- Paperback: 51 pages
- Publisher: Design Originals (30 Jan 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1574215302
- ISBN-13: 978-1574215304
- Product Dimensions: 27.4 x 20.8 x 0.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 512,966 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
I loved this book on first glance. There is a good range of styles of books to make, and they would suit all abilities. The instructions are very clear and good photos to go alongside make this easy to follow. I often just flick through to see the lovely creations within, its a good source of inspiration and the photos are lovely.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
15 reviews
65 of 68 people found the following review helpful
Very clever designs.
25 Nov 2004
Format:Paperback
Although I sort of went crazy and bought several books on handmade books and paper crafts, when it came to actually selecting designs I wanted to try for Christmas gifts for my friends this year it was Book Arts: Beautiful Bindings for Handmade Books by Mary Kaye Seckler that had the most novel and attractive designs. Some of the ideas were similar to those illustrated in other works, but Ms Seckler's actual presentation was impressive. While some of the more elaborate designs in other books were attractive and clever, they left me as a major beginner a little daunted. Book Arts allowed me to produced satisfying results despite my status as novice.
Some of the actual patterns for weaving the signatures together were a little confusing to me. I'm used to fiber crafts like tatting and bobbin lace which have very complicated designs, so I felt that had the illustrations been a little clearer it would have been easier to do. Where the needlework was more straight forward, however, I found the assembly of the book more easily accomplished. Although I've yet to try all of the patterns, I hope to make each one at least once.
Of all of the styles offered, my favorite was the Geisha's Hideaway. It includes a small pencil box and a novel closure. I made a practice run with scrap paper and cardboard backs from tablets during a quiet episode at work and managed to complete the thing in about an hour. I've since made three others using brocade fabric and taking more pains over the precision with which I cut the covers and pencil box, and each took considerably longer, about three hours with gluing and clamping the materials. The results, however, were stunning.
I modified the author's version of the Chinese Star Book by making it a little larger and making a changeable story out of it by placing alternate outcomes from which the reader could chose into pockets at each stage of the story. I got the idea for the story from another book on making books, but chose Ms Seckler's design for the actual book.
By learning the basic techniques of each of the books and altering them to suit a desired purpose, the student should be able to come up with hundreds of clever designs. For those of you used to stamping and to scrap booking, the embellishments you might add to your product through your knowledge of those sources are legion, and you should be very satisfied with the results. .
Some of the actual patterns for weaving the signatures together were a little confusing to me. I'm used to fiber crafts like tatting and bobbin lace which have very complicated designs, so I felt that had the illustrations been a little clearer it would have been easier to do. Where the needlework was more straight forward, however, I found the assembly of the book more easily accomplished. Although I've yet to try all of the patterns, I hope to make each one at least once.
Of all of the styles offered, my favorite was the Geisha's Hideaway. It includes a small pencil box and a novel closure. I made a practice run with scrap paper and cardboard backs from tablets during a quiet episode at work and managed to complete the thing in about an hour. I've since made three others using brocade fabric and taking more pains over the precision with which I cut the covers and pencil box, and each took considerably longer, about three hours with gluing and clamping the materials. The results, however, were stunning.
I modified the author's version of the Chinese Star Book by making it a little larger and making a changeable story out of it by placing alternate outcomes from which the reader could chose into pockets at each stage of the story. I got the idea for the story from another book on making books, but chose Ms Seckler's design for the actual book.
By learning the basic techniques of each of the books and altering them to suit a desired purpose, the student should be able to come up with hundreds of clever designs. For those of you used to stamping and to scrap booking, the embellishments you might add to your product through your knowledge of those sources are legion, and you should be very satisfied with the results. .
29 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Amazing
3 Nov 2004
Format:Paperback
The quality of the projects presented in this book is astounding. They are all innovative, creative, inspiring and incredibly beautiful. The different types of binding used in the projects are ingenius and unique. This is definiately one of the best book binding books on my shelf, and is great for people with a some experience. The instructions are set out in blocks of text, so beginners could easily get lost in them. Also, the layout of the pages and instructions are a little disorganised and cramped, but the calibre of the designs far outweigh the slight cons of the book.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
An inspiring book...
17 May 2004
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I continue to be impressed with the caliber of books produced by Design Originals, and "Book Arts" is one of their finer efforts. I particularly like that the author, Mary Kaye Seckler, has included not only clear instructions, but templates. The photography is beautiful and her book art is inspiring. This book deserves a place in your reference library.
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