J.O. CRAFTS
Unique Paper Crafts
705 760-9694
jocrafts@outlook.com
jocrafts@outlook.com
How did you get started folding books?
I was asked to teach some crafts at the local library and I got to thinking that doing something with old recycled books would be very appropriate. So while looking for craft ideas I found that there were endless things that you could make with them. As time went by, things started to evolve when I put my love for origami and the old books together.
How did you learn how to do it?
The first things I made were very simple, but through trial and error, I learned what worked and what didn’t. I believe that I am still learning new things and it is exciting to figure out new designs.
How long have you been doing this?
I think the first ones I did were about three years ago. I do take small breaks and do other crafts too, but for the past year I have been folding pretty intensively.
Where do you find books?
I always have my eyes open for books at used book sales, library sales, anywhere and everywhere really. I look for sturdy books with good bindings. I am careful not to use anything antique or valuable. They are generally books that have become outdated, and have fallen out of use. There is a glut of old, unwanted books; quite literally millions of them are pulped each year. The rest are doomed to a life sitting on a dusty bottom shelf or in a box. By folding a book, I like to hope that I’m giving it a new life, and another chance to be appreciated.
Does the content of the book dictate how you fold it?
So far I have not really folded a book based on what the book is about. There are other things I take into account instead: the thickness of the book, weight of the pages, type of paper, texture, size of margins, whether or not there are pictures, etc. Not every book can work with every folding design, so taking all these things into account narrows down what I can do with a book. Sometimes if I find a nice pattern paper that I really like, I will print it on nice paper, carefully measure it, glue it in and press overnight for end papers.
Do you have a book all planned out before you begin working on it ?
In the beginning it was trial and error, with plenty of mistakes. But I keep building on what I have learned and now, I do most of the page counting, planning, and have a book designed pretty much in my mind before I start folding it. However, there are still unexpected results and designs
I was asked to teach some crafts at the local library and I got to thinking that doing something with old recycled books would be very appropriate. So while looking for craft ideas I found that there were endless things that you could make with them. As time went by, things started to evolve when I put my love for origami and the old books together.
How did you learn how to do it?
The first things I made were very simple, but through trial and error, I learned what worked and what didn’t. I believe that I am still learning new things and it is exciting to figure out new designs.
How long have you been doing this?
I think the first ones I did were about three years ago. I do take small breaks and do other crafts too, but for the past year I have been folding pretty intensively.
Where do you find books?
I always have my eyes open for books at used book sales, library sales, anywhere and everywhere really. I look for sturdy books with good bindings. I am careful not to use anything antique or valuable. They are generally books that have become outdated, and have fallen out of use. There is a glut of old, unwanted books; quite literally millions of them are pulped each year. The rest are doomed to a life sitting on a dusty bottom shelf or in a box. By folding a book, I like to hope that I’m giving it a new life, and another chance to be appreciated.
Does the content of the book dictate how you fold it?
So far I have not really folded a book based on what the book is about. There are other things I take into account instead: the thickness of the book, weight of the pages, type of paper, texture, size of margins, whether or not there are pictures, etc. Not every book can work with every folding design, so taking all these things into account narrows down what I can do with a book. Sometimes if I find a nice pattern paper that I really like, I will print it on nice paper, carefully measure it, glue it in and press overnight for end papers.
Do you have a book all planned out before you begin working on it ?
In the beginning it was trial and error, with plenty of mistakes. But I keep building on what I have learned and now, I do most of the page counting, planning, and have a book designed pretty much in my mind before I start folding it. However, there are still unexpected results and designs
