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Ontto harmaa - fine binding / work in progress by Kaija Rantakari - www.paperiaarre.com

fine binding - work in progress

October 20, 2016

Change of plans for the next week! A modern full leather binding with hundreds of onlays and a tight schedule!

I've embarked on the journey of putting together a fine binding for a bookbinding competition with way less time than ideal until deadline. I spent most of last Sunday and early Monday traveling back home from London, got to bed at 6am, and at Monday noon I was delivered the pages for this book, and got to work. The deadline for the Elizabet Soutar Bookbinding Competition is on November 7th, leaving me just about until next Thursday to get this book in the mail. Thankfully the tight schedule has, by now, also served as a motivator (can't second guess all my decisions endlessly!) and inspired me to take a less conventional route structure-wise. And I'm actually very excited by all my decisions so far!

Ontto harmaa - setting the title - fine binding / work in progress by Kaija Rantakari - www.paperiaarre.com

As I really ought to be binding this book and not writing about making it, I'm just going to leave you with some photos I've taken of the process so far.

Ontto harmaa - typing binary endpapers - fine binding / work in progress by Kaija Rantakari - www.paperiaarre.com

Binary code plays a big role in my overall design, inside and out... Above I'm typing up endpapers (with several typos, but c'est la vie) - below, a sample plaquette in the making. Sorry about the lighting in the photos, I've been working mostly without a hint of daylight...

Ontto harmaa - sample plaquette - fine binding / work in progress by Kaija Rantakari - www.paperiaarre.com

Trusty old Schärf- Fix is in use again! Last night I pared leather for onlays and spine liners. Today I ought to be finishing that spine.

Ontto harmaa - paring spine liner leather - fine binding / work in progress by Kaija Rantakari - www.paperiaarre.com

I will be posting about this project on my Instagram account, so, make sure to follow me to get frequent updates! I will naturally share the finished book - and maybe some wip photos - here eventually, but in case you're curious or impatient, Instagram is the place to be...

In all books, bookbinding, sewn boards binding Tags fine binding, wip
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Welcome to Paperiaarre!

Kaija Rantakari / Paperiaarre in her Helsinki based studio

Hello, my name is Kaija. I'm a master bookbinder / mixed media artist / accumulator extraordinaire / poet from Finland. This website is where I share my creations to fellow paper enthusiasts.

Paperiaarre is Finnish for a paper treasure, and I hope you find many of those here!

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The Paperiaarre shop is open again! I've now returned from the incredibly lush Edinburgh where I had the privilege to stay at a wonderful writing recidency. So many long walks, big hills, old kirkyards, and vinegary treats!

As mentioned, the shop is
Hello you, just a quick note that I'm spending May in Edinburgh at a writing recidency, so the Paperiaarre shop will be closed from April 30th. Any orders placed by Wednesday afternoon will be shipped as usual ❤️❤️❤️
Another great day for this bookbinder! Thank you all for your many orders - they really make my day every time ❤️
This golden floral kimono silk is one of my all time favourites. I love how beautifully light plays with the weave even on a cloudy day like today.

This notebook with semi-flexible covers is one of the five still left of yesterday's shop update. All
New books in the Paperiaarre shop! Four hardcover notebooks with heavier weight paper, and ten notebooks bound with the sewn boards binding style that results in semi-flexible covers. All made with repurposed vintage kimono silk.
On my to-do list is to add this stack of vintage kimono notebooks to my shop. Some time next week, I hope!

I made these using the sewn boards binding structure that creates lovely semi-flexible covers.
Wrapping a lovely order today 🤍🤍🤍

We've now made it through the darkest moments of winter, so maybe soon I will finally get to my stack of journals waiting to be photographed. Read: New books coming soon-ish!
New blog post and new books now available in the Paperiaarre shop at www.paperiaarre.com. There's postcard-sized watercolor journals perfect for travel journal use, too, and a small lot of the popular adorably tiny notebooks. All covered with repurpo
Watercolor journals and mini kimono journals for sale through my IG stories for the next 24h. Any remaining books will be available at paperiaarre.com in a few days 🤍🤍🤍
Every now and then I get requests for notebooks suitable for watercolors, and even though I don't do custom orders in the traditional sense, every now and then I hear your requests! This lot of six lovely A6 landscape format watercolor journals will

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