The following is a project I did in college for my Experimental Bookmaking class. We were to use the Venetian Blind binding technique and here's my result, a book that commemorates all the trips I'd made to different parts of the world at that time. The covers were made from .5" foam core board wrapped in textured scrapbooking paper (to imitate a leather suitcase). I made a nylon strap to represent the straps folks put around their luggage to keep it from bursting open--"gangly winch-'em-uppers" as my dad calls them :) Travel stickers were placed on the covers to give it the old-timey travel trunk look.
One of the requirements of every assignment was that we include a colophon which listed the date and the materials used in the project. What better place to include the info than on the luggage tag?
The strap is even fully functional!
With the Venetian Blind binding, two cords run through the covers and every page...much like, well, Venetian blinds. I clamped eyelets around each hole in my pages so the canvas wouldn't ravel. The cords were made of seine twine (tough stuff often used in sailing.)
Each page was cut from canvas and hand-stitched around the edges to prevent fraying. Photos I had taken while traveling were then printed onto ink-jet fabric transfers and ironed on to the fabric pages.
The Brooklyn Bridge and the St. Louis Arch were there...
Adjoining pages were held together using small silver rings.
From European sights to New York City architecture...
to the courthouse in my hometown (Minden, NE) and the Roman Colosseum...
to the Statue of Liberty to Monas in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The Tower of Pisa and an Balinese infinity pool were all represented as well.
Though not a technique that is perfect for just any use, the Venetian Blind binding was a great way to show off some of my travel photography.