Still totally obsessed with browsing old public domain pattern and art books for inspiration for bookbinding projects.
Aren't these gorgeous? And don't they somehow whisper "Gwaith-i-Mírdain" to you in a soft and seductive voice?
I think I know EXACTLY which author to woo for permission to bind their sublimely gorgeous Celebrimbor fic to use these! (even if it will remain a WIP for quite some time)
Extracted from the 1849 edition of "Floriated ornament : a series of thirty-one designs" by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin available here if anyone wants to check out the rest.
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Tolkien Short Fic Bookbinding Project: Would you just look at this beauty?! Aaah! 💚😁💚
Sorry in advance for the huge photo dump and way too many exclamation marks but I just finished my very first 100% handmade book and am near delirious with happiness how it turned out! 😁
Thank you SO MUCH again to all of the wonderful authors who kindly gave me permission to bind their amazing short stories for this project (full list of stories here, check it out - I beg of you - they are all so incredibly good). But even more importantly: Thank you for creating all of your fantastic stories and sharing them with the world!!💚😁
Also: A big thank you to all the kind souls out there who showed an interest in this little project and cheered me on along the way! Your interest and support truly meant a lot! 💚
If anyone is interested in recapping the making of this book you can do so here and here.
And now, please excuse me: I have a fantastic book to snuggle up with in bed for the rest of Sunday night! 😁
One last time: Tagging those who expressed an interest in status updates and/or the finished project: @ailendolin , @illegalcerebral , @celebrimborsapron , @sotwk @nocompromise-noregrets , @from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras , @emmathefanficgal, @tathrin , @sun-snatcher , @self-destructinganimal , @balrogballs
After finishing my first ever bind of Tolkien Short Fiction last autumn @celebrimbor-apologist half-jokingly asked me what it would take to get a handbound edition of their drop dead gorgeous „Rings of Power“ fics. Turns out the answer is quite simple: a bit of patience for my over-excited, happy squealing to subside (seriously, I was SO happy you asked!). And then a lot more patience for me to descend into and re-emerge from my typesetting-and-material-fussing rabbit hole to get some actual binding done.
And since I can be a bit greedy at times I've made it identical twins. I love how they turned out and am so very much looking forward to snuggling up with my copy in bed over the weekend.
The volume features 12 stories from the "All You Good People" collection over on AO3 (published there under the pen name hopeful_foolx) and is a mixture of fics I had already fallen in love with ("Sunflowers" my beloved and "A Song for the Doomed"), fics warmly recommended to me by dear mutuals (Trust like the Wind -- thanks again, @self-destructinganimal and @ailendolin 😁👋) and stories I've had on my reading list for ages ("Drown it Out" , "Long As You Run" and many more).
If you are looking for some beautifully quiet stories about Elrond, Gil-Galad, Celebrimbor, Camnir, Vorohil and the rest of the elven gang brimming with wonderful characterizations, utter heartbreak and the healing power of friendship I cannot recommend these enthusiastically enough!
Thank you so much again, @celebrimbor-apologist, for creating and sharing your stories with all of us!! 💚
++++
Material used for this bind:
Brillianta bookcloth in burgundy
Peppin Press giftwrap paper from their "Chinese Art" booklet for the cover
Hahnemühle Zeichenpapier Ingres 100 gr/sqm for endpapers
HP Office Premium paper 90gr/sqm for the text block (not ideal, especially in terms of grain direction, but still has a nice texture and I could source it offline)
Attempted and finished my very first rebind of a well-loved paperback this week!
Soo happy with how it turned out! 💚
And it was so much fun to look for materials matching the content: gorgeous yet understated Japanese katazome paper for Sophie on the cover and extravagant bird prints for Howl as end papers.
