Bind It All

I have to admit that I first got intrigued by the idea of journals when I saw the Bind It All featured on the Quietfire Design site here.  I saw how easy it was to use and since I loved using coil bound journals myself because they always opened flat for writing I thought this would be a great tool to own.  I also liked the idea of being able to bind single pages and thought of the possibilities for altered books since that was one of my main interests at the time.  With the added thickness of embellishments, some of the pages were proving to be unwieldy in regular books.

I purchased a Bind It All before I began to learn about sewn structures.  That doesn't mean that I've given up using coil bindings.  I still think that they are great for certain things.  They just don't have that rich, traditional fell that sewn bindings have.

Here are some samples of my earliest coil bindings.

This journal is covered in handmade paper and you'll notice that the coils don't go all the way from top to bottom.  That makes the journal a little more loose when you open it, but that is good if you intend to embellish the pages.  I haven't decorated the cover of this one yet.

The covers of this journal are made from artist canvas.  I painted the canvas using acrylic paints and then embellished using metallic words.

This journal was covered in torn pieces of mulberry paper and stamped with a word quote "Love where you're at and believe life will lead you to where you want to be" Joanne A Ross  from Quietfire Designs.

Sorry about the glare on the picture.  I was using the overhead light in the workroom and this journal has a protective coat of gloss varnish on it.  I shouldn't have photographed it flat but I didn't see the glare in the lens of the camera.  (I really will have to improve my camera skills).