Sail into our Midsummer Studio Sale!

Dear Everyone ~

I am excited to announce that this Friday, June 25, I will open my midsummer studio sale, a week-long celebration of my first six years on Lincoln Avenue. It will go live at 10am (CDT) and continue through Saturday, July 3.

A temporary 2021 Midsummer Studio Sale page at barizaki.com will present all items on offer. To whet your wish-list, behold a preview, bright & bold as a beach towel!

The buffet of Bari Zaki books presents a sumptuous assortment of binding styles, from buttonhole-stitch with vintage correspondence covers, to case-bindings covered in a vintage Serizawa calendar page. Also: one deluxe Long-stitch-link-stitch book with two stitched-in handfolded envelopes. A beauteous book to behold, a voluptuous volume to view! And to touch. And to use!

Two special boxes made by me will also be in the desk deluxifying mix: One drop-spine box covered with Japanese paper & smooth linen bookcloth. And one simple keepsake box—3 x 3 x 3—covered in two shimmery Japanese chiyogami papers.

We have assembled a fresh supply of our sumptuous signature ribbon bags in a breathtaking array of palettes, from springy to summery, and dressy to casual. Each bag holds at least six beribbonments of various widths, styles & textures. All lengths exceed your arm span.

Desk accessories to dress up your desk: Sets of memo-note holders and pencil caddies with matching pencils, all covered with Japanese chiyogami papers. Fountain pen inks from France & Japan, and sturdy Euro-folders cleverly crafted from Fabriano Murillo paper, imported from Germany.

A smattering of ’smarvelous miscellany will migrate from the online shop to the 2021 Midsummer Studio Sale page, at handsome reductions. Once they are gone, they’ll be gone for good. Poof! No spoof.

The complete gallery of individual items will prettily populate the 2021 Midsummer Studio Sale page at 10am (CDT) this Friday, June 25. The sale will run through the following Saturday, July 3.

2021 Midsummer Studio Sale

The early bird bags the ribbons, Bari

A delightful double-bind

Dear Everyone ~

Back in mid-April, I received a lovely call from a gentleman in Texas about a Mother’s Day gift for his wife. She had a treasured cache of personal letters she’d received from friends and family after a spiritual retreat back in 2008. These very special notes had been kept together in a brown bag in his wife’s nightstand. He envisioned some sort of book that would preserve and protect the letters as a set, that his wife could easily open...and reread whenever she was so inclined.

A beautiful box with an interior ribbon “lift” was absolutely not what he had in mind. He wanted to give his wife a book, and his aesthetic central point was to incorporate the colours of the LGBTQ rainbow, honouring his wife’s consulting work focused on LGBTQ+ inclusion, affirmation, and allyship. She has turned her passion for equality into a profession, reaching hundreds of individuals within corporations, schools, health clinics, and social groups, as well as in the broader community.

I instantly accepted the commission, despite Mother’s Day being just two weeks away. I percolated overnight on how best to present the cherished missives, and received the actual letters the very next day. As I carefully sliced open the padded envelope, revealing the bagful of letters, the inspiration came to me in an instant. Because the missives from family & friends are so personal, I felt that essence needed to be preserved and elevated. They needed to remain enveloped!

He was understanding and also excited to see how the process unfolded (irresistible envelope pun), and requested that I send him photos documenting the steps, which was my absolute pleasure. He made a photo collage from parts of the images—so as not to give away the surprise—to let his wife know something special was in the works.

I made 22 envelopments from creamy Stonehenge drawing paper and was able to retain the dreamy deckle for the flap. I also had each sender’s name calligraphed at the bottom left edge of its envelope, so that his wife could flip through each envelope and know whose letter was where.

I stitched in the envelopments using the multi-needle Coptic-stitch binding with Natural Irish waxed-linen thread, so as not to detract from the colourful cover. This binding style allows the book to open entirely flat, so the envelopes can be opened perfectly easily.

As soon as the book was finished, I shipped with priority speed. A few days later, I received an email reporting “The book was very well received and it’s sitting on display in our bedroom bookcase right now—as opposed to in a box under the nightstand. Much surprise and much delight at what you were able to design!” And “She saved the string you used to tie the book and that’s how it now sits. BTW, the color choices were spot on—she thought the muted rainbow was the perfect choice.”