Definitely an improvement to what we started with, no? ^_^
Tolkien Elves Bookbinding Project: Complete Line-Up and ⚡⚡ Fic Rec ⚡⚡ List
I guess it was inevitable. After >3 decades of being in love with Tolkien's world and half a year of dabbling in amateur bookbinding I am making my very first book totally from scratch. And not just any old book. An anthology of some of my all-time favorite Tolkien short fics! (*squee*)
I am over the moon that some truly amazing writers have given me permission to bind their wonderful work for this project.
If you are in the market for some brilliant storytelling and wonderful diverse takes on Tolkien's elves I cannot recommend these stories (and their writers in general) enough! Go check them out and leave some well deserved love! 😁💚
2025/10/26 Update: It is done!! And it’s a real book!! 😁
"Three Weeks on the Nimrodel" by @from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras (Haldir x reader, 3.1k words, rated: General)
Haldir, Marchwarden of Lothlorien, might not be the easiest company for three weeks of guard duty up a solitary mallorn tree. But something is different this time. — Perhaps my all-time favorite story about the beauty of falling in love without needing a lot of words or grand gestures.
"Understanding" by @nocompromise-noregrets (Rumil of Lorien & Eowyn, 3.6k words, rated: Teen)
In the aftermath of the Battle of Helm's Deep Eowyn shares a quiet moment with one of Lorien's warriors. — Sometimes a story plainly refuses to let go of you long after you finished reading it even if you can't put a finger on why exactly. This is one of those rare gems.
"Transformed" by @sotwk (OMC Prince of Greenwood x reader, 2.5k words, rated: Teen)
3 words only: Werewolves. In. Mirkwood. — Need I really say more? Well then perhaps: Delightfully oblivious friends-to-lovers, gripping angst with a happy ending and a wonderful good dad Thranduil.
"In the Halls of Healing" by @illegalcerebral (Galadriel & Celebrimbor, 6.2 k words, rated: General)
Two old friends reunite in the Halls of Mandos. — An absolutely gorgeous piece about friendship and learning to forgive yourself with an absolutely stellar cast.
"Finding a New Purpose" by @celebrimborsapron (Celebrimbor x OFC, 19k words, rated: Explicit)
Eregion fell. Celebrimbor survives and now has to pick up the pieces of what used to be his life. — A gorgeous story about coming to terms with your past and braving new beginnings. Featuring a wonderful leading couple and a whole flock of delightful supporting characters.
"Spun Together" by @esta-elavaris (Haldir x OFC, 6k words, rated: Teen)
Every elf in Lothlorien knows of Marchwarden Haldir. Liawyn does too, of course, even though she has never spoken to him. Just caught glances of him across a busy market square. Until... — If Jane Austen were alive today she would need to read this and take some serious notes. Sooo much delicious pining condensed into such a short piece.
"In Lieu of Flowers" and "Celebrian" by @self-destructinganimal (Galadriel x absentee!Celeborn, 1k words, rated: Teen) and Elrond Meeting his wive for the first time (200 words, rated: General)
Galadriel mourns the absence of her husband and Elrond meets his wive for the first time. — Yes, I am fully aware that this is two stories by the same author. But hey: my anthology my rules! I could not choose between them for the life of me. Read them. You‘ll see why.
"Hope and Ruin" by @ailendolin (Elrond & Elendil, 1.5 words, rated: Teen)
Even the strongest soul has a breaking point. The Battle of Eregion has been fought. And Lost. Elrond needs a hug. And Elrond gets a hug. — An absolutely beautiful and devastating punch in the guts.
"Of Half-Wits & Fools" by @sun-snatcher (Elrond x reader, 5.6k words, rated: General)
You and Elrond have known each other for ages and simply cannot stand the sight of each other. Alright, maybe barely tolerate each other. Perhaps, in time, can learn to grudingly accept each other... Or do you? - Absolutely peak oblivious bickering idiots in love with a delicious side order of long suffering Gil-galad and Galadriel.
"A Lifetime" by @celebrimbor-apologist (Celebrimbor & Elrond, 8.5 words, rated: Teen)
Five times Celebrimbor finds Elrond. And the one time Elrond finds Celebrimbor. Just in time. — This gorgeous, quiet story simply healed something in me.
