Hammer & Daisy

We initially began hammer & daisy as a small gardening and odd job business to support the making of our collaborative limited edition artists’ books. Our gardening business was short lived however we kept the name. hammer & daisy now fold paper instead of tending to the garden.

hammer & daisy (in its current guise) kicked off in early 2003 when we adapted an exposed spine, square knot binding technique which we learnt at the Centro del bel Libro in Ascona, Switzerland. Our line of hammer & daisy handmade fabric covered journals has since grown to include a small concertina journal, A6 journal pouch, pencil case, A7 scribbler and owl pinnie.

Every single element of our handmade journals, pouches, pencil cases and more are handmade. We hand fold the paper of every concertina journal and the holes along the spine of every square knot are individually hole punched, one page at a time. The covers are cut from various fabrics, ironed and glued, ready to be assembled at a later date and the small brass wires that rest in each saddle section are hand bent into tiny right angles. The spine of each each square knot journal is made up by a series of knots, a single A4 journal requires 168 square knots.

Finding new fabrics, beautiful tablecloths and embroidered doillies to fashion into a journal cover or handsewn pouch, pencil case or owl pinnie is an enjoyable part of the process. A 1950's tea towel from Hungary with it’s floral design in lurid colours can be easily transformed into an ideal journal cover, and a hideous skirt can become a trusty pouch or pencil case. We also use quilting fabrics from the UK and US, including reprinted vintage designs from the 30's and 40's with their beautiful muted colours, and Japanese kimonos for their wide sleeves and decorative lining. We love combining new fabrics with old finds, ensuring that each and every journal, pouch, pencil case and more is a one of a kind, unique piece. The front and back of each journal, pouch and pencil case features a different design and pattern, sometimes matching, sometimes clashing. Our A7 scribblers and owl pinnies also feature similar fabric beauts.

All our handmade goods seem to find new homes faster than we can whip them up.

We love making them and we hope you like them too.