A string of spring workshops

Dear Everyone ~

I’ve taught Long-stitch binding many times over the years,
but it’s been awhile since I have offered it as a group class.
I recently made a book in this style, using a Cavallini wrapping paper
I’d been given by a friend who knew I’d love it. And I do.
The array of botanical specimens, complete with Figure numbers,
make a big smile bloom. So, I’ve decided to teach this workshop
using Cavallini papers for our covers and my
new favourite golden Eurokraft for our pages.

I’ll also be teaching Coptic-stitch with reinforced soft covers,
whose sewing is much easier than the hard-cover version.
You can enjoy the stitch without the slight stress.
As well, I'll teach the more classic Coptic-stitch with hard covers.

Buttonhole-stitch is on the schedule for May,
and I’ll also be teaching it at Angela Liguori’s studio
in Boston in April (more about this later!).

I’ve added a third session of Quartet of Origami Boxes,
and two seats are open. One seat is also still available
for Mighty Fine (Nine Signature) Spine.

NEW-ish Long stitch
NEW Reinforced Soft-cover Coptic stitch
Coptic stitch
NEW Mighty Fine Nine-Signature Spine
Quartet of Origami Boxes
Buttonhole stitch

Bari the Bookie

The art of kraft notebooks

Dear Everyone ~

I have cherished my kraft notebook sample for months now,
not wanting to “ruin” its pristineness. But once I started
drawing and painting … and loving the effect …
I’ve proceeded to try every medium I could think of.
And now, I have just received my first order of these
incredibly beguiling notebooks imported from Germany.
(We don’t usually mention price in our blog posts, but
these notebooks are a Eurodiculous bargain!)

The notebook is 5¾ x 8⅛, and slightly under ¼ in. thick.
I’m keeping my notebook closed with a butterfly clip.
The cover is lusciously thick, and a rich caramel colour.
The notebook contains 20 acid-free pages,
and they are a golden honey hue.

I’ve experimented with white housepaint (from the UK)
as the background of the “test page” for
my personal stash/cache of Tombow markers.
I’ve also used black and white brush pens and Sumi ink.
And a white acrylic pen, fountain pen, and a Zig calligraphy marker.

As it’s happened, I’m using this notebook to start exploring
various sketch notions, and then, once I have a direction in mind,
I refine my idea in my larger current sketchbook.

Eurokraft notebooks

Kraftily,

Bari

Sharing the Origami Boxmaking Love

Dear Everyone ~

I recently taught a new workshop, Quartet of Origami Boxes.
A trio of the students in the workshop have sent me wonderful
follow-up emails, and I’ve received their permission to share
these with you. And I made a serendipitous discovery
during the workshop … so we have a quartet of happiness!

First, Betsy,
who I think qualifies as an old friend,
as she was in my first bookbinding workshop at
Artist Bookworks … back in 1989!
Well, Betsy went home with her four origami boxes from class,
and decided to make a fifth box. She wrote,
“I used the wrapper from the assortment of note cards
that I’d bought in your shop. You made me very happy today.”
I am in deep bow to Betsy on this one, as the scrunchy
momi paper I wrap my stationery bundles in is not easy to tame.
As you can see from Betsy’s photo,
she succeeded in folding the crinkly paper
... totally crisply.

Then, Hallie.
In class, Hallie mentioned that the origami
box structure reminded her of a Chinese take-out carton.
Guess what she had for dinner? That same evening,
she sent me an email with the subject line “A quartet plus one.”
She wrote, “At dinner, I could not resist unfurling my
Chinese take-out dinner box, the perfect ending to a
perfectly Swoonable day! Will e you the photos in a moment.”
And here is one of her delicious photos.

And Josie, who lives in Michigan.
Josie drives to Chicago from time to time, and
comes into my shop to shop. This was her first workshop,
and she hadn’t made boxes before. Josie was quite captivated
by the origami process, and decided to take home a magnificent
selection of Saint-Armand half sheets, to continue making
more boxes, in a multitude of colours. Josie also bought
Japanese Chiyogami. She sent several photos of her materials
in their new home, and I’m particularly fond of this one,
with her dressmaker’s mannequin eager to see the new arrivals!

