The Freshly Cut Portfolio

I decided to make thirty portfolios of the engravings that I had decided to edition from the "Freshly Picked" project. This is called "Freshly Cut". Each portfolio is handmade with red spine cloth and tie ribbons and marbled paper covered boards with dark green card inserts to hold the engravings.


I made a template so that I couyld sign each engraving neatly. This involved cutting a window in a clear plastic folder. It worked well:



Each portfolio contains the ten engravings with the same edition number. The first set are all numbered 1/100 and so on.

I decided that the images should be prefaced by a title page that I would print letterpress in the small Albion. I composed the type:



After printing a proof, I used makeready to give a neat and even printing:



Soon, printed sheets were drying on the rack:



I rather enjoy bookbinding and making the portfolios was a pleasant change. Here is the finished item:


Inside, a card folder contained the engravings:


All spread out:


The Freshly Cut Portfolio is available from my website at a price of £135.


These portfolios were destined for the Oxford Fine Press Fair. I took the opportunity to print some more copies of "Twenty Five Bookplates":




Its always a pleasure to use my nipping press:


However, bricks wrapped in brown paper provide the weight for larger stacks of drying volumes.


After a week of long days and late nights, everything was ready to set off for Oxford.