| Frutti di Mare - Shell Books (Online)

Discover the art of crafting shell books with Gabrielle Reed, blending creativity with nature's beauty to transform shells into captivating literary treasures with coastal charm.

Note: This workshop will be held in a live, online format utilizing the Zoom platform.
Class meets Saturday, Jun 15 from 9am-12pm ET.

There is a long tradition of shell books as referenced in the recent show at the New Bedford Whaling Museum  “A singularly marine & fabulous produce: the Cultures of Seaweed”.

In this half-day online workshop, artist Gabrielle Reed will lead us through the process that she has perfected in using beach-combed shells or leftovers from last night’s clam dinner!

Gabrielle will provide a kit for each student that includes*:

• shells with pre-drilled holes ( 2 ) 
• paper – option of cotton photo paper or Japanese awagami (2 sheets )
• Spool of bookbinding thread (1)
• needle (1)
• glue stick (1)

*Please use your preferred mailing address when registering.

The Process

Clean and prep your shells

A pre-drill shell will be mailed to you. If you want to use your own, remove extra muscle from the hinge section of your shell – this can be done with a nail file. Gabrielle leaves her shells “natural” to polish as they are handled.

Bay and sea scallops tend to work best due to the auricles (wing- or ear-like protrusions). Large mussels work fine from the long side. Gabrielle has enough to supply the class and will mail you a predrilled set, but she will demonstrate the best practice in class.

Drilling Holes

A secure binding must be done with a dremel and diamond tip for best results. The provided shells will be predrilled.

Thread

Gabrielle recommends using a BQLZR 0.45mm White Polyester Wax Linen Thread Sewing Thread for Hand Sewing Leather DIY and Bookbinding from Amazon.

Papers to use

There are a variety of types: Lighter Awagami papers are fine. As a photographer, Gabrielle prefers heavier papers like Hahnemuhle Matte Photo Rag, 100 % Rag, Smooth, Bright White Inkjet Paper, 19 mil., 308 g/mA, 8.5×11″.

Layout

With images, I make contact sheets in Photoshop of existing images 5 columns x 4 rows. This creates 20 images and 10 pages.  You can make more “pages” by creating more contact sheets. Without images, simply take 8.5 x 11 sheets and cut them into strips to the corresponding width of your shells.

Sewing process

Students can view the Sewing process here.

Practice & Questions

Feel free to practice beforehand to maximize our time together. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email Gabrielle ([email protected]).

Tools to have at the ready:

• Scissors
• Awl
• Bone folder
• Bookbinding needle (or crewel needle) *
• Bookbinding thread*
• Double-sided acid-free tape roll, or glue stick*
• Dremel w/ diamond tip (for future shells)
• Coptic binding tutorial 
• Paper 
• Shells*
• Nail file ( to remove excess hinge muscle from shells )
• Pencil

Folks will need their own awl, bone folder, and cutting mat to work on.

All images copyright Gabrielle Reed.