She emailed, “My hopes are high for this weekend,
which means getting my Bari Zaki Studio supplies spread out,
lots of touching and feeling and planning for how to use them.
I'm having a friend over later this month to share boxmaking time!”
And Josie's decided to take my online class to make a buttonhole-stitch
book, so she also purchased her papers and tools for that.

As for my serendipitous discovery in class:
While everyone was focused on making their boxes
from the largest to the smallest, I decided to make the
smallest first, to see just how small it would be.
The baby box is about 2 x 2 x 1 …
and holds a roll of washi tape perfectly!
As well as the set of teeny envelopes!

I had calculated the paper sizes so the boxes would nestle,
which they did beautifully. Everyone put one box into the other
and then I wrapped each set with white tissue and yarn,
which is how I wrap everyone’s books or boxes
once they’ve finished a workshop.

In fine fold,

Bari

My penchant for French postcards by the pad

Dear Everyone ~

Roses are nice, bonbons are too, but for someone
who loves paper beaucoup… these new sets of postcards
from France make my heart go pitter-pad.

Each pad contains two each of five designs, printed on
the thickest, dreamiest, creamiest cotton card stock.
The surface is good for pen & ink, and marvelous for markers.
The assortments I’ve imported are Tropical, Les Animaux,
and Les Fleurs. All three are glorious harbingers of daylight savings,
with spring not far behind.

The covers of the pads suggest a couple of creative possibilities.
You can slice the front off and use it as another card.
Or you can trim out your favourite part to use as a bookmark.
Or, most tempting to me, you can keep (or give)
some little somethings in it, à la mini portfolio.

I’ve also refreshed my stock of notebooks
and jaunty journals from the same French fabricators.
The new patterns of flora and fauna are cheerful
& charmola, and a bit exotic!

Jaunty Journals
Springy Notebooks
Parfait French Postcard Pads

Basking,

Bari

A stitch this time makes nine … signatures!

Dear Everyone ~

I have finally finished my nine-signature woven-stitched book.
My fevery of weavery has received quite a bit of ravery on Instagram!

From the moment Emmy Kennett (my former nimble shop assistant)
& I began making this book last April, I have wanted to
offer it as a workshop. But I realized that for a nine-signature book,
students would need to finish it at home—as I just have.
I found the process quite meditative, as each row
took me about 30 minutes to stitch. As I was finishing my book,
I decided to indeed offer the workshop. Students
will complete three (or six) signatures in class and finish their book
at home, thanks to our charming illustrated handout.

One of the joys of the nine-signature book
is that the colour options—both for papers and threads—
are almost endless. So, you can create patterns, both on the spine
and the interior, to thrill your eye and your heart.

Recently, I have received a commission for a nine-signature book
(inspired by my blog post last spring). The customer has requested
Stonehenge pages. I’ve sent her paper swatches—
she already has my thread swatch card—and she is deciding
on her paper colour(s) & thread(s). I’m eager to start this project …
and already curious as to what my customer plans to do with her book!

Meanwhile, I’ve scheduled a workshop for
Saturday, March 7, for a maximum of three students.

Mighty Fine Nine-Signature Spine Workshop

As I post this, 1,091 followers on Instagram have hearted
my process photo. My special thanks to everyone
who commented. Encouraged by your enthusiasm, I will also
be writing this binding style up for the Project Gallery soon,
very soon!!

In stitches,

Bari

Sketchbook musings: Stretch the ways you sketch

Dear Everyone ~

I did a lot of sketching at the end of December and
the start of January, enjoying four-day mini-vacations
two weeks in a row. I never go very long without sketching,
and my recent “sketching holidays” were inspiring and rewarding.
I want to try to express how these extended interludes with
my current sketchbook made me feel. Please know that I am sharing
these pages not to showcase my sketches,
but rather to illustrate my great pleasure in sketching.
As I muse, I hope to inspire you to sketch with joie.

