Apparently the Amish arts festival is under way. And apparently it's a pretty big deal. I'm not surprised that America's favorite Luddites are holding a festival to showcase their undeniable talent, but the mechanics of how exactly an event like this works intrigue me. Are their crafts for sale? How does that work?

Attendant: Say, this looks to be a pretty nice wooden wheel here.

Amish: Aye, English. Brother Hezekiah hew that out of a mighty oak three nights past.

Attendant: I think I could go as high as $10 for this wheel...

Amish: This be no haggle-bin, thy cheapskate thrall of Lucifer. May the Lord damn the eyes of your child for your slovenliness and greed.

Attendant: A simple no would have been just fine there.

Nice to see that the kiddies are knitting.

The craft of bookbinding may have originated around the 1st century A.D. Romans of that time created a form of simple book called a codex by folding sheets of vellum or parchment in half and sewing them through the fold. Codices were a significant improvement over papyrus or vellum scrolls, in that they were easier to handle, allowed writing on both sides of the leaves, and could be searched through more quickly.

Later books were bound between hard covers, with pages made from paper, or parchment, but were still created by stitching folded sheets at the seam. Since early books were exclusively handwritten on handmade materials, sizes and styles varied considerably, and each book was a unique creation or a copy of it.

With the arrival of rag paper manufacturing from the East in the late Middle Ages and the use of the printing press beginning in the mid 15th century, bookbinding began to standardize somewhat. But page sizes still varied considerably. Some books were even bound in human skin.

A hardcover or hardbound book has rigid covers and is stitched in the spine. Looking from the top of the spine, the book can be seen to consist of a number of signatures bound together. When the book is opened in the middle of a signature, the binding threads are visible. The signatures in modern hardcover books are typically octavo, though they may also be folio, quarto, or 16mo. Usually large and heavy books are sometimes bound with wire or cable. The covers of modern hardback books are of thick cardboard. Until the mid 20th century mass produced books were covered in cloth, but from that period beyond most publishers adopted clothette. Clothette is a kind of textured paper that vaguely resembles cloth but is easily differentiated on close inspection.

A paperback or soft cover book consists of a number of signatures or individual leaves between covers of much heavier paper, glued together at the spine with a strong flexible glue. This is sometimes called perfect binding. Mass market paperbacks and pulp paperbacks are small, cheaply made and often fall apart after much handling or in several years. Trade paperbacks are more sturdily made, usually larger, and more expensive.

A cardboard article looks like a hardbound book at first sight, but it is really a paperback with hard covers. It is not as durable as a real hardbound. Often the binding will fall apart after a little use. Many books that are sold as hardcover are actually made this way.

A sewn book is constructed in the same way as a hardbound book, except that it lacks the hard covers. The binding is as durable as that of a hardbound book.

The rise of desktop publishing has brought comb-bound binding into the commercial market. A comb-bound book is made of individual sheets, each with a line of slits punched near the bound edge. A curled plastic comb is fed through the slits to hold the sheets together. Comb binding allows a book to be disassembled and reassembled by hand without damage.

Perfect binding, similar to paperback books is often used. National Geographic is perhaps the best known of this type.

Spiral binding is commonly used for atlases and other publications where it is necessary or desirable to be able to open the publication back on itself without breaking the spine. There are several types but basically it is made by punching holes along the entire length of the spine of the page and winding a wire spiral through the holes to proved a fully flexible hinge at the spine.

Stapling through the centerfold, also called saddle stitching, joins a set of nested folios into a single magazine issue. Most American comic books are a good example of this type.

Books can be bound in many different materials. Some of the more common materials for covers are leather and cloth. A common way to bind a book is as a half-bound book. A half-bound book is a book that the spine and the corners of the cover are covered with leather or cloth, with the rest is covered with paper. This is normally marbled or somehow decorated. When only the spine is covered with cloth or leather and the rest of the cover is covered in paper, the book is called quarter bound.

A folio is a single sheet folded in half to make two leaves. The term folio can also be used in the same sense as leaf.

A codex is a set of folios nested together and sewn through the fold.

A signature is a large sheet printed with several pages, intended to form four or more leaves in the finished book. The pages are arranged on the sheet so that all of the pages orient the same way and are in proper sequence after the sheet is folded. Arranging these pages correctly is called imposition. Signature also refers to a sequence number or code printed on the sheet so that the several signatures that makes a complete book may be properly sequenced; this signature is often trimmed off after binding. The signature may be folded in several ways, depending on the number of leaves it will form. It is then stitched together down the last fold.

