A duo of new books in the shop. Metallic grey and natural linen.

A few years ago I made this Coptic binding covered in gilt leather, and while I loved the look, I just couldn't make any more. The simplest reason being that I just couldn't make that many holes with my awl, unless I wanted to risk tenosynovitis, which is a constant threat - luckily nowadays much less so.

Last October I unearthed the idea of criss cross stitching again, and used a Dremel type tool to drill the holes. It was alright, but there was a lot to improve upon. We've already discussed here how awesome fathers are, so no surprise here: my father went shopping. For drilling the holes for these books (and all other recent Coptics) I got to use a brand new Dremel Workstation, which is super great for this type of work. Most importantly, it's also quick, and easy on my wrists.

I've never before liked using electric tools. I think they're a bit scary, but that doesn't really make any sense as it's quite possible to do a lot of damage with hand tools just as well, especially when the knives are as sharp as they are. Unsurprisingly my life is full of irrational fears, so maybe this recent success with an electric tool will help me tame some of the others, too.