Bookbinding
Everest Box Take Two
Second Everest box, this time with a slightly different inlay tray. This one contains a holder for 5x7” prints, a holder for pens/pencils/SD cards and the final tray is for a small notepad - which has been covered in the same book cloth as the outer box. The notepad was made using a simple pamphlet stitch.
Again the lid, once folded over, can display two portrait 5x7” prints, alternatively one landscape print can be exhibited.
There is no logo or design on the front of the box, its been left quite simple, as it will be mostly used to permanently display prints.
Everest Box
Named after the great mountain that has been both a challenge and a fascination for climbers.
The box is in the style of a table drawing easel, converted into a presentation box. The lid has a single line drawing of a mountain, which has been hand drawn on using acrylic ink.
The interior of the box contains two trays for 5x7” prints. Each contains a lift tab, for ease of taking prints out without damaging them. The tabs have been doubled over at the end making them thicker and easier to use. Each one has a small ‘X’ stitched into them in white waxed cotton thread.
The lid folds over to reveal a display area for the prints. Two prints can be placed vertically, whilst one print can be placed horizontally. The tabs are recessed into the lid, for the two vertical prints the book cloth has been kept the same as the box, however for the horizontal print these have been changed to the same grey as the trays. When the vertical prints are in they hide the grey tabs, allowing the lid to have an aesthetic feature when empty, without being distracting when prints are on show.
Maru Chitsu
Having just finished a bookbinding course in 2019, I was keen to continue learning about box making in 2020. Suffice to say with Lockdowns etc. that didn’t happen. Instead I took to teaching myself the things I would have learned on workshops. The first thing was this Japanese hinged case (chitsu), there are several variations, in this instance I decided on a wraparound (maru chitsu), consisting of a lid, an inner lid and a bottom. These cases are used as protective sleeves for books, but also as containers for collected works.
Maru Chitsu’s usually have clasps at the front, however I decided to use a length of mahogany strip wood as I liked the streamlined look. The brown of the wood complimenting the forest green book cloth and the orange design lining paper.
Mendl’s cake box
If you’ve seen Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel then you’ll remember Mendl’s cake box. If not, then this is the cake box that was used to smuggle digging tools into the prison and help Gustave escape.
The Mendl cake box was designed by Annie Atkin, whose a prop designer. The box in the film is made out of card, but I used grey board which unfortunately means that I’ve had to change the way in which the ribbon sits on the outside of the box. For the film Atkins made several iterations of the box for its different needs, for the box as a whole the ribbon is wrapped on all sides, however this means the box cannot sit flush on a surface.
Its an impressive box, especially when you come to lift the sides up, which you do by pulling the ribbons on either side, drawing the four sides of the box up to enclose the cake inside.
they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
After following Piotr Jarosz on Instagram (@i_make_books) I decided to try out one of his designs. He created a series called ‘FORM, NO FUNCTION’ which is an amazing series of objects that, whilst having no actual purpose, showcase an array of bookbinding skills. This piece really pushed my box making skills. After creating a small experimental piece I made the final tray which presented even more issues. I’ve taken a number of new skills away from this, and want to build upon what I’ve learned into the next project.