* * * * *

Projects such as these are among my favourite sorts of collaboration. I typically don’t know the person or people being honoured or celebrated or cherished, but I am an ardent believer in the power of paper to help tell a story, whether it’s intimate or corporate, romantic or nostalgic. In the Project Gallery on my website, you can take a behind-the-binding tour of diverse commissions, from Johnston: a family memoir to a Madly Romantic Scrapbook.

May you be inspired, Bari

My proper popper production party

Dear Everyone ~

I am in kit assembly mode for Buttoned-up Elegant Envelope Booklet, my newest group workshop via Zoom. It debuts on Saturday, June 26, the first Official Weekend of Summer. This workshop combines several of the most basic bookbinding techniques, plus envelope-making without a template, plus smoothly attaching a string & button closure. Voilà: You will make an elegant single-signature booklet with a stitched-in hand-folded envelope & a deluxe outer envelope in which to present (or keep) your booklet.

As with all of my workshops, you receive a hand assembled tactile kit of lovely papers, threads and accoutrements—everything you need to create your oeuvre. For group workshops past, I have partially pre-folded the papers to ensure they arrive in pristine condition. For this workshop, I’ve decided to roll your papers (like a party popper) so that you will have the option of using either colour for either structure. The most challenging part of the workshop may be deciding which of your two colours of luscious Saint-Armand stock to make your booklet with, and which to make your presentation envelope with.

When your proper popper parcel arrives, simply unroll and flatten your papers under a few heavy books for a day or two. They will unfurl perfectly.

Your kit of materials includes two shades of Saint-Armand, two pre-cut sheets of creamy Stonehenge drawing paper, three colours of waxed-linen thread wound on a piece of bookboard, and four very cheerful buttons. I have assembled three earthy palettes: Nantucket, Sonora, and Mesa.

This is a wonderful workshop for all levels of experience. It is a great introduction to several aspects of bookbinding and envelope-making; it’s also an excellent refresher for measuring, scoring, folding, stitching, and enveloping. I will record the workshop live in its entirety, and the recording will be available later the same day. The recording remains up for several weeks, so you can feel quite comfortable making more books at home on your own.

If you register by Tuesday, June 15, your papers will arrive with plenty of time to relax completely by the 26th.

Buttoned-up Elegant Envelope Booklet

Enveloped, Bari

June: The Debut of Shopping In-person

Dear Everyone ~

I’m delighted to announce that beginning Tuesday, June 1, my brick-and-mortar-and-paper shop will be open by appointment, Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 5pm.

The studio shop has been closed to indoor shopping for many moons. Last summer, I was open briefly by appointment, but then realized that curbside pickup was the most prudent option for the time being. Finally, it’s looking like there are rays of light shining on getting out & about, and gathering with family & friends, and it’s a wonderful feeling.

As the shop itself is quite small and the space for social distancing minimal, I’ve decided to limit each appointment to one personage (two people can count as one personage if you’re related or in the same bubble). Naturally, formal mask-wearing attire will be required.

If you’d like to set a date to visit, please feel free to call or e me to schedule a time, especially if you are traveling from out of town, so that I don’t miss you. And if it happens to be on a whim, I will do my best to accommodate your timing. Curbside pickup remains available, and I will be delighted to take your order via phone.

Workshops will continue only via Zoom for the foreseeable future. And I am musing on what lovely book, box or envelope structure to offer next. Cat Bennett & I are pondering our next Bookful series of workshops, which we will announce in July. And my dear friend Angela Liguori—she of the luscious Italian cotton ribbons—& I are also musing on a group Zoom collaboration for the fall.

I am, as always, in deep bow for the ongoing connections around the globe and down the road, via technology, curbside pickup, and snail mail. Your continued support and enthusiasm for my work & shop have made the sheltering season unexpectedly memorable in the most meaningful ways. Thank you!

Looking forward to hearing from you soonish & seeing you thereafter!

~ Bari

New Zoom: Buttoned-up Elegant Envelope Booklet

Dear Everyone ~

I’m enveloped in delight to debut my new group Zoom workshop, Buttoned-up Elegant Envelope Booklet. This structure builds on the basic skills of Introduction to Bookbinding—measuring, scoring, folding, and hand-folding paper. It is a small step up to make variations on the stitched-booklet theme. I hope you can join us on Saturday, June 26, at 10 a.m. (CDT).

