Category: Sewn Books

Australian book artist Noela Mills makes fabric books with wonderful spines. This one is called “Waxed book” and made from recycled kimono silks (and wax). See her artist’s books here.

I found this on pinterest, but can’t find a source for it, so don’t know who made it.

Serene Ng’s Where My Wild Things Are. She says

Inspired by Maurice Sendak’s ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ — one of my all time favourite stories. The persona here is Bunnyman who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and indeterminacy. It will go wherever floats its boat.

Maria Lai (1919-2013) was an Italian fiber artist who made a lot of books. Here are a few of them, with lots more on her website. There are also a set of youtube videos (sadly for me, in Italian) showing her work and process.

Since I went to the meeting of my local thread and fabric study group, I’ve been looking at sewn books with renewed interest. Right away I found Michelle Wilson‘s hand-embroidered accordion book, Pennsylvania. She says

This unique artist book is a tribute to the state of my birth, created as I prepared to move across the country. My original intention was for this book to reveal some insight about travel and transitions. However, I was reminded that enlightenment is part of the experience, and will not reveal itself before the journey begins.

The folded sheet at the end of the book says

The place where I was born was named for a forest and a man,
my origin within its blood-red soil, my roots deeper than I know,
threads that bind me to this land.

See all her books here.

There was lots of sewing in evidence at Codex. I particularly liked Louise-Marie Cumont’s books. All hand stitched and pieced, they are colorful and fun. Here are the ones I got to see. More here.

The Man in the Square:

The House, variation in four colors: