Second Blessing Book Complete and My New Bookpress!!

Second finished book in one week ~


This photo was shot in a rush, as I had very little time! I had some interesting glitches to deal with this time. Good thing I'm accustomed to repairs on both old and new books!
(name partially blotted)






signatures ready for marking up and sewing. 74 or 76 pages ~ the largest one I've made to date



Italian bookcloth and French Marbled papers, brown checkered headband material ~ They chose to order the chocolate brown cloth with this paper.


building the spine after the text is all sewn up (see sewing in a previous post)




Starting to paste the boards to the text block



New-to-me antique bookpress ~ It is phenomenal with its 200 pounds of pressure per square inch


Next in line: two 19th century medical books, a children's Bible, a vintage book that needs a case (covers) and a little sewing of the old textblock), Another _Our Island Story_ vintage book for a friend, and an old crossword dictionary (that belonged to her grandmother) for another friend.
Then there's the set of Francis Schaeffer's complete works another family wants me to make into a hardback set from a paperback. The problem is that they are so heavy and large, that it might not hold well with the cheap "perfect binding" that paperbacks have.

It seems that a very productive summer is in order!

What are YOU doing/planning this summer?? Any special projects that can't get done during the schoolyear?


Javamom

One Way of Spending My Summer Break

Blessing Book completed and delivered early June 13th ~

This one is for a graduate who is headed to West Point (hence the Army green)



One of the things these books are all about ^ (click to enlarge)


I'm currently working on another book, almost twice as long, for another family of a graduating son.


Javamom

Another Blessing Book under Construction

The bookboard is cut, now I need to add linen and a spine lining, paste the bookcloth onto the bookboard, then press and let that all dry under weight. Next comes turning in the edges of the bookcloth, then add the endpapers (tomorrow after properly dried). Lastly, any last minute fine-tuning needed to make sure all pages are flush, then in the press to create the creases in the gutters.

Early June Restoration

Before: dry, scratched, spine detached.



old, acidic tissue removal

lifting the leather


adding linen spine lining material



tucking in the endcap


almost finished!




post leather treatment, and after filling in two holes and color matching.

Good at Multiplication

I will start with my family, though I am the youngest.




Next...My oldest brother, Randy, and his wife, Brenda:



Randy, Brenda, and their five kids and daughters-in-law


Randy, April, Marti and Brenda, Tim (R and B's oldest) where are their two boys? I'll have to dig for a photo of them...Ah! This one is from our family mini-reunion on Memorial Day Weekend. This is out on our deck.




Randy's middle son Greg and his wife Shawna, boys Gabe and Grant

Youngest son Jeremy and his wife Alisha

...and their sweet kiddos!


Randy's oldest daughter (kid #4) Cass and her son Zeb

Randy's youngest dd Kinni


And now my sister's family:


Kevin and Tammy and their granddaughter, Ava





Their oldest son Matt, his wife and his kiddos. He lives the farthest away, now.




Brian and my sis's daughter, Tiff

Sweet Ava with her mom


April (my sis's youngest) and Jeremy, Hayleigh, Kaylee, and Aiden We just got to enjoy their visit for a long weekend!


and their newest edition this spring. He loves to be held :-)



This is my next brother in line, Steve, and his family


Steven, Chris, Andraya with Holden, Steve, and Stephany. This was taken at our house.



Next is my brother Greg and his wife Laura:



Their daughters Rachel and Nichole

Their sons Chris and Aaron

This is our grafted in family, who have been a part of our family's lives for about 25 years.

Mike, Bryce, Gina, Gina's hubby Pat (one of the newest to the family) and Connie
I've known the kids since they were born!

And here are a big lot of my family who got to be at (and sing in :-) Gina's "Big, Fat, Tulsa Wedding" last summer:



Notice our Mom and Dad just to the right of center by the gorgeous bride :-)