The booklet you will make in this workshop combines bookbinding and envelope making without a template, all with heavy Stonehenge drawing paper & luscious 100% cotton Saint-Armand. You will also learn how to stitch an unfolded envelope into a booklet prior to sealing the side flaps. Next, you will make a lovely presentation envelope for your booklet, adding a layer of loveliness to the ensemble. And for the finale, you will attach charming string-and-button closures to both envelopes.

The kit of materials includes two shades of Saint-Armand (You can choose which to use for your booklet covers and which to use for your presentation envelope.), two pre-cut sheets of creamy Stonehenge drawing paper, three colours of waxed-linen thread wound on a piece of bookboard, and four very cheerful buttons. I have assembled three earthly palettes: Nantucket, Sonora, and Mesa.

This structure is a marvel of multi-utility: Currently, I’ve configured mine as a correspondence-on-the-go mini-kit. The interior envelope is large enough to hold several postcards, as well as larger scraps of paper to draw and write on. The covers’ two interior pockets hold labels and postage. When I’m out & about, I enjoy tucking the booklet into the sturdy presentation envelope to protect it.

Even though I miss the creative camaraderie of in-person workshops, teaching via Zoom has provided two major benefits for students. First, enthusiasts from anywhere on the planet can sign up for a workshop, which they can take in their pyjamas. Second, I now routinely make a “distilled video” in advance, detailing the steps for making a given book or box (about 30 minutes) and email this to students immediately after the workshop. The videos have definitely enhanced students’ ability to make more books at home on their own. Although I wouldn’t recommend the video as a substitute for taking the “actual virtual workshop,” they are such a complement—and, yes, I have received quite a few compliments on them!

I look forward to sharing my love of paper, books & hand-folded envelopes with you in this new three-ish hour group Zoom workshop.

Buttoned-up Elegant Envelope Booklet

Enveloped, Bari

Introducing the younger generation to bookbinding

Dear Everyone ~

The Introduction to Bookbinding workshop that debuted this past March was my first solo Zoom. I was beyond delighted that it was so well received from coast to coast, as well as with such a diverse age group! Remarkably my three youngest students ever were all in this workshop: David, aged 21; Rachel, aged 14; and Martin, aged 12.

Of course, I was intensely curious about their previous workshop experiences. Happily, they all agreed to share their oeuvres and to answer my questions about attending their first bookbinding workshop, and what it meant to each of them to make their first book.

* * * * *

In last week’s blog post, I featured David’s thank-you ensemble: a pair of noteworthy envelopes, the inner one hand-folded from a vintage book page, the outer one beautifully lined with a bird’s eye view of Paris. In his missive, he writes about his experience.

“ I found it easier than I expected; the creation of a book is not so far removed from that of an envelope. I also look forward to using my new tools for envelopes! I hope to have the chance to take more classes with you in the future! ”

David has also sent me photos of his worktable. He rates the bonefolder as his favourite tool. He awards second place to his shipping clerk’s knife “because it’s very satisfying to cut with!”

Rachel & Martin are siblings. Rachel selected the Primavera palette and Martin decided on the Terrain palette. Though they worked at different paces, they enjoyed taking the workshop together. Rachel comments:

“ The pace of the workshop was fine, it wasn't too fast or too slow, and I was able to keep up with the steps pretty easily. As I was able to finish my booklets during the class, I didn't need to watch the video. But I overheard some parts of it when Martin was watching it and finishing his second book. ”

Martin deems the bonefolder his favourite tool “because it made nice creases and folds.” He adds:

“ The pace of the workshop was just right. I watched the video again because I forgot some steps in making my second book. The video was very helpful. I will use my books for photos taken when I was traveling before Covid—and I will add photos after Covid. ”

Rachel selects the shipping clerk’s knife as her favourite, “because it was cool to cut through paper that was previously scored, and it was one of the tools that was new to me.” She looks forward to using her books “for drawings and possibly watercolour.”