A sheet folded in quarto is folded in half twice at right angles to make four leaves. A sheet folded in octavo is folded in half 3 times to make 8 leaves. A sheet folded in sextodecimo is folded in half 4 times to make 16 leaves.

A quire is a set of leaves that are stitched together. This is most often a single signature, but may be several nested signatures. The quires for a single book are arranged in order and then stitched together as a set.

Trimming allows the leaves of the bound book to be turned. A sheet folded in quarto will have folds at the spine and also across the top, so the top folds must be trimmed away before the leaves can be turned. A signature folded in octavo or greater may also require that the other two sides be trimmed.

Resources:

WWW.ENWIKIPEDIA.ORG
WWW.PALIMPSEST.STANFORD.EDU
WWW.E-BOOKBINDING.COM

The soil most suited for cultivating this plant is the deep, black, putrid vegetable kind that is low and inclined to moisture. This type of soil produces a greater quantity of produce. To get the ground ready for cultivating hemp, the ground should be reduced to a fine, mellow state of mould. The ground should also be completely cleared from weeds by repeated plowings. The ground should the plowed and harrowed three times: once after the preceding crop is removed, once early in the spring, and once just before the seed is put in. In the last plowing, well-rotted manure should be spread over the ground and turned into the land. The surface of the land should be left completely flat. The seed should be new and of good quality. You can tell this by the heavy feeling it has in your hand and the bright shining color. The hemp plant is extremely tender in its early growth, so early planting could be very detrimental to it. On the other hand, planting too late could affect the quality of the produce. The best season for growing hemp is as soon as the frosts are over in April. Generally, the method used for dispersing seeds is to broadcast them over the land and them lightly cover them by harrowing. Hemp can be planted in the same field for many years, but manure should be applied to the land every year to prevent exhaustion of the soil. Because hemp grows tall with thick foliage, there are usually few weeds that grow, so not much maintenance is required after planting. The grain is ripe when it becomes a whitish-yellowish color and begins to drop from the stems. This usually occurs around thirteen or fourteen weeks after sowing. To take hemp from the ground, it must be pulled up by the roots by hand in small parcels. As they are pulled, the plants should be sorted according to their ripeness. After the hemp is pulled, it is tied in small parcels, or baits. The stems are then pulled and bound up and the seed is allowed to dry and firm to shed freely. It is then threshed out upon large cloths. The hemp is then tied up in small bundles and tied at both ends. The bundles are put in ponds of stagnant water until the hempy material readily separates from the reed or stem. The hemp is then broken and swingled either by manual laborers or machines. It is then ready for the purposes of the manufacturer.

References
www.wikipedia.org

Materials Needed:

• tempera or acrylic paint
• bubble blowing liquid
• drinking straw
• flat pan large enough to hold your paper size
• paper to print on, white or pastel in color, the thicker the better
• newspapers to cover your work surface and to put the finished prints on for drying

Directions:

1. Spread the newspapers out to cover your work area.
2. Pour bubble liquid into the pan to a depth of approximately 1/4" (1 cm).
3. Stir in thoroughly 1-3 teaspoons of paint, depending on the size of your pan.
4. Insert the end of the straw into the liquid and blow very gently to make bubbles covering the surface of the liquid. You can also stir the liquid with the straw to make smaller bubbles.
5. Holding a piece of paper by the edges, lay it down on the surface of the bubbles, pressing down slightly to pop some of the bubbles. Don't let go of the paper or let it touch the liquid.
6. Lay the paper face up to dry.
Hairy Potato Head- If you like Mr. Potato Head, you'll love this life-like version that actually "grows" hair. You'll even need to give him a haircut now and then. This project is pretty simple, but it's a good idea if parents help.