As you know, I love desk accessories, correspondence supplies,
and notebooks in general. For me, sketchbooks
are in a category of their own. A sketchbook is a blank slate
for visual musings, for capturing the world around me,
for letting my hand and eye do the thinking.
It is blank when it’s new, of course…
and it remains blank every time I turn the page.

My sketchbook allows me, maybe even encourages me,
to achieve a flow, a focus—which might sound like
two different states of creative being, and maybe they are.
I feel that I can immerse myself in my sketchbook.
It absorbs me wholeheartedly.

I also love to revisit my sketchbooks, some more
than others, and I get to track my progress
on what I like to draw. Each sketch becomes a thing unto itself.

A new sketchbook can be an object of visual and tactile beauty.
(I can’t resist adding: especially if you’ve made it yourself.)
But it is much less precious when it’s empty than when
you have used it freely and filled it.
Carrying it around, using it, filling it, revisiting it …
is what will make your sketchbook “yours.”

I’ve come to realize that I love to draw
nearly as much as I love to make books.
Using a sketchbook makes drawing more accessible
with less trepidation. The drawings don’t have to be precious,
or successful, but together, as a collectivity, they become a something.
Because of their bound and portable format,
they become a set, a progression … and when you look back,
you may see things you hadn’t seen earlier.

I enjoyed drawing the same eucalyptus stem over
and over, with micron, fountain pen, brush pen, watercolour,
until I found my flow.

Sketchbooks need to feel right, they need to resonate.
I tried something different over the holidays,
and am delighted to have discovered that I really love
the landscape format. And the “feel” of the  ink on the
Kunst & Papier pages is lovvvvvely!

I so often find myself waiting for, or trying to plan,
the “perfect moment” to sit & draw. I’m now realizing
that my favourite drawings come from the impromptu,
the spontaneous, the less-thought-into-the-better …
and the happier I am with the outcome.

I hope I have made an enticing case for
sketching Reckless Abandon!

Kunst & Papier Watercolour Notebooks
Kyo-no-to inks
Sumi-e ink

Yours on paper,

Bari

Noteworthy: From Aquarello to Zeichenblock

Dear Everyone ~

I’m reveling in refreshing and restocking the shop’s
assortment of Euro-format paper goods:
pads, notesheets & envelopes, and fabulous folders.
I truly love the proportions of the metric A-sizes.
And the colours!—from palest pink Rivoli notesheets & envelopes,
to the deep orange cover of the Zeichenblock pad,
to the kraft covers on the Aquarello and Schreibblock pads.

The A-size range is numbered in the “opposite direction” from U.S. sizes:

A4 refers to the metric letter sheet size: 8¼ x 11¾
A5-ish is approximately half an A4: 9⅜ x 6¾
A6-ish is approximately half an A5: 4⅛ x 5⅞

I’ve re-imported all three sizes of black Euro-folders in all
four colours of elastic closures: black, pale blue, deep pink & yellow,
each with a contrasting elastic closure.
These heavy paperboard folders are chic and sturdy and
perfectly protective. They are designed to hold Euro-sheets
neatly & sweetly. By the way, the A6 folder holds
postcards perfectly, as does an A6 envelope.

I continue to love using the Carta Pura pads
interchangeably. I find all three papers wonderful for brush & ink,
graphite, micron pen, marker, coloured pencil—and even watercolour.

Rivoli notesheets & envelopes
Zeichenblock
Aquarello
Schreibblock
Fabulous Euro-folders

Metrically,

Bari

Great Anticipations: My 2020 Forecast

Dear Everyone ~

I already have three events “on the books”
that I’m looking forward to in 2020.
In calendar order, here’s a little preview.

MARCH

Carla & Steve Sonheim are producing a year-long online
class called Words & Pictures. I will be videotaped in my studio,
which Carla & Steve have not visited previously.
I am doubly excited to have them here.
My segment will air on March 24,
in the same session as a video of my friend Cat Bennett.
I’ll be showcasing a simple binding technique:
a pamphlet style with a loopy link stitch, which can also
be used to sew multiple signatures into a wider spine.

