my student loved using the bonefolder! his hands understood why it made folding easier and more efficient. i bought a few for students from a supplier, but my own bonefolders are just some of my favorite tools, maybe because i learned to make them from jim croft and made a passel of them. (i have a few made by jim, too.) shanna leino also makes wonderful folders and steel tools, too. (talas sells these under designer tools and you can purchase directly from jim or shanna.)
using good tools, however, cannot substitute for craftsmanship. when i watch my friend carol blinn of warwick press fold up pages, i am in awe, her hands accurately and efficiently fold a pile of paper in a tenth of the time it would take me. her hands know exactly what to do and adjust to fit each job, and for her, a designer, printer, and binder, her livelihood depends on efficient work habits. i watch my students' hands working and am amazed at their various abilities.
the morning sunshine is now touching the higher ground here, it's been light for sometime, but the sun is dancing on the snow burdened brush. it's been snowing for eight days with one little break. i will ski later, and then perhaps cuddle up with a book or some hand weaving around the woodstove. i am thinking about the making of things, why it is so important to have hand skills, where in my life i can push my skills. the 2010 pbi (paper and book intensive) has posted this summer's classes. i am dreaming about new possibilities. and once i figure it out i will make links. i am a slow learner.
photo by hannah stevens
the top one is a multipurpose with a blunt, flat and rounded end and a more conventional other end. it's my favorite, sculpted by accident. the middle tool is a big folder, 9 1/4 inches long, for heavy work. the bottom is deer bone, rather than elk, and quite thin and a bit flexible. these are more ergonomic than the commercially made ones, i thought it happened quite accidentally as jim taught us students to work with the bone and we shaped tools. (of course, jim knew what would happen.)using good tools, however, cannot substitute for craftsmanship. when i watch my friend carol blinn of warwick press fold up pages, i am in awe, her hands accurately and efficiently fold a pile of paper in a tenth of the time it would take me. her hands know exactly what to do and adjust to fit each job, and for her, a designer, printer, and binder, her livelihood depends on efficient work habits. i watch my students' hands working and am amazed at their various abilities.
the morning sunshine is now touching the higher ground here, it's been light for sometime, but the sun is dancing on the snow burdened brush. it's been snowing for eight days with one little break. i will ski later, and then perhaps cuddle up with a book or some hand weaving around the woodstove. i am thinking about the making of things, why it is so important to have hand skills, where in my life i can push my skills. the 2010 pbi (paper and book intensive) has posted this summer's classes. i am dreaming about new possibilities. and once i figure it out i will make links. i am a slow learner.