"The Vampire King" by @gloomwitchwrites (Thranduil x Reader, 1.8k words, rated: Mature)
Something is lurking in the depths of Mirkwood. And it’s not just spiders in the dark as an intrepid messenger to the Elvenking is about to find out. — Peak Gothic Romance vibes and an unexpected spin on our dear Thranduil.
"A Nightingale in Mirkwood" by @tathrin (Glorfindel x Galion, 4.7k words, rated: Teen)
A chance meeting in Mirkwood before Glorfindel heads off for war. -- Amazing prose and unbelievable chemistry between two fantastic male leads.
"Living Arrows Sent Forth" by @balrogballs (Elrond & Thranduil, 4.3k words, rated: General)
Two very different fathers meet on the eve of Arwen's wedding. -- I only came across this gem recently but it is one of those stories you just know you'll come back to again and again and again.
As always: Thank you all so, soo incredibly much for your amazing stories!! 💚
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WIP Wednesday: Typesetting Jane Austen's "Persuasion"
Thank you so much for tagging me to share one of my bookbinding WIPs (more speciffically my Austen bind), @hobbitwrangler! 💚😁
As mentioned in a tag game a few days ago I recently noticed a truly scandalous absence of nice, compact hard copy editions of my favorite Austen novel „Persuasion“ on my bookshelves. So what is a girl to do than to make her own copy from a downloaded txt file available on Project Gutenberg ^_^
I want this one to be quite a bit more flowery and whimsical than my Tolkien fic binds. But apart from that design goal I am still very much at the "oooooh you know what else could be cool?" stage of figuring out what I want this book to look and feel like:
A six hour train ride on Monday was spent losing myself in early 19th century art and fashion magazines, nature books and dance instruction manuals for visual inspiration which was tremendous fun. [Did I ever mention that I love online public domain archives? Because I LOVE online public domain archives! ^_^]. So my evenings this week are spent playing with those elements to see if they give way to more specific ideas for typefonts and cover material.
I also taught myself how to bully our graphic design suite into isolating and sprucing up those graphics a bit (less fun, but I think for another first the results aren‘t too shabby). (Un)Fortunately, this unlocked a true pandora‘s box of possibilities. A 16-pager from 1816 on Muslin patterns alone will probably keep me occupied for the rest oft the week ^_^
These are a few ideas I am playing with at the moment:
The circular element around the "III" is taken from a 1877 dance manual called "Le cotillon et les quadrilles actuels - Traité théoretique et pratique". It describes one of the final figures of the cotillon, a dance that was - in varying forms - around when Anne met Frederick. I really like how it looks kind of modern but actually is anything but.
And an example of my muslin patterns (as yet untouched by any graphic design shenanigans) because I really love them:
So, TLDR: Nothing definite yet but lots of fun getting there! ^_^
No pressure tagging @ailendolin, @illegalcerebral, @sotwk, @thescrapwitch, @rosemary-andtime (a fellow fledgling bookbinder if I remember correctly?), @esta-elavaris and anyone else wanting to share a bit about a current WIP. Writing, arts, crafts, anything goes! 😁
And it’s done! Lucy Snowe got her big make-over this weekend and I love how it turned out! I was a bit afraid that going slightly overboard on the pastel colours would turn out boring. But I think it compliments the novel’s heroine and the old, slightly brownish paper of the text block quite beautifully.
[More bookbinding details below the cut ^_^]
Materials used:
Bookcloth "Halbleinen" (260 g/m²),
Chiyogami paper (70 g/m²) for the cover with titles printed on 100 g/m² regular printing paper and glued onto the cover,
Hahnemühle Ingres (100 g/m²) as end papers,
One of these useless little hanging-up thingies from a sweater as a bookmark.
My first attempt at an Oxford Hollow for the spine. Still needs some practice but I really like the look and feel of it and will definitely use it for other, heftier projects soon.
