Dear Everyone ~
During the summer shelter season of 2020, a dear friend offered me a stash, a veritable trove, of Serizawa calendar pages from 1962. Graced with several complete calendars, I was inspired to make a softcover Coptic-stitch binding using two pages from a given month, one for the front cover and one for the back. I was over the moon smitten with the results. And decided to offer a “Year of Serizawa” softcover Coptic-stitch private workshops via Zoom, one for each month.
During each workshop, I make the same month as my student. Double happiness! The softcover Coptic-stitch using Serizawa calendar pages has become one of my favourite binding styles to make & to teach. I love how the covers (which are “underpinned” with thick cover stock) feel in my hand: soft yet sturdy. These workshops have been more popular than I could have imagined—only June and August are still available.
As I folded, scored & trimmed the covers the first time I made one of these books, it was a little revelation to see how large and linear (as opposed to tiny & triangular) my scraps were, compared to the buttonhole-stitch slivers. I decided to photograph the scraps from each month’s book in various configurations. After each workshop, I have filed my scraps by month in a glassine envelope, tucked into a vintage desktop drawer to keep them in order. These scraps also make for excellent bookmarks, and I include a “month match” bookmark with each book purchased from my shop. As of today, eight months of books are available; September and April will be available shortly. (And June and August are still available to be made.)
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Over the years, I have shared with my friend and card artist Janet Bouldin numerous bookbinding scraps. And 2020 was the Year of Tiny Serizawa Triangle Scraps. Janet recently sent me a collage postcard she’d made: a whimsical Serizawa teapot. Oh, my heart sang! I decided presto-pronto that all remaining triangular pieces needed to become Bouldin teapots in various forms. Janet’s nimble fingers and tactile tea-type sensibilities have brewed up a series of fabulous foldover cards, which we have named Bouldini Scrappini Cartoline. The cards also feature bits of Japanese decorative papers, both new and vintage, especially for droplets.
Each card is an original artwork (not a print), on 100% cotton Carta Pura vanilla cover stock, with a matching envelope. You can mail it as a note, prop it on a pillow, tuck it in a parcel...or frame it!
Bouldini Scrappini Cartoline
Series of Serizawa softcover Coptic-stitch Blank Books
Abubble with Serizawa Serendipity, Bari