#sfcb

[simply-sithel]

Took The Decorated Edge workshop at the SFCB recently with two other Renegade folks. Wonderful time, very educational. First time working with gold and boy howdy was it a lot of work... managed to guild only 1 edge- poorly at that- after several hours of work. Would not have managed to get there without hands on instruction.

You can see in that weird low POV photo my textblock as I prep it-- that strange discoloration along the top in the photo? That's a reflection off the Oh So Smooth surface 👌 So much sanding but... pretty neat. Not sure if I'll attempt it again on my own but very happy to at least Know now. We also covered suminagashi, which I'd attempted on my own before but feel much better about after going through the class. Good times, good times.

Bonus: met at least two other folks in class who followed Renegade. Fic binders abound!

[dorianmathay]

https://www.oxfamfairtrade.be

[jodyart]

The Roadworks Steamroller Printing Festival at the San Francisco Center for the Book

[nakanotonio]

(☆LiL PEEP☆)

[simply-sithel]

So the SF Center for the Book had a little call for artwork celebrating its 25th anniversary. I only noticed about a week before the (extended) deadline and given I was just about to leave town, I figured “why not?” and threw this little dude together on a Sunday afternoon. One of my tiny zig-zag signature books that fits in the mail, home marbled cover and end papers, and stamped cover. The contents are basically pulled from their website and Wikipedia. Had a ring w/ loop because I thought they’d... I don’t know... hang the pieces or something since they’d be displayed during the Steamroller event this last weekend. 

Nope, they were laid out on a table and my little dude was still nestled in the shitty shitty cardboard structure I’d tucked it in to survive the mail. Also- and I cringe so very deeply at the memory- the envelope I sent it in. You must understand, I can’t do calligraphy but I fake it all the time- I love, love, love doing my addressing all fancy and ornate. But this was a slap-dash entry, last minute like before I was leaving town. I actually scribbled out part of the address because I wrote it wrong. I never do that. The one fucking time I slap together a letter because I was leaving for the airport in under an hour it’s put on display. Ugh. The stuff of nightmares... 

[simply-sithel]

A busy, yet not-quite-as-productive-as-I’d-have liked weekend. Friday was typewriter meetup, which I think threw off the normal pacing. 

Saturday I finished reading Tiamat's Wrath (Expanse book 8), had epic aspirations, but wound up crashing rather early. 

Sunday was working with clay and then the LARP- while I only did so-so, I adored my outfit. Am hoping someone from the game will share better photos... might post more about it when/if so. 

Productivity bleed into Monday, went to the bindery at the SF Center for the Book for an hour. Gah, I forgot how beautiful guillotined pages look (and how easy it is!) as well as how much better a real job backer is for rounding a spine. I’m torn between wanting to be thrifty/save money and paying for better access to equipment. I can afford it, but there’s.... minor pride? in not doing so... 

[simply-sithel]

Went to the “typewriter jam” at the SF Center for the Book last Friday. Cute little meet up of individuals- there were 23 machines brought in, nearly all made available for people to play with. 

That’s my baby, up close in the center most photo. Not nearly as tuned up or well taken care of as most of the others, but I love her. Was forced to take it when buying a book at a garage sale back in... high school? Have lugged it around with me since. Once wrote a letter “from Santa” with it (on vellum) to a co-worker’s daughter to combat her older sibling’s attempts to bust the lie- report was that it went over well.

It’s cute to see what people will write on a machine when allowed to play with it. Very meta, the mind consumed and obsessed with the act of writing rather than having something it wants to say. Hearing how many machines folks had was surprising. A young gentleman I spoke with had brought only one of his three- the one used for letters. His favorite was the one he used for fiction writing, which he of course excitedly showed me a photo of it. There was a speed/accuracy typing contest and they handed out free copies of the book from the SFO airport’s typewriter exhibition. 

Overall a little weird, but a delightful low key event.

[jodyart]

Preview of the lino block I’ll be carrying across the ocean to the San Francisco Center for the Book’s Annual Roadworks Steamroller Festival.