Musings from a Bookbinder

At Big River Bindery we practice the art of the book: conserving and repairing books and paper items, making custom books and boxes for special occasions, and printing books and ephemera with custom designs using letterpress printing. Located in Toronto, ON, Canada. www.bigriverbindery.com

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A newly made set of books ready for the upcoming Scarborough Arts and Family Fair. I can’t wait to see how they will be used.

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Come say hello at the Print Expo and Fair at the Howard Iron Works Museum in Oakville, Ontario. There will be free demos and short workshops to get your hands inky.

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The great haul from the Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild 40th anniversary meeting. I taught a workshop and watched some nice presentations. Worth a visit to London, Ontario.

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I was digging through the box of endbands to find the right match. Those old ones are too dirty to reuse and a new one will match the new cover better.

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I was so happy to have this leather arrive from Harmatan Leather in England. I’m looking forward to using this on some books soon.

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I’ve been practicing the Pocket Link Book for my workshop at the upcoming Canadian Bookbinder and Book Artists Guild 40th Anniversary meeting. I can’t wait to show off this Hedi Kyle structure to new students.

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Sometimes people ask me why I have so many presses in the shop. It’s for days like today when I’m trying to clean as many book spines as I can in a day.

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A great weekend teaching a Book Conservation and Repair workshop in Scarborough. The students broke then fixed a stack of books each.

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There’s nothing like a big book with a clean spine. #bookconservation #bookrepair #bookbinding #bookarts #biblerepair (at Big River Bindery) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqYnxTQJ48z/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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I had a great time with my students in the @cbbag_bookarts workshop at the bindery in Scarborough. Our Pierced Paper Bindings turned out great and I can’t wait for the next workshop. #bookarts #bookbinding #piercedpaperbinding #historicbinding #fungroupofbinders #bookartsworkshop #cbbag (at Big River Bindery) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqRLmUtrTPi/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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We’re making lots of noise at the Pierced Paper Binding workshop through @cbbag_bookarts. I can’t wait to see the patterns in the cover paper the students make. Keep hammering @printmakerliz. #bookbinding #bookarts #historicbinding #piercedvellum #bookartsworkshop #hammertime (at Big River Bindery) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqQcwKcO7ep/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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I’m finishing up setup for my first @cbbag_bookarts workshop in the new bindery. We’ll be making Pierced Paper Bindings all weekend. I can’t wait for the students to arrive. #bookbinding #bookarts #historicbookbinding #cutpaper #piercedvellumbindings #scarborougharts (at Big River Bindery) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqNi407OiLN/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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I’m loving teaching my first workshop in the new bindery. We’re making great progress on our new clamshell boxes today. #bookbinding #bookarts #clamshellbox #preservationenclosure #bookconservation @conservationplusculture @a.isa140 (at Big River Bindery) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqIyPb1OlL0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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The first group of new projects in Canada have arrived. Looking forward to providing repair and conservation for more clients in Toronto. #bookconservation #bookrepair #vintagebooks #publisherbinding (at Big River Bindery) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqGDSNouQjR/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Attended a great workshop on remoistenable tissue with @rosebeersbooks today. A fun day of conservation talk and hands-on practice. Thanks for the great instruction Kristine. #bookconservation #paperconservation #bookarts #japanesetissue #japanesepaper (at John M. Kelly Library) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqEqqI7MItK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Now that the studio is unpacked (mostly), I’m ready to sit down and do some reading of my new book. Looking forward to reading all the great chapters by friends and colleagues! #bookconservation #newbook #lightreading (at Big River Bindery) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqB9cKtMmr-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Thanks to @burroakbookbinding for coming all the way from Kingston for the opening. It was great showing you the shop and catching up. Posted @withregram • @burroakbookbinding Congratulations @bigriverbindery on your grand opening! We had a great time chatting with you, touring the bindery, and getting to make a print! #yyz #newbusiness #yyzgrandopening #bookbinding #bindery #letterpress #letterpressstudio #torontobusiness #bookconservation #bookrestoration (at Big River Bindery) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp_BpoKp47l/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=