Cartonera is an artistic publishing movement which originally began in Argentina but spread all across Latin America. It was born of an economic crisis where people – cartoneros - started making a living by selling materials they had salvaged to recycling plants.
Cartonera books are usually made from the cardboard bought from cartoneros at a higher cost set by recycling plants. The cardboard they find is used to create covers for short books of prose or poetry. These book covers are hand painted, usually in bright colours and then sold on the streets at the cost of production in order to increase access to literature.
This is a great way to recycle cardboard at home by making your own cartonera books!
Suitable for ages 6-15 years (with supervision for younger kids)
What you need:
4 to 8 pieces of lightweight paper for your text sheets (you can use any kind of paper)
1 piece of cardboard for your cover, slightly larger than your text sheets
A pair of scissors
A ruler
A needle
An awl (optional)
Embroidery thread (using three strands)
Paints, Coloured pencils or Markers
Step-by-step instructions:
-
Gather sheets for your text block. You’ll need to measure the cardboard cover once you’ve done this. Make sure the cardboard is slightly larger than your text sheets.
-
Fold your text paper and cover in half. Tip: Use a ruler to guide your fold for the cover.
-
Paint and decorate your cardboard after you cut it to size.
-
Use your needle or awl to punch three holes near the fold: One in the middle, one ½ an inch from the top and ½ an inch from the bottom. You can punch into a thick magazine or a cork board to protect your table.
-
Use all six strands of the six strand embroidery thread. You’ll need a length of thread as long as your arm.
Thread your needle: Start sewing from the inside of the middle hole, leaving a 4 inch tail of thread. (Hold the thread down with your other hand, as shown) . Sew into the top hole (from the outside). Skip the middle hole and sew through the bottom hole. Come back in front at the middle hole (take care not to split the thread already there).
-
Snip your thread. Tie the two thread ends around the long middle piece with a square knot (left over right, right over left).
Things to think about when making your book:
-
Four to eight sheets of folded paper makes a typical gathering for lightweight paper. The thicker your paper, the less pages your gathering should hold.
-
You can use a variety of papers for each signature. Once you get the hang of sewing together a pamphlet, experiment with using different weights of paper in your gatherings.
-
You can add decorative paper as end sheets. They should be the same size as your text sheets. If you choose to do this add it to the outside of your text block before you add the cover.
-
Cardboard can be tricky when folded so make sure you use a guide to make the middle fold.
-
Wrap your book in a sheet of paper and place it under a heavy pile of books to get it to lay flat.
Date: Wednesday, 26 August, 2020 to Monday, 31 August, 2020