Pigeon's Egg Handmade Books
Pigeons Egg books are made entirely by hand. See below
for pictures and descriptions of the materials and techniques used, as well as some
of the finished products. If you are interested in buying any of these, click
on the Esty shop button top right.
What does ‘made by hand’ mean? It means that every book
takes time, care and attention to detail. A book starts with large sheets of
paper, card and book cloth. For most books, the paper is folded several times,
using a traditional bone folder and a flat bladed shoe knife. This makes
sections (often called signatures in America, or some people call them
gathers).
Sections are sewn together by hand, using linen thread and a needle. For some books, a traditional beeswax block is used to wax the thread. For others, where the thread is on show, unwaxed thread is used in a variety of colours.
For larger, more complicated books, multiple sections are sewn into a text block; then the spine is lined with material and paper. End bands are added, which protect the ends of the spine as the book is pulled from the shelf, and a neat length of ribbon is added to mark your place.
Pigeon’s Egg book covers are all made by hand, using layers of heavier paper, card or bookbinders greyboard. Multi section case bindings may be fully bound in book cloth, or quarter bound with a traditional book cloth spine and decorative covers, or half bound with extra bookcloth covering the corners.
Smaller, simpler books are made using soft covers – often called pocket jotters or tiny notebooks; ideal for tucking into a bag, or a pocket, for notes on the go.
Pigeons Egg concertina sketchbooks are made with watercolour paper or cartridge paper, to suit different projects. They all have hard covers, very useful for working in the field, and are a small size to take out with you. They can be used as single panels, opened out page by page, or extended fully for telling a narrative.
Dos a dos (or back-to-back) books have two separate sections, which can be flipped and used from either side. Encased in a contrasting, colourful, double-sided cover to protect your notes and help you to find what you’re looking for.