The class will be 22 videos, featuring 15 artists
from around the country. The marvelous mix of visual & verbal
artists includes illustrators, painters, lettering artists, comic artists,
and writers. Carla, herself a mixed-media artist, teacher
& author, will also be in the creative line-up.

Earlier this year, I wrote about three students with whom
I’ve become chums (and correspondents!), through the online class
I videotaped at Carla & Steve’s studio in Seattle back in 2017.
If you’d like to read these posts, you’ll find them on my blog.
 Shown here: Carolyn’s studio in  Pennsylvania (August 22);
Virginia from Utah at my studio on an incredibly hot summer weekend,
wearing her freshly made book on her head (August 29);
and Anna in her studio in the Netherlands (October 2).
I’m looking forward to connecting with students
in the new online class, through the Facebook group
that participants automatically get to join.
It’s a wonderful use of technology to foster creative camaraderie.

APRIL

I’ll be teaching in Boston at Studio Carta the first weekend in April.
It will be the Boston debut of my triple-hyphenated
Long-stitch-link-stitch class. I’ll also be offering
Something I Haven’t Finalized Yet.
This will be my third time teaching at Studio Carta,
where Angela Liguori continues to inspire me with her way of
graciously fitting seven students at a table smaller than mine in Chicago.

JUNE

I’ll be celebrating five years of moving my studio
to The Best Block of North Lincoln.
I want to commemorate the occasion and hereby announce
that celebratory suggestions are welcome, especially via post card.
Creative ideas, and photogenic Real Mail,
will be featured in a subsequent e-blast.
Who knows what might unfold as the seasons progress?
 (Michelle Litvin took this photo of me
soonish after I’d signed my lease.)
My incredulity at my good fortune is still in effect!

Optimistically,

Bari

A charming book for Charlie, from his grandfather

Dear Everyone ~

I recently bound a special picture book for Charlie, who is 18 months old.
It’s an illustrated story by his grandfather Bradford,
and here are a few delightful details he shared with me.

“Our family tradition is to for everyone to receive
a book and PJs on Christmas Eve. The idea is that we all curl up
with a good read as we drift toward Christmas morning.
I used to create stories with paintings on newsprint for
my two daughters, Nora and Grace, when they were little.
I am looking forward to sharing the tradition with the next generation.”

Bradford asked me to put a pocket inside the back cover,
to hold a letter that he’s written for Charlie.
I asked if I could include a few excerpts in this post,
and was touched when Bradford happily agreed.

“You won’t remember that this book started when
you were less than a year old. You loved looking at a collection of
Cy Twombly paintings, especially one that showed
 bright red clouds against an angry yellow sky.”

“As we looked at the book together,
I often commented on how the artwork spoke to
the changing seasons…. So the basic story is simple. 
A ship’s captain sets off on a journey to recover summer.”

“This is the kind of book where the words can change
depending on how you are feeling or who is reading it to you.”

“Anyway, I hope you enjoy this book now,
and then come back to it years later—maybe when
you have a grandchild of your own.”

One of my own favourite bits from Bradford
is when he told me, “As you can see, I don’t believe in
‘writing down’ to what we think is a child’s level.”
Bravo, Bradford!

The book is 12 x 9, with a Japanese style binding and
a dozenish pages by Bradford on watercolour paper.
For the covers, I used a new bookcloth called Duo,
which is my current absolute favourite. The end sheets are vellum.
And the book is stitched with waxed-linen thread.
The ensemble is wonderfully tactile, and sturdy enough
for Charlie to turn the pages and enjoy for decades to come.

Enchanted,

Bari

Let it row: five fun shops in a row!

Dear Everyone ~

Our neighborhood is always nice (like sugar & spice),
and it’s particularly tasty for holiday & year-end shopping.
Parking is perky, and you can visit five shops
without even crossing the street.
You’ll find everything from artisanal articles and
beauteous blank books to ’xceptional ’xcessories and yummy yarns.
We’ll all be open from now until mid-afternoon on the 24th.
Come forth and shop!

Soutache

*

Union Handmade

*

Bari Zaki Studio

*

Knit1

*

Hawthorne

*

Yours in retail,

Bari