One of the first books you make when you study bookbinding is the X-Book. It's simple, but its folding has a purpose that repeats with other more complicated bindings. It's what I used to call a root book, since its construction is the basis for so many books.
Some of us in Artists Of the Round Table are working our way through Alicia Golden's bookMaking Handmade Books: 100+ Bindings, Structures & Forms
It's made from a single sheet of paper that is cut and folded so that the middle puffs out.
It's easier to get the picture from the top. Each fold is a page, and when the two end pages are pushed together toward the middle, it forms an X, which gives the book its name.
Then the outside folds of the X wrap around the inside folds to create the cover and the back.
Even if you made a gazillion of these in grade school, you make them still when you learn to bind books. And it's amazing how easy it is to forget the simple stuff!
I decorated the pages with a combination of lettering, drawing, and clear stamps from Layers Of Colors, Close To My Heart, and Character Constructions.
India ink and a Rapidograph coordinate perfectly with black VersaFine ink. I added some of my own lines and quirks to the some of the stamped images, and it was impossible to tell where their lines left off and mine began.
I never thought of this as a book as i made them as cards. never looked as good as yours.
Posted by: Monica Smith | January 19, 2012 at 07:10 AM
I've never made one of these, will have to give it a try.
Posted by: joanne thieme huffman | January 19, 2012 at 02:24 PM
Wonderful construction and decoration, Barbara! Wondering what size paper did you use? I used legal sized. My rough fold was done with letter size and it was too skinny for my tastes, lol. Trying to get my photos uploaded to my folder tonight. xoxo
Posted by: Aimeslee Winans | January 24, 2012 at 03:48 PM