Dear Everyone ~

At long last I have assembled a kit to share the creative
thrills of making your own envelopes without a template.
I have taught The Art of the Handmade Envelope ever
since I started offering classes at my studio shop in 2016.
Hand-folding an envelope is far less ambitious
than making a book or a box. I typically had six
hand-folding novices in my workshop.

I’ve been hand-folding envelopes without a template
since 1995. At first, I used magazine and book pages …
and then started drawing or painting on watercolour
paper that I had hand-folded into an envelope. I’m also fond
of using decorative papers (primarily Japanese) or gift wrap.
Certain magazine features and advertisements
practically beg to become an envelope.

The kit includes five sheets of versatile Hahnemuhle
Bugra, one of my all-around favourite papers for bookbinding
as well as envelope folding. It’s heavy and slightly toothy.
For the kit, I’ve trimmed the Hahnemuhle to the
size you’ll use to make a handy & handsome 5 x 7 envelope.
I've also included a handful of cartridge paper (practice sheets).

The new (slightly expanded) hand-out comes in a
personalized envelope franked with used vintage postage
from all over the planet. The six pages of step-by-step
instructions and tips include numerous charming
illustrations & diagrams by Emery Kennett.

You will also receive an assortment of five different
patterned Japanese papers from my archives. These
sheets are 8½ x 11, large enough to line one big envelope
or two smaller envelopes.

The kit is available with or without these basic tools:
bonefolder, Xacto-knife, triangle ruler, aromatic Italian glue-stick,
and a Japanese paper covered pencil, so you can measure with pleasure.
Related items in the shop that are conducive to hand-folding,
addressing & embellishing: usable vintage U.S. postage,
Lyra colour pencils, fountain pen inks, and LePens.

The Art of the Hand-folded Envelope Kit

Flap-happy, Bari