2025 06 Curio Chronicles: A Bookbinding, Collage, and Assemblage Workshop With Andrea Matus June 5-8, 2025

 Curio Chronicles: A Bookbinding, Collage, and Assemblage Workshop

Shake Rag Alley, Mineral Point, WI

Andrea Matus

June 5-8, 2025

Denice and I were excited to see our friend Andrea Matus deMeng at a recent Shake Rag Alley workshop called Curio Chronicles: A Bookbinding, Collage, and Assemblage Workshop. Here is the course description:

"Unlock the secrets of the Curio Chronicles, where each page, binding, and embellishment becomes part of an artful narrative. You’ll create a collection of hand-bound books, each capturing fragments of mystery, memory, and imagination. We’ll work through a combination of collage, bookbinding, and assemblage techniques to produce volumes that feel like artifacts discovered in a hidden library. Craft pages on a range of materials like wood, mica, fabric, and metal, weaving layers of texture and story. As we bind these pages, you’ll learn Mixed Coptic and Long Stitch techniques. To house these treasures, you’ll design a personalized display box—a cabinet of curiosities—an exquisite showcase. Curio Chronicles is a hands-on exploration of art and artifact, blending personal expression with timeless craftsmanship."

The class sample without its case

Here is a case I made in 2018 for a class that Andrea taught which I never filled. Today filling this case is my objective. 

I decided that I would use this rather old and worn out leather cover that had the embossed image on the cover. On the back cover, I collaged an image in the style of my good friend and inspiration, Karen Robison.

Here are the images I used on the inside of the covers

Here are the pages I was constructing for my second book

Andrea had us make a sample mixed coptic stitch book

After three days, we all gathered to share what we made. Below are images of the books our class created. 

Denice's books are laying on the table in front of my curio case. I will blog about the case as soon as I actually get it finished.

Thanks go to Andrea Matus for being a great teacher and leading us through the Curio Chronicles workshop.