🎁 gifts + certainty + possibility

ISSUE #164

MAKING

I’m hosting the annual meeting of my Roundtable this week and I’ve been working on the meeting agenda and content. In addition to designing the exercises and workbook, I’m making a special gift for everyone.

The image above is a sneak peek — all will be revealed next week after our meeting. I don’t want to ruin the surprise, which is saying something since I am typically terrible at keeping a secret!

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LOVING

A lovely little parcel arrived from the UK – my friend Jane surprised me with a copy of Brick Bonds by Melissa Price. It’s (of course) even better in person. ICYMI, I wrote about Brick Bonds a few weeks ago here →

One of the features I love about this book is the Swiss binding, which I referred to incorrectly as drop spine in my previous newsletter. I’ve since learned that the term drop spine only applies to boxes.

This bookbinding technique, where the text block is attached only to the back cover, leaving the spine exposed or detached from the cover is referred to as Swiss binding. Besides being beautiful it also allows the book to lay completely flat.

My second mistake was thinking that Swiss binding was always/only paired with Smyth sewn binding, but I found out from Paper Specs founder Sabine Lenz that is also incorrect!

…it’s important to note that ‘Swiss binding‘ does not refer to how your pages are bound together, but rather to the way the text block (already-bound printed pages) is mounted inside a case. While you see this method most often used in combination with Smyth binding, you can also choose to perfect bind, saddle stitch or side sew the inside pages. – Sabine

If you want to nerd out on all sorts of cool binding styles, you can download the free Binding Cheat Sheet from Paper Specs →

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THINKING

“Worthy adventures have uncertain ends – and so we go. Because if nothing is certain, anything is possible.”

— Andrew Osborn

(shared in conversation by Duane King on a Lost Arts open studio call)

* emphasis mine