Dear Everyone ~
Last week’s big blog post was about two new workshops, one of which—Trio of Envelope Techniques—features what I’m calling an envelope-case as its centerpièce de résistance. It took me some time to engineer the case, as it was a new structure for me. My idea was to make an envelope with depth but without gussets. So, it’s a soft box to encase its contents. For the workshop, the contents will be a set of 8 Carta Pura notecards & envelopes.
As it happened, a longtime local customer, Susan E., had recently asked me if I could help her make something to protect the long-stitch-link-stitch book she had made in a workshop at Bari Zaki Studio a couple of years ago. She has made additional books, which she’s given away, and had decided that a “permanent wrapping” of some sort would be the case on the cake.
So, last Wednesday, Susan had a private workshop via Zoom to make her custom envelope-case. Her book is 7½ x 5¼ x 1¼, so her case needed to be a bit larger—taller, wider, and thicker—than the version we’ll be making in the upcoming workshop. I computed the dimensions for Susan's case, and offered her two different colours of St. Armand. Either will look lovely with her book, especially with the cheery polka-dot buttons from Soutache for her string-and-button closure.
I was so delighted that Susan provided such a perfect opportunity to test the versatility of the envelope-case. And then I got to thinking that you could also make a case out of Japanese decorative paper (using my paper sandwich technique). Before it's folded, it would look, just for a second, like a kimono. Naturally, I had to construct one immediately to feast my eyes.
For the contents I chose a small stack of Cambridge Imprint postcards. I wanted this case to be smaller and thinner than my previous two cases to test a petite model. I used Hahnemuhle Bugra to back the paper sandwich, and trimmed a small off-cut with a pinking shears and attached it to hide the string tails that secure the button on the inside of the top flap. I did the same thing on the inside of the bottom flap, although the envelope-case is so slim, you’ll rarely encounter it when it's open.
The kit for Trio of Envelope Techniques was already extremely extensive, and now I'm upping my own ante.
Paper-wise, you will have extra Japanese decorative papers to fold more envelopes sans top flap, additional Saint-Armand to fold a second origami box & and a second envelope-case with string & button closure, after the workshop. And now I'm also delighted to include one piece of Hahnemuhle Bugra and one piece of adhesive for making your paper sandwich, so that you can make an envelope-case of decorative paper on your own after the workshop. For dessert, at the end of the lesson, I will demo how to easily execute a paper sandwich. Bon appétit!
This week I'm beginning to assemble the kits for Trio of Envelope Techniques. If you register by this Saturday, October 9, there is time for you to receive your paper-packed-parcel via priority mail before the following Saturday, October 16. Please feel free to call or e me if you have any questions, or if you'd prefer to register by phone.
Trio of Envelope Techniques
Encased, Bari