365 DAYS OF HANDWRITING COMPLETED

Completion of 365 Days of Handwriting

Mistress Spring is here and old man winter is still pursuing her.  It’s Easter weekend and the snow falls gently on the streets in the early morning, cloaking the city with a fresh, clean blanket.  Soon the sun will come out and melt it away. During the day soft rain drops seep into the earth encouraging the flowers to start ascending to the earth’s surface to bloom. 

365 Days of Handwriting Project

This has been an enjoyable project.  I have documented cursive writing through samples contributed by people from around the world.  I have learned more about the history and styles of cursive writing.  I have read about the research and the benefits of cursive writing to brain function and the need to continue teaching and using this form of handwriting.  Contributors have been generous with their samples and words of encouragement and have expressed pleasure in participating in the project.  The following are the final books of cursive writing, bringing the project to a close with a collection of 47 hand bound books (some books contain two weeks of samples and two books hang), and 3 boxes.  Here are the final 20 books of the collection.  

WEEK 33

 This is the case for the week 33 book.  It is made from heavy water colour paper and is decorated with suminagashi marbled paper.

 The book was inspired by a cabinet designed by Joel Escalano, a young Mexican designer. 

Week 33 Contributors

Maria Abizaid , Ottawa, Ontario

Chistine Demore, Ottawa, Ontario, www.bitchlitblog.wordpress.com

Czandra, Ottawa, Ontario

Grace Seybold, Montreal, Quebec

Natasha Grey, Ottawa, Ontario, www.everydaysuperheroes.ca

Casey Grey, Ottawa, Ontario, www.greyconstruction.com

Scott Leminski, Ottawa, Ontario

 WEEK 34

This is the case for the week 34 book.  An acrylic painting decorates the cover.  

 This book was inspired by the 'house of cards' we play as children, stacking cards to see how many we could stack before they fell down. It is a great way to display the handwriting samples.

Week 34 Contributors

Annie, Ottawa, Ontario

Sue, Ottawa, Ontario

Stuart Ross, Cobourg, Ontario, www.bloggameogo.blogspot.ca

Catherine Boivin, Ottawa, Ontario, www.catherineboivin.ca

Karen, Ottawa, Ontario

Jeff Norstry, Ottawa, Ontario

Rebecca Cowan, Kingston, Ontario

 WEEK 35

 This book is an accordion within an accordion.  The cover is decorated with a photograph.

Week 35 Contributors

Logan, Ottawa, Ontario

Jerry Cowan, Kingston, Ontario

Colin White, Ottawa, Ontario

Alison Whiddon, Ottawa, Ontario

Michelle Casey, Ottawa, Ontario

Barbi, Ljublijana, Slovenia

Kevin Lo, Montreal, Quebec, www.lokidesign.net

WEEK 36

This box houses the next seven handwriting samples.  The closure is with bamboo chopsticks, leather and waxed thread. 

The samples are held together on one central chopstick and then a chopstick is placed at the end of each sample creating a spiral of handwriting samples and wooden sticks.

Week 36 Contributors

Anna Jordan, Ottawa, Ontario

Emily Wood, Rosseau

Bill Rowe, Ottawa, Ontario

George wills, Ottawa, Ontario

Jason Boulanger, Ottawa, Ontario

Gyas Swann, Ottawa, Ontario

Lorne Bergstrom, Ottawa, Ontario, www.lornebergstrom.com

WEEK 37

This book was great fun to make.  Each page folds up over the previous page.  They are held together with a brad allowing the pages to swivel into position. 

Week 37 Contributors

Kathryn Finer, Ottawa, Ontario, www.illuminations.ca

Amber Crilly, Ottawa, Ontario

Hedda Bon, Ottawa, Ontario

Jan Boon, Ottawa, Ontario

Glenn Hetherington, Ottawa, Ontario

Shelly Brown, Ottawa, Ontario

Eric Rodrigue, Ottawa, Ontario 

WEEK 38 

Two children contributed to the covers of this book. The front cover is the hand print of a five month old girl, the daughter of my friend in Germany and the back cover is her 5 year old cousin's printed signature.  

This sample was written on the inside cover of a book.  Very creative.

Week 38 Contributors

Luisa Cholewa, Ruthen, Germany, 5 months old – book cover

Hannah Löseke, Drewer, Germany

Jerzy Cholewa, Ruthen, Germany

Ulla Löseke, Germany

Alexandra Löseke, Drewer Germany

Bendt Löseke, Germany

Lorna Jewitt, Addingham, United Kingdom

Constantin Löseke, Drewer, Germany – 5 years old, - back cover 

 WEEK 39

This book is housed in a paper case for protection. 

