I have loved working with Priscilla of Priscilla Foster Handmade Books for almost a decade now. Priscilla, who owns
Ro Sham Bo Paperie & Handcrafted Arts shop in Bozeman knows simple beauty and how that translates to gorgeous wedding albums. Priscilla customizes her albums from a vast array of fabric choices and crafts the books completely by hand.
I know Priscilla understands the importance of showcasing the treasured moments of a wedding in a book that reflects the
exquisiteness of the day. I've asked Priscilla a few questions below so you can get a feel for her handmade books as well as her background and the love that goes into creating Priscilla Foster Handmade Books.
Where did you learn to make become a bookmaker?In 1994, while working as a graphic designer for a textile company in Burlington, Vermont, called April Cornell, I took an internship with a woman who owned a small bindery on the shores of Lake Champlain. After that internship I attended many different bookmaking classes, which culminated with my time at The American Academy for Book Arts in Telluride, Colorado.
How long have you been making books?Fifteen years.
What got you interested in creating wedding albums?I remember the first handmade wedding album I ever saw.
I was visiting an artist colony in the Old South End Distillery Building in Boston and one of the artists was just starting his small bindery and I bought one of the first albums he ever made for my cousin. I remember at that time thinking that this artist had the coolest job in the world. When I started my own bindery I set out to perfect the handmade wedding album and, as such, developed hinged pages which enable my albums to lay flat when open.
Can you talk a bit about the different albums that you offer?My first album, and the one that I have been making for the past 15 years is a
self-mount, hinged-page album with an exposed binding that is sewn together with satin ribbon. Although these albums require mounting of physical photographs on the pages they are very versatile for someone who is just starting out with album offerings.
I created my first digital album 2 years ago. I call it
The Tristan Album after my son. This album is made up of 25 pages of Museo II fine art paper onto which the photos are directly printed. We offer this album as both a self-print album, for those photographers who like to do their own printing, and a printed album. This album has a very vintage feel with the subtle texture of the fine art paper and the side-sewn binding.
The newest addition to our offerings is
The Wilder Album, named after my daughter, and it is my answer to the flush mount coffee table album. Being a classically trained bookbinder who has relied largely on hand tools to create all my previous albums, I felt that this kind of album was antithetical to my work. However, after a year of product development and many book blocks later, I now feel like I can claim these albums one of my own. The pages are printed in the lab then UV coated, mounted on a rigid substrate and hinged to create a full panoramic spread. What sets our flush mount album apart from others is our vast selection of silks from which you can design your own cover.
What kind of materials do you use?I use a variety of fabrics including raw silk, silk shantung, Chinese brocade, silk linen and cotton for my
First Year Baby Books. I use only the finest double faced satin for my bindings and decorative Japanese papers for my end sheets (the backside of the cover.) All of my album pages are acid-free which makes for a PH-neutral, archival environment for your photos.
What makes your albums so different from others that are offered?The main thing that sets my albums apart from any of the other albums available is that I make my own book cloth from raw material. This means that instead of being limited to pre-manufactured rolls of book cloth which make up most album makers cloth options, I can take virtually any fabric and back by hand in order to make it suitable for use as a book covering.
Because I am not tied to a huge inventory of eight book cloth choices I am able to offer my clients a different album each time dependant entirely on their client/studio preferences. My ability to offer so many choices also makes my job a lot more interesting and really empowers my clients to feel a part of the process.
What does the process of creating a book entail? Is it different when making a digital album? For me the process of creating an album requires understanding what my clients need and being able to guide them to the best album that will suit that need. Once they are settled on the album type they have fun creating their own custom albums from the fabrics and ribbons available on my site. My time in the studio is then spent making sure their vision comes to fruition in the form of a beautiful album in which they can showcase their event.
For me, my time spent in my bindery is the most peaceful and really satisfying time of my day.
Do you have any advice for couples who are creating a digital album?I have always felt that there is beauty in simplicity. This is as true for the fabric combinations that make up an album as it is for the interior page layout. Try to avoid sensory overload. You’ll be happy you did.
