Dear Everyone ~
The Saint-Armand paper mill (Papeterie Saint-Armand) is in Montreal, though the township of Saint-Armand is about 40 miles outside the city. As it happens, the mill’s address is on Saint-Patrick Street! Let’s assume, at least for the moment, that Saint Armand is the patron saint of 100% cotton papers in beautiful colours.
I have just received a breathtaking shipment of Saint-Armand cover papers, for the kits of materials for three workshops I’m about to begin teaching via Zoom (Butterfly-stitch, Duo of Two-signature Stitched Booklets & Diamond Stitch). The rich earthtones: deep sand, winter wheat, warm taupe, and golden yellow. The fashion-forward colours: acid green, grey flannel, mineral green, and classic denim. A royal red-orange that is descended from persimmon & vermilion. Burgundy with a hint of blue. Charcoal grey—which I have just used to cover a long-stitch binding with buttery Hahnemühle pages and butterscotch waxed linen thread. Yum. I have also made a limp-vellum binding covered in Saint-Armand mineral green.
I am decanting part of my treasure trove of vintage Japanese papers. They have been living in a trio of lidded boxes (covered in Japanese papers, of course) for many moons, and it’s time for them to see the light of day as Japanese Deluxe Vintage Paper Assortment.
Each bag of 8½ x 11 sheets is, as I like to say, uniquely unique. The assortment is a binder’s dozen of 13 (mostly mulberry and kozo) papers: some solids, some simple patterns. Each selection also includes one sheet of sumptuous silver and one of gorgeous gold, plus a petite glassine almost overflowing with mini-scraps, ideal for sweet & discreet enclosures and for collage.
Blue-and-white Butterfly Delight is a fresh assortment of binder clips in two sizes, covered in Japanese patterns. The covered clips are so elegant. They can dress up a petite pile of paper, a notepad or notebook, or a miscellaneous sheaf. They can close a bakery or bonbon bag. And in a bowl, the clips themselves look like bonbons!
Before any more customers nicely noodge, I am officially adding bookbinding needles to my online shop. Ditto unwaxed natural 100% pure linen thread from the British Isles.