An aerial view of the book with its cursive handwriting samples. 

Week 39 Contributors

Zoë Bradford – Lea, Ottawa, Ontario, omninterest.tumblr.com

Emmett Flood, Ottawa, Ontario

Alyssa, Ottawa, Ontario

Carole Bergstrom, Ottawa, Ontario

Michael Dorgan, Ottawa, Ontario  

Fraser Cowan, Ottawa, Ontario

Patricia K. McCarthy, Ottawa, Ontario, www.patriciaKmccarthy.com

  

WEEK 40

 This box houses the book for week 40.

This book was inspired by a hanging lamp I saw in an architectural magazine.  The top half of the lamp rests on the bottom half, allowing the handwriting samples to be viewed from all sides. 

 The feet are pieces of origami folded papers glued together.

Week 40 Contributors

Eva Hernandez, Granada, Spain, In memory of Fermin, her brother-in-law

Malika Walsh, Ottawa, Ontario

A. Lloyd, Owen Sound, Ontario

Patricia Bell, Pasadena, California

Britta, Ottawa, Ontario, www.brittaevansfenton.com

Kim Lafontaine, Ottawa, Ontario

Marilyn Campbell, Seguin, Ontario 

 WEEKS 41 & 42 + 2

This style of this book is called a butterfly  binding.  From the outside it is a stab binding, but the construction of the interior is different from the traditional stab binding.

 In order to create this book I used two weeks of handwriting samples plus 2 more.

Weeks 41 & 42 + 2

Maya, Ottawa, Ontario

Carla, Ottawa, Ontario

Rosemary, Ottawa, Ontario

Toby, Ottawa, Ontario

Zaiga Bradley, Ottawa, Ontario

Abigail Kolshul, Whitby, Ontario

Frédéric Dekkal, Ottawa, Ontario, www.fdekkalphoto.com

Kenzo, Ottawa, Ontario

Angelique, France/Ottawa, Ontario, www.maplebooks.ca

Pamela Scholey, Ottawa, Ontario

Caroline Fréchette, Gatineau, Quebec, www.carolinefrechette.com

Dylan Chan, Ottawa, Ontario, www.dylan@chanatinlun.com

Claude Rodier, Ottawa, Ontario

Frank Bradley, Ottawa, Ontario

Victoia Walton

Sean Moreland, Ottawa, Ontario 

WEEK 43

The handwriting samples are housed in this Japanese hidden compartment box.  

Open one side and there are two compartments.  Turn the box around, open it and there is one compartment. 

Week 43 Contributors

Peggy Smyth, Manotick, Ontario

Anonymous

Jim des Rivieres, Ottawa, Ontario, www.ottawa.moths.ca

Suzanne Stoltz, Ottawa, Ontario , www.elimu.ca, www.fiveloons.ca

Pat Caffery, Kanata, Ontario

Louis Gignac, Cumberland, Ontario

Penni Caffery, Kanata, Ontario 

 WEEKS 44 & 45

These handwriting samples make up a double accordion book attached to a paper box.  

Week 44 Contributors

T. Tinneling, Signal Mountain, Tennessee

Betsy Caruso, Dorchester, Massachusettes, www.missionhillschool.org

Lily, Ottawa, Ontario

Rachel Cowan

Anne, Kanata, Ontario

Belinda, Ottawa, Ontario

Kristopher Jones, New Glasgow, Nova Scotia

Week 45 Contributors

Bruno Glen

Julie Levac, Ottawa, Ontario

Rod Fage, Ottawa, Ontario

Emma, Brantford, Ontario

Amy, Ottawa, Ontario

Irelande Cassan, Ottawa, Ontario

Julian Ruest, Ottawa, Ontario

 WEEK 46

These handwriting samples are in a fan binding.  The design is by Cathryn Miller. 

Week 46 Contributors

Erin King, Hampton, New Brunswick

Bernadette Walker, Ottawa, Ontario

Susan

Jeff Stellick, Ottawa, Ontario

Sylvie Lapointe, Ottawa, Ontario

Michele, Ottawa, Ontario

Keli Rylance, New Orleans, Louisianna 

 WEEK 47 

This book is called a fish bone binding.  The instructions were posted on the book arts web and I decided to give it a try.  I had been given these beautiful fish paper cuttings quite a number of years ago and had never found the right book to put them in.  They worked perfectly well with the binding and the beautiful handwriting samples.