It thrills me that all three of my youngest students had such a creatively inspiring time and look forward to making more books. Rachel’s parting comment truly warms my heart:

“ I learned how simple and easy bookbinding is, and will definitely want to try other styles of books and binding techniques in the future. ”

The Introduction to Bookbinding structure is a single-stitched signature booklet with two envelope pocket covers. This has inspired me to devise a new group workshop (via Zoom), which I will announce next week. Hint: bookbinding + hand-folded envelopes = Bookelopes.

Inspired, Bari

April Showers of Correspondence

Dear Everyone ~

In honour of National Letter Writing Month 2021, albeit almost over, I would like to showcase three pieces of noteworthy mail I’ve recently received and to announce two very limited editions of Bundles of Stationery Joy.

David Reed is one of my three youngest workshop students ever. After taking my Introduction to Bookbinding via Zoom workshop in March, he mailed a beautifully handwritten French-themed thank-you ensemble. The layers were a trio of delight to open. First, he lined his outer envelope with a classic French marbled paper. Second, he hand-folded the inner envelope from a magazine page featuring two angelic scribes. Third, he also lined his inner envelope with a bird’s eye view of Paris paper. His charmola letter was accompanied by his business card, which was tucked into a glassine envelope.

Laura J. Lago is an artist and budding bookbinder who I met in the summer of 2015, shortly after opening the shop. Several months ago, Laura purchased The Art of the Hand-folded Envelope kit, so I was anticipatory when her envelope arrived. At first glance, after admiring the butterfly theme & vintage postage, I see there’s washi tape on the sides of the envelope. I think it might be for embellishment … In her letter, Laura explains that her kit has gone missing and so she has improvised her “flaps.” I promptly printed out a fresh handout and mailed it off to her in an envelope I hand-folded in return.

And here is a one-of-a-kind enveloped postcard that artist Janet Bouldin watercoloured for me while she was perfecting her envelope illustrations for the MORE Art of the Hand-Folded Envelope kit. She writes that illustrating the shape of an as-yet unfolded envelope is incredibly enjoyable for her.

Although April is nearing its end, it’s never too late to begin sending mail. I have assembled a limited edition of Bundles of Stationery Joy wrapped in two different styles of Japanese paper: fabric-like lace and Sogara yuzens.

A word about the Sogara Yuzens: Each lovely sheet features a single scene across its entirety. Each wrap I’ve cut is a full quarter sheet that you can reuse for bookbinding, collage, or lining an envelope or two! Each bundle is beribboned with Japanese flat silk cord, which you can also reuse for bookbinding or gift-giving.

As always, each bundle presents an assortment of 30-some pieces, including letterpress-printed notecards, hand-bordered sheets with matching envelopes, and at least three enclosure cards, including one handmade from Italy and one from Smythson’s in the U.K. And an octet of 10¢ Letters Mingle Souls stamps.

Bundle of Stationery Joy, Scenic wrap
Bundle of Stationery Joy, Fabric-like lace wrap

Epistolarily, Bari

A–Z: Announcing Zooming for four workshops

Dear Everyone ~

Fresh from the joys of teaching Introduction to Bookbinding, I’m excited to offer my second solo Group Zoom, Trio of Accordion Books, in response to several recent requests from near & (very) far to teach the accordion technique via Zoom. This structure is lovely for a multitude of media, from fountain pen to watercolour, from brush & ink to collage. And this particular style of cover allows for your book(s) to fan out upright and to stand up on their own when on display.

I’ve also added to my Private Zoom repertoire two of my most popular boxmaking workshops: Petite Accessory Box and Simple Keepsake Box. I’ve developed a multi-page handout for each, charmingly illustrated by Emmy Kennett, which I will send by mail (with real stamps!) the week following your workshop, to give you the confidence to make more boxes on your own.

The Petite Accessory Box with its two dividers offers you three practical compartments to organize your desk accessories, or jewelry, or … The Italian cotton ribbon adds a bit of pizazz and a reliable closure should you want to take your box on the go.

The Simple Keepsake Box has a flat-lidded top and is an adorable cube shape (3 x 3 x 3). It will happily decorate your desk, housing all manner of small accessories—or your house keys. Nota bene: Each of the five boxes shown here was made by a student, from start to finish to button embellishment.

