmaking.
To register please follow the link below:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-living-book-symposium-tickets-
33342543445
Page 3 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Spring 2017
Beth Curren
How long have you been a member of the GBW?
I am embarrassed to admit that I have forgotten when I joined; I am fairly sure that I became a
member of the Delaware Valley Chapter first, encouraged by Alice Austin, about eight or ten years ago;
then it dawned on me that the Potomac Chapter was virtually in my own backyard, so I joined the local
chapter as well. I have met so many terrific people through the Guild; I am always trying to encourage
book artists to join.
Where are you from originally?
I was born and raised in Rhode Island; I am from a large family of Red Sox/Celtics/Bruins fans. We
honor our Irish and Scots heritage from our great-grandparents who emigrated to New England in the
third quarter of the 19th century. Growing up, I was very influenced by the ocean and beach
communities of Rhode Island. There is something in me that remains very much attached to salt
water, quahogs, blue fishing, and stone walls. I still miss Rhode Island.
When did you realize you wanted to learn bookbinding?
I have not actually realized that yet. I am a very middling
sort of bookbinder. What I really love is making artists’
books and since that requires binding, I’ve done my best to
be a diligent student. I learned papermaking from Georgia
Deal while I was an undergraduate at the Corcoran College
of Art + Design. She introduced me to artists’ books and that
was a revelation. It played right into my storytelling gene.
Those early experiences of designing and producing small
one-of-a-kind handmade books gave me the new direction. I
attended a couple of the PBI’s and was just gobsmacked that
there was this entire art genre that had thrived for over a
hundred years and virtually no one at the Corcoran (in
1982-1986) was teaching it to students.
What is your favorite book structure these days?
For me, some structures never get old: accordion-fold; tunnel books; carousel books; flag books and
pop-ups. I think this is because I just love the anticipation in handling and examining artists’ books. I
cannot wait for the surprise, or the sense of discovery, or the mystery of unfolding, turning things
around, looking at them in three dimensions, trying to see how the structure was engineered.
What are you working on right now?
An exhibition of my prints and watercolors (Little Worlds: Skopelos Dreams) is up in a gallery in
DC; I have just finished an edition of collagraphs for a collaborative book with the Delaware Valley
Chapter; I just completed my teaching for the semester and I just handed in a review of an artists’
book for a fine press magazine. So, at this moment, I am breathing a sigh of relief. I want to clear my
work surfaces, rearrange my studio space and get to work on developing a couple of long-range
projects. There is something terribly exciting about starting a new body of work.
Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us.
When I was four years old, I was in a small room that was struck by lightning. Although the room was
destroyed and I was covered in glass shards and shocked, I was unharmed. There is about a minute of
time that cannot be accounted for---it was my first experience of missing time---and to this day, I am
fascinated by electrical storms.
Page 2 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Spring 2017 Page 11 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Spring 2017


6 Questions: The Maryland Edition

Dorothy Haldeman

1
How long have you been a member of the GBW?

About seven years.

2 Where are you from originally?

My first 13 months were spent in Ohio followed by a lot of moving around - seven states - some of
them multiple times - and one foreign country.

3 When did you realize you wanted to learn bookbinding?

A friend invited me to join her at a bookmaking workshop with Lynn Sures, and I was hooked.
What I made was far from anything I would take home to Mom, but the materials and the making
really pleased me and the possibilities were limitless.

4 What is your favorite book structure these days?

I just took a pierced vellum workshop with James Reid Cunningham and I loved it and I’m itching
to make another, better one. Maybe. While vellum is luscious, it’s not inexpensive.

5 What are you working on right now?

I recently returned from a trip to Japan where I collected a lot of papers including flyers and
candy wrappers, all with beautiful and fascinating writing I will likely never decipher, but is still
or maybe even more beautiful and fascinating for all that. So, right now I’m working on how to
work it out.

6

Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us.

I am a licensed glider pilot.










Page 12 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Spring 2017

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAPTER CHAIR IN THIS ISSUE

Six questions
Pages 2-3
As the temperature climbed into the low 80s this past week, I sat on my porch and
SAVE THE DATE for our annual meeting!
Crisscross Binding
enjoyed the sound of all the birds tweeting away. I was also thinking happily of the Page 4-5
nice pile of 35 prints that I exchanged with DVC members for our current
June 27 th , 2017
Bowling Party
collaborative project “Birds in Hands.” This time around each participant choose a Page 5
bird and made an edition with an image of the bird and its name on the page. We Valentine’s Exchange

5:30 at the Cassatt House, also asked that every page have some evidence of handwork (thus the plural
“hands”). We collated the pages on April 8 and it was so exciting to see them all!
Page 6
Endbands Workshop

1320 Locust St., Philadlephia

Page 7-9
They are really wonderful. The next step will be to bind them and everyone is Notable News
encouraged to do whatever they want. We are hoping to re-run the drumleaf Page 10
binding workshop that Alice Austin and I taught a few years ago for the ABC The Living Book
Announcement
Collaborative. That particular structure would be a good option for these pages. Page 11
Then in the fall, we will
exhibit the bird books DELAWARE VALLEY
at UArts. I want to CHAPTER OFFICERS
thank Madeline Jennifer Rosner
Lambelet for taking Chapter Chair
The Library Co. of Philadelphia over the not-so-easy Alice Austin
C/O Jennifer Rosner Vice Chair
1314 Locust St
task of sending out Lisa Scarpello
Philadelphia, PA 19107 reminders, collecting Treasurer
descriptions, and Rosae Reeder
answering all the Secretary
various questions that Denise Carbone
Programs Coordinator
come with these
Becky Koch
projects. It can be a lot Jackie Manni
like herding cats and I Newsletter Editors
was happy to have Valeria Kremser
someone else take that Webmaster
on this time around. Ruth Scott Blackson
Lisa Scarpello turned Madeline Lambelet
Exhibitions Co-chairs
all that text into a title
page and colophon.
Many thanks to both of
them!

Collation party at the Library Company of

Philadelphia on April 8, 2017