Week 47 Contributors

Lynne Knopp, Bainbridge Island, Washington

Sharon Wildwind, Calgary, Alberta, www.wildwindauthor.com

Joy Bush, Hamden, Connecticut

Margaret Lammerts, Edmonton, Alberta

Curtis Ireland, Kingston, Ontario

Sharon Wildwind, Calgary Alberta

Michael Dennis, www.michael.dennis.blogspot.com

WEEK 48 

 

Once again, playing with origami folds, I created different sizes of holders for these handwriting samples.  This is the box that they are housed in. 

 One of the samples in this group is a post card written by Edith Hagemeister from Flensburg to her son Rudy in Jena, East Germany, in 1939.  The handwriting is very unique.  An English explanation is provided by her granddaughter, Edith Pahlke from Ottawa. 

 Another post card, dating 1881 to W.W. Perry Esq. was donated by Star Holmberg from Spring Field, Oregon.

Week 48 Contributors

Laura Martin, Cleveland Heights, Ohio

Erin Paulson, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, www.erinpaulson.com 

Sue Scott, Sequin, Washington, www.infotec.com 

Margaret George Dench, Kanata, Ontario 

Anastasia Varnalis-Weigle, Old Orchard Beach, NE, Maine, www.theartfularchivist.weebly.com

Edith Pahlke, Ottawa, Ontario 

Edith Hagemeister, Flensburg, Germany (1939 post card)

Star Holmberg, Spring Field, Oregon (1881 post card)

WEEK 49

I discovered some very stiff kraft paper and experimented with it to make limp bindings.  It worked wonderfully well for this group of handwriting samples.

  

Week 49 Contributors

K. Foster, Phoenix, Arizona

Elinor Nicholson, Ottawa, Ontario 

Pat Gibson, Ottawa, Ontario 

Bill MacLennan, Orleans, Ontario 

Scott P, Ottawa, Ontario 

Pablo Mendez, Ottawa, Ontario 

Fina Jeffries, Ottawa, Ontario 

Gord, Ottawa, Ontario

WEEK 50

Another experiment with the heavy craft paper provided a unique artist book for these fabulous handwriting samples.  

 This is the case I made to protect the samples. 

Week 50 Contributors

Mélanie Ouimet-Sarazin, Gatineau, Quebec 

Neil Salkind, Lawrence, Kansas

Jean McCormick, Grand Rapids, Michigan, www.jeanbookbinder.com 
Louise Butler, Ottawa, Ontario 
Margo Lemieux, Mansfield, Massachusetts  
Virginia Dupuis, Ottawa, Ontario 
Nancy Akerly, Sister Bay, Wisconsin, www.libertygrovepaperarts.com 

WEEK51

The last two weeks and two books of this collection were made by me.  This one is a scroll made from parchment paper and leather.  In this scroll I wrote about cursive handwriting and I did some paper cutting in between the paragraphs. (Source:  Wikipedia)

 

Week 51 Contributor

Mary Kritz, Ottawa, Ontario, www.bookartiste.blogspot.com 

WEEK 52

  

The final book in the collection of cursive handwriting is a whirlwind book.  In it I wrote about the different styles of cursive handwriting; Bengali, Roman, Greek, English, English cursive in the United States, German, and Chinese.  (Source:  Wikipedia)

This is the cover for the whirlwind book.  

The book is made from parchment paper and I started out doing a whip stitch on the binding, but it ended up as something else by the time I was done.  It is quite interesting.  


Week 52 Contributor
  
Mary Kritz, Ottawa, Ontario, www.bookartiste.blogspot.com

The first 32 books are available for viewing in these videos: 

Weeks 1 - 9: http://youtu.be/Fgfs2yP_EAY
Weeks 10 - 21: http://youtu.be/pHtCeXq94ts
Weeks 21 - 31: http://youtu.be/1-peRvcjPdM       AND 
in this blog.  

The project is now complete.  I have started sending out proposals to exhibit the collection.  

A great big THANK YOU to all of you who contributed to my project, sent words of encouragement and continued to follow the progress of the project.  It has been a rewarding experience working on this project.  

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at: bbinder999@gmail.com.  

Happy spring to all of you. 

Mary