The Butterfly-stitch binding is another perennial favourite with its delicate stitching. And although it requires four needles to stitch, it’s rhythmic and an easy stitch to master. Plus, with four needles, you have the opportunity to use four different colours of thread for your stitching. The book lays completely flat, making it easy to draw, write, or collage in. Your cover will be made using luscious 100% cotton Saint-Armand papers, reinforced with thick watercolour paper for a soft yet sturdy cover that feels really good in your hands. Alternatively, you can use decorative Japanese paper for your covers. Choose your cover option from the dropdown menu in the shop listing.

One of the joys of making the accordion books in three’s is the umpteen variations of colour combinations for your covers. I have assembled four fresh palettes using Fabriano Tiziano: Cadbury, Pâtisserie, Siena, and Santa Fe. This Group Workshop is scheduled for Saturday, May 22, from 10 to 1 (CDT), and I hope to see many of you there.

Trio of Accordion Books
Petite Accessory Box
Simple Keepsake Box
Butterfly-stitch Book

See you zoomish, Bari

The “Introduction to Paper” sampler has gotten ampler!

Dear Everyone ~

Several weeks ago, as I was assembling the Introduction to Bookbinding paper sampler, I decided to create a sequel sampler available for purchase. I have selected papers that I think are lovely, of course, and also versatile for multiple mediums in addition to bookbinding. I’ve named the sampler “Introduction to Paper.” The assortment is a binder’s dozen of various sheets ranging in size from a postcard—yes, an actual postcard—to 8½ x 11.

I’ve included larger sheets (than in my previous sampler) whenever possible, so you can discern the grain direction, fold the sheet into a mini-signature, and then test a multitude of mediums. In my experience, most of the papers are multi-versatile, and I encourage you to try them out with as many writing or drawing tools as you have on or in hand. For example, I love using a micron pen or marker on the Aquarello watercolour paper.

The Esleeck Fidelity Onion Skin paper is a lightweight, delicate-seeming sheet with a lovely cockle (air dried) finish. At first glance, you might think it would feather or buckle with the slightest amount of ink, but it doesn’t. I’ve enjoyed using it as the pages in little (3 x 3!) linen-covered books. I doodled on the first couple of pages to try out a few different types of pens and was delighted with the effect.

The sheets in the Schreibblock and Carta Pura pads are grain short, meaning that the paper grain runs in the short dimension. Oftentimes, because I love these papers and would like them in a book, I de-pad several sheets, which is easily accomplished, & create signatures by simply folding the sheets in half. Voilà, I (or you) have enough signatures to make a lovely 5½ x 8½ book. The Buttonhole-stitch book shown here has signatures I made from a single Carta Pura pad.

The 13 sheets in the sampler are hand-numbered, and their sequence corresponds to a typed index giving the paper name, colour, weight, and country of origin. I encourage you to fold your sampler sheets to get a sense of their grain direction. In keeping with the theme, I've “approved” the index with a hand-chevroned Eurokraft paper ribbon, held in place by a Bari Zaki Studio years-in-business seal.

The sampler is presented in a British glassine envelope, and the sheets are fastened with a tiny butterfly clip covered in Japanese paper. A mini-pencil likewise covered in Japanese paper completes the ensemble.

Introduction to Paper

Esleeck Fidelity Onion Skin

Yours in paper, Bari

Speaking with my postal muse about “I hear you.”

Dear Everyone ~

Last month, my very dear friend Alyson Kuhn, a.k.a. my postal muse, published a book—independently, which I have just learned is different than self-published—with gerontologist Jane Mahakian, titled I hear you. The subtitle, Talking and listening to people with Alzheimer's, poignantly previews their book’s subject.

I ordered my copy from my local bookseller, although I hear you is also available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Nobody in my family or inner circle is living with Alzheimer’s, but reading the book made the reality or prospect of caring for someone with dementia seem less daunting. I think that all of us can relate to the stories that Alyson and Dr. Jane share. I recently had a chance to ask Alyson a few questions about co-authoring this book and about the book’s production, design and—Alyson being Alyson—its papery accessorizing.

At what point did the idea for writing this book together begin to percolate with you and Dr. Jane?

