Dear Everyone ~
My first “edition” of Mighty-fine-nine-signature-spine (MFNSSB) workshop for a group will debut via Zoom next Saturday, July 16, one summery week away. The book is so voluminous that in the workshop, everyone’s goal is to complete the first three of the nine stitching rows. Students are then able to stitch Rows 4–9 on their own—with my guidance and virtual company on the live recording of the complete lesson.
Our group next Saturday includes several students who recently completed Trio of Diamond-stitched Booklets. Their fingers are definitely itching to stitch again. I assembled their kits for MFNSSB so they could ship with the Diamond-stitched kits. I next assembled the kits for students in Canada. And then the parcels for students who had ordered multiple kits. So, kit assembly was not as chromatically dramatic as usual. Tammy, who helps me in the studio & shop, had her fingers full—awhir as it were—with winding long lengths (48 inches each) of threads for each palette. I love this photo.
This style of book, for me, has a nice nostalgia. I made my first MFNSSB back in 2018 when Emmy Kennett was nimbly assisting me in the shop. Emmy is an artist, and she likes to make her own sketchbooks. (You can see some of them here.) We often experimented together with different page sizes, stitching styles, and thicknesses for our sketchbooks. When we embarked on this particular style, I was curious to see just how it would function as a sketchbook, because of its super-thickness. Emmy finished hers almost overnight, I was taking a bit more time. She began to use hers immediately. . . and I so enjoyed witnessing her pages. . .and her book fill up with all manner of musings, colourful illustrations, and charming collages. I loved that not only had she delighted in making her book, but also revelled in using it, with almost reckless abandon. I asked her recently if I could share photos of her long since filled up book. I also asked her about how she had enjoyed using the book. Here’s what she shared:
“ I like a thicker book. Interestingly, small/thin books are the most intimidating for me. I tend to use my sketchbooks like reference books. If it is a small book, there will not be a lot to put in it, so it’s unlikely there will be anything I want to look at later. When I am working on a one-off painting, brainstorming ideas for a mural, or just wanting to draw a bird or a border on a postcard, I like having a lot of pages to flip through.”
Emmy had a great deal more to say on this subject, and her stream of consciousness was so refreshing, that I’ve decided to let it splash into a separate post in a couple of weeks. I think she will inspire even non-sketchers to want to carry around a blank book.
Gabriele in Austria, a veteran of a handful of Bookfuls, took the MFNSSB as a private workshop back in mid-April. The very next day, she sent me this lovely photo of herself with her book. And she shared this:
“ It's hard to believe, but taking a few pictures with me and my mighty fine book is not so easy. The book looks good—I am just not sure if I should not hide behind it. Oh well. When I finally liked a photo—oops, the book was upside down. So another session became necessary. But here it is at last. And I’d like to say that the greatest challenge for students in your group workshop will not be the stitching itself, but deciding which kit to order :) Have a wonderful rest of the week full of colours and birdsong. ”
Virginia in Utah is an avid bookbinder, quilter, and crafter-at-large. She has taken numerous Bari Zaki bookbinding & boxmaking workshops—both long distance and in person, during a very steamy workshop weekend, which you can read about here. During the pandemic, she sent word to say she really wanted to make one of these books, but the internet connection is a challenge where she lives. So she decided to commission a MFNSSB because she had to have one. She e’d me a few photos of her book pages in progress and shared this:
“ This week has been really hectic but I've done a couple of pages in my ‘Mighty Fine Book’. The grand title makes me feel a little guilty, so I call the book ‘Snippets’. It started out as an album for photos, drawings, and notes of quilts/gifts but quickly segued into memories and why I chose certain items for each person. I wanted it to be spontaneous and quick, so I didn't set any limits on what I put in it. ”
If you’ve been tempted to register for the MFNSSB workshop, there’s still time to receive your kit via Priority Mail (or curbside pick-up). If the palette(s) you prefer are marked Sold Out, just e me or call, and I’ll be delighted to put together a custom kit for you.
Mighty-fine-nine-signature-spine Book Workshop
Be-stitched, but not bothered or bewildered, Bari