Kate Henrich of Overland Park binds and decorates handcrafted books

The men in her family run the H Three KC woodworking shop at 27th and Cherry streets, where they specialize in retail displays, signs and wood textures. But Kate Henrich, wife of John Henrich, mother of Ryan and Andrew, was inspired to do something different. Working from her Overland Park home, she has spent the past year mastering the art of bookbinding, and launching her Woodland Road line of hand-bound books with custom-finished wood covers.

How did you get interested in bookbinding?

For Christmas 2013, my son Andrew made me a journal with a rustic wood cover. I was immediately smitten with the idea of bookbinding.

How did you go about it?

I’m a year out of the gate. I spent six months doing research, making and undoing over and over. I wanted to bring it up a notch from the rustic book.

Did you take classes?

No. I’m self-taught. I went to the bible: “Exposed Spine Sewings” by Keith Smith. Exposed spine stitching dates to Coptic times, roughly the third to the ninth century A.D. in Egypt. I looked at the diagrams, and was almost deflated. I went through yards of thread and lots of paper. I just kept practicing.

And you selected specific techniques and methods.

My favorite stitch is my variation of the Celtic weave, which provides an intricate and decorative pattern. I use the Coptic stitch which creates a tightly bound book that is not wobbly. The Coptic stitch uses 12 to 15 feet of Irish linen thread in one long, continuous stitch. The tension is crucial.

I see the sewing machine, so you know how to sew?

My mom taught me to sew when I was 8 or 9. I made doll clothes and my own clothes and I do quilt making. Bookbinding ties in wood, paper, thread and sewing in a unique combination.

Tell me about your materials.

The Irish linen thread comes in all different colors and so do the endpapers. Some are from Nepal, some from Italy. I get some through Paper Source. They’re all acid-free. I’m using this paper printed with anchors for a a ship log or a nautical guest book.

What tools do you use?

Bookbinding doesn’t need a whole lot of equipment. I use four needles to do the stitching and I have a drill in the basement. I have to drill different-size holes in a single cover. My son cuts the wood at the shop. I don’t like saws.

And then you do the finishing?

I buy the wood at H Three KC, and I sand and drill and seal it in the same day. I learned that the hard way. Wood warps. My son told me how to finish wood and what kinds of wood to use and not use.

So what types of wood do you use?

Oak, zebra wood, bloodwood, bubinga. On a recent trip to Morocco I came across trays made of thula wood that were faulty. I bought them and brought them home and took them apart and refinished them. I’m constantly surprised at the beauty of wood.

Different finishes give different effects. Sometimes I put in a crushed stone inlay and I’ve added agates to some covers. Next I want to start monogramming and wood burning.

What’s your schedule?

I usually work in the afternoons when the sun is streaming through the window, with a cup of coffee and soft music. It’s blissful. I’ll tear paper for three hours straight. Every page is a separate tear to get it feathered. You want it deckled. Then I’ll assemble groups of pages, called signatures.

Where did you get the name Woodland Road for your bindery business?

I grew up in Massachusetts and we lived on Woodland Road until I was 10 years old. Those were happy days.

How do you market your books?

Word of mouth. I’m on Etsy, and I’ve started an Instagram account. I do commissions, including wedding guest books and photo albums, and one 600-page book that I call “The Tome.” It was a wedding gift from his brother for a guy who built a cabin in the woods and wanted a big guest book.

What’s the price range?

Prices depend on the number of pages and the cover treatment, but generally the small books go from $55 to $80; the medium ones start at $85, and the big ones — 8-by-10, 10-by-10 — run $115 plus. The photo albums start at $195.

You’ve come a long way in a year.

I’m starting to have fun. I know all these words and memories are going to go in my books. You can text, you can email. There’s nothing so heartwarming as the written word in a book. It’s always there. It’s on your shelf.

This story was originally published February 6, 2015 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Kate Henrich of Overland Park binds and decorates handcrafted books."