I’m really enjoying learning the rhythm of Coptic binding. There’s something wonderfully satisfying about watching a book take shape using not much more than folded paper, thread, and a little patience.
This one is particularly special to me because almost every part of it has a story.
The paper on the covers is a beautiful scrap that was brought home from Japan for my 50th birthday. The boards underneath? Recycled packaging from my favorite Quik Cardamom Tea. And the pages are sewn together with bright red thrifted crochet thread using a simple Coptic binding, leaving the spine open so you can see exactly how the book is held together.
I love that combination. Things that might otherwise have had very different lives: a piece of paper carried home from halfway around the world and a bit of packaging that would normally be thrown away meet blank pages waiting for a new story.
Maybe that’s one of the things I like most about making books by hand. They don't have to begin with precious materials. Sometimes the most interesting books are made from the things we already have—and the things that already mean something to us.
