Thought I would add  a few pictures of the bindery.

The Black Cat Bindery is a friendly, traditional craft bindery situated in the countryside near to the pretty market town of Castle Cary in the heart of Somerset, England. We are a small professional team of dedicated bookbinders aiming to produce memorable and lasting bindings and boxes for every special occasion. Using traditional hand binding equipment, some of which dates back to the Victorian era, our products are classically authentic. Each order is an opportunity to produce a handmade item which you will treasure forever.

We undertake a wide variety of work from photograph albums – including wedding, christening birthdays, whatever your special memories are, to the binding of limited edition print runs of up to one hundred. We also produce presentation print boxes,keepsake boxes and CD/ DVD folios as well as visitors books, guest books and journals. As we offer a bespoke service we are more than happy to undertake one off commissions.

Restoration of older books is also undertaken and our aim is always to restore the book, giving it lasting strength, whilst maintaining its original appearance.

As all our products are handmade to order turn around time for website items are usually 1-2 weeks but we do always try our best to accommodate if you are in a hurry.

                        Our new website is up and running
                              www.blackcatbindery.com

                Have a look and let us know what you think.      www.blackcatbindery.com

Chiyogami Paper

Chiyogami patterns were inspired from Kimono patterns and first made by Japanese Paper-Makers in the 20th century. With a decline in the manufacture of Kimonos, the old cloth printing studios began applying their patterns to paper. Originally printed by woodblock and used to make paper dolls and other home decorations, Chiyogami is still silkscreened by hand using a mixture of kozo and sulphite. These patterns blended with the existing woodblock-printed Chiyogami tradition to create a newer, wider range of paper patterns that now also included gold. 

Known for beautiful, vibrant and striking colours, many of today's Chiyogami patterns are based on traditional Japanese designs with symbols that represent beauty, good fortune and long life. These patterns include flowers, trees, animals and geometric shapes. Flowering plum trees, pine leaves, clover, bamboo, violets, butterflies, stripes and parasol shapes are among the traditional designs that are still very popular today.

Chiyogami can be used for a wide variety of art and craft projects. It is a favorite choice for Origami, the Japanese art of paper folding. Cranes, boats and many other shapes and objects are exquisitely beautiful when made with Chiyogami. Japanese paper has inspired many wedding invitation designs and used to line envelopes. Today we see book covers, greeting cards, scrapbook pages, collages, picture mats and lampshades all made with Chiyogami. Due to its strength and durability Chiyogami is ideal for covering all kinds of common household objects, such as picture frames, boxes, tins and light switch covers.

All Chiyogami Paper  is still silk-screened by hand. It's a laborious process, with each pattern requiring a separate screen that needs to be hand-registered for each color layer. 

First Posted in 2010 by Larry Chase

We have been playing around with this beautiful paper and have been commissioned by a few people to line print boxes with it. We think it looks great.