Materials Needed:

• Panty hose, cut into 1 foot "tubes"
• Grass seed
• Small rubber bands
• Wiggle eyes
• Black fabric paint
• Red fabric paint
• Sawdust
• Plastic bowl
• Pipe cleaners
• Hot glue gun
• Water

Directions:

1. Take panty hose and cut into 12" or longer tubes. Tie a know at one end and turn it inside out.
2. Take a small handful of grass seed and shake it to the bottom where the knot is.
3. Then stuff quantities of sawdust into the tube to make the head. When the head is the size that you want it to be, make the neck by tieing the head off with a small rubber band.
4. Shape the "head" with your hands and pull out a section for the nose. Tie off the nose with small rubber band and shape the nose into the shape you want it. Pull out two more sections on the sides for ears. Tie them off with rubber bands and shape them how you want them.
5. Hot glue wiggle eyes where his eyes should be. Use fabric paint to paint the rest of his features. Use red for the mouth and black for the eyelashes and the moustaches, glasses, eyebrows etc. If you want, you can use pipe cleaners for glasses.
6. When the fabric paint has dried, set "Hairy" in a plastic bowl filled with water, making sure he is saturated for a day. Then "stand" him up in the bowl, or glass, and within a few weeks, he will have a head of hair. Make sure the tail of the panty hose acts as a "wick" into the water, so that the water in drawn up into the head. You can also trim "Hairy's" hair as it grows.

Materials Needed:

• Candy Cane (6 inch, individually wrapped)
• Ribbon - 8 inch piece
• 2 wiggle eyes
• Red or Brown pom-pom (very small)
• 2 (18") pipe cleaners
• Tacky glue

Directions:

1. Leave the wrapping on the candy cane.
2. Glue eyes on rounded part of the candy cane.
3. Glue red pom-pom on the face for a nose.
4. Tie ribbon into a bow on the straight part of the candy cane.
5. Cut one of the pipe cleaners in half.
6. Use the full pipe cleaner and wrap it around the crook of the candy cane (both sides equal) to make the beginning part of the antlers.
7. Use 1 of the cut pipe cleaner pieces to wrap around the left antler and repeat it on the right side.
8. Manipulate the pipe cleaners to look like antlers.
4th of July Flower Pot Votive Candleholder- This project is fun to make and makes a great decoration for a Fourth of July picnic. It can be made with any size of terra cotta pot. It's a little more difficult to make, however, so parental supervision is recommended.

Materials Needed:

• Terracotta pot with dish
• Navy blue craft paint
• Liquitex Gesso-White
• Star stencil
• Pencil
• 2 Paintbrushes (one wide and one narrow)
• 1" Sponge brushes
• Wax paper or plastic grocery bag
• Votive candle

Directions:

1. Lay down wax paper or a plastic bag to cover your workspace.
2. Use a wide paintbrush to paint the whole terracotta pot and its dish with the Liquitex Gesso White paint with a wide. Allow the pot to dry overnight.
3. Paint the whole terracotta pot and the dish navy blue with the sponge brush and allow it to dry.
4. Using the stencil, draw on stars all over the pot and dish with a pencil.
5. Use the narrow paintbrush, paint in the stars with the Liquitex Gesso White.
6. Place a votive candle in the pot, light, and enjoy!

Materials Needed:

• Several old crayons
• Assorted cookie cutters or candy molds
• Old sauce pan or tin can for melting crayons
• Aluminum foil

Directions:

1. Take the paper off of the crayons and put them in an old saucepan.
2. Turn the stove on low heat to melt the wax.
3. Place the cookie cutters on a sheet of aluminum foil. Pour the melted wax into assorted cookie cutters.
4. Wait for the wax to set, then cool, and pop out your brand new crayons.

Materials Needed:

• Heavy plastic spoons
• Milk chocolate
• White chocolate
• Chocolate sprinkles
• Colored sugar
• Wax paper
• Cello wrap
• Ribbon

Directions:

1. Melt half of white chocolate in one bowl. Melt half milk chocolate in another bowl. You can melt the chocolates on the stove or in the microwave.
2. Dip half of the spoons in white chocolate and dip other half in milk chocolate. Dip them as far as the base of the spoons bowl. Place on waxed paper and let set completely.
3. When chocolate is set dip the white spoons in milk chocolate, dip milk chocolate spoons in white. Dip only half way up the bowl of the spoon to create a layered effect. Place back on waxed paper to begin setting.
4. Let chocolate set only partially (about 5 min.) Then gently dip spoons in chocolate sprinkles or colored sugar.
5. Wrap soon in cello wrap and tie with ribbon. You can add a little tag like "stir me into your coffee".

References
http://www.kidsdomain.com