I met Dr. Jane when it became prudent to move my mother from her home of slightly more than 50 years, into a memory care community. Dr. Jane master-minded the move and helped me present it to my mother in a positive light. I continued to think about ways my siblings and I could make our mother as comfortable and confident as possible in her new environment. That said, challenges and even dramas arose, and my fingers fired off impassioned emails to Dr. Jane over a couple of years. She and I realized we could write something together that would help a lot of people, and we started working on our vignettes. But I discovered I didn’t want to publish anything about dementia while my mother was still alive, even though she wouldn’t have been aware of it.

So then what happened?

My mother lived gracefully with dementia for over a decade, and a couple of years after her death, I got back in touch with Dr. Jane. She still had her print-outs of our vignettes in a manila folder and knew exactly where it was in her office. We both considered that auspicious!

I’d describe the design of your book as friendly and delightful, even comforting. How did you and Dr. Jane decide on your format and layout?

We wanted the book to feel accessible, not heavy or scary. Our designer, Sheri Kuniyuki, and I have worked together on many projects. She is an attentive reader herself, and saw the book’s design as a big opportunity to make its content more appealing. Dr. Jane and I hope that readers treat their books somewhat like a manual: make notes, underline things, even snap photos of specific bits.

Having responsibility for someone with dementia is a heavy load, though your book describes most scenarios with such clarity and lightness. Is there a downside you didn’t write about?

I think two things contributed to our generally upbeat tone: First, Dr. Jane’s 30-plus years of managing the care of people with dementia. She is incredibly skilled not only at talking and listening to her patients, but also at problem-solving for them and their families. Second was my unexpected knack for keeping my mother’s evolving needs and desires front-and-center. That said, the downsides of dementia are sobering and can be overwhelming, but the more of us—people without dementia—who become comfortable talking and listening to people with dementia, the fuller their lives will be. And the less “socially disappeared” they will be.

I’d love for you to share the backstory on the accessories for I hear you.

And I’d love to. Sheri designed a “reversible” bookmark that both Dr. Jane and I could use. Particularly because of the pandemic, I didn’t anticipate any book signings in the near term, and I wanted a way to personalize books for certain people. I also wanted to be able to include a message, not just a signature. The Official Bookmark becomes a little keepsake, and it allows a reader to loan or gift his or her book to someone else, without angst over giving up an autographed copy.

The bookmark was letterpress printed on heavy card stock (that feeds smoothly through my typewriter) at Full Circle Press in Grass Valley, California. I’ve known the proprietress, Judith Berliner, for almost 25 years, and she suggested that I have a companion notecard, which could run on the same press sheet. So, I came up with “You are hearing...from me,” and Sheri designed the Official Notecard. Then, because I would be sending book-related mail, I decided to have a return-address rubber stamp for I hear you. Sheri has designed stamps in this format for me, and for mutual friends and clients, for many years, so this is the latest in a long line.

Any other accessorizing decisions?

Of course! I’m using a Pilot purple disposable fountain pen to sign the bookmark and notecard, and to address most of the envelopes in which I’m mailing these. Unfortunately, I don’t feel the current Alzheimer’s stamp evokes the spirit of our book, so I’m using other stamps, usually in a pair or trio, like the classic mail transportation stamps (from 1989) on the envelope I sent you. The “brainy” 32¢ Fulbright Scholarship stamps from 1996 are great as a pair; I’m also enjoying using three of the new Brush Rabbit second ounce (currently worth 20¢) stamps in a corner configuration. I’m also doing that with Bradbury Thompson’s LOVE and his ABC–XYZ stamps. The clerks at my local post offices are great about doing a single round-date that cancels all three stamps.

The actual Alzheimer’s stamp is a semi-postal, meaning that it costs more than a Forever stamp, and the surcharge goes toward Alzheimer’s research. I would love to be supporting that, but until there is an Alzheimer’s stamp whose mood comes closer to that of I hear you, I’ll continue finding other stamps. For now, I’m overfranking for art and the USPS!

Speaking of finding, how can people find out more about what’s in your book?

Via Zoom! On April 7 (at 9 a.m. PDT), Dr. Jane and I will be the speakers on a Commonwealth Club program. You can read more and register here. And on May 7 (at 4 p.m. PDT), I will be speaking under the auspices of the Monterey Public Library. That is the Friday before Mothers Day, and I will make the point that twice as many mothers as fathers develop Alzheimer’s. The library event is free (by advance registration), and details will be posted here shortly. I’m profoundly grateful and equally excited.

Musing, Bari