Making meaningful books in Nashville

Hello! I’m Katie Gonzalez, a bookbinder creating meaningful handmade books every day in Nashville, Tennessee.

The spark of bookbinding began for me in a little Italian town in 2006. I studied the art of bookmaking in Cortona, Italy. There, visiting a medieval bindery, working with luxurious materials, and learning to make paper by hand instilled a sense of tradition into my work.

I blend those principles with the techniques of design, printmaking, painting, and photