Woven Accordion Book
Extract from Painted Paper: Techniques & Projects for Handmade Books & Cards • By Alisa Golden • Published by Lark Crafts
About
Woven Accordion Book (two-sided)
Bonnie Thompson Norman works full time for a commercial bindery, but evenings and weekends devises new bindings and teaches letterpress printing and book arts classes in her studio in Seattle, Washington. In 2002, Bonnie sent me a new book structure she designed. It is a Jacob’s ladder made out of paper: a woven accordion. I sometimes refer to it as “Bonnie’s Ladder.” Sometime later, I realized that Ed Hutchins had sent me a version of this structure, but with many more slits, in 1999. To make it function, you have to separate the pages because they do not naturally drop open like the child’s toy. Making one is easier than making the traditional toy; all you do is cut slits and weave cards. No adhesive, ribbon, or thread is necessary. An advantage to this structure is that you can arrange the cards until you get a pattern that you like. If you don’t like one card, cut another from the extra scraps and reweave it. This structure changes the painted paper into a dynamic sculpture or interesting card. You will need to paint both sides of one large piece of heavyweight paper.
Example Size
23⁄4" x 5" (7 cm
From the book Painted Paper by Alisha Golden. Read our review here.
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Step 1Using the pencil, ruler, knife, and cutting mat, divide and then cut the paper into two 22" x 5" (55.9 cm x 12.7 cm) strips (these are now grained short); reserve the remaining paper for other projects.
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Step 2Select one strip to make the accordion and choose one side to be the front. Place the strip, front-side down, horizontally on your work surface. Fold the strip in half, aligning the edges.
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Step 3Unfold the strip. Fold each edge in, aligning it with the center fold. In origami, this is called a cupboard because of its shape.
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Step 4Now fold each top section back, aligning the edges with the existing folds—like opening the shutters on a window. Turn the folded paper over.
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Step 5Now it looks like a table. Fold the paper again, aligning the folded ends with the center fold.
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Step 6Unfold the paper. You should now have a fan fold with alternating valleys and mountains.
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Step 7Unfold the accordion strip completely and flatten it, arranging it so there is a valley fold at each end; you should see three complete mountains. Measure and mark 2" (5 cm) from the top edge and 2" (5 cm) from the bottom edge on the valley fold at each end.
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Step 8Place the flattened accordion on the cutting mat. Using the ruler to guide the knife and beginning and ending exactly on the outermost valley folds, cut a slit parallel to the top edge to connect the top marks. In the same way, cut another slit to connect the bottom marks.
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Step 9Cut the second 22" x 5" (55.9 cm x
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Step 10Weaving the Cards
With the accordion still flattened and face up, lift the long center strip and slide one card under it; slide the card to the left, snug against the end of the slits. -
Step 11
Now hold down the long center strip and, starting from the back of the accordion, weave a card over it and out to the back again.
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Make sure the card is snug against the first card. -
Step 12Repeat the weaving process for the remaining cards, alternately inserting them under or over the center strip and tightening them as you go by sliding them over to the previous card. When you are finished, accordion-fold the book.
Note: To make three 2 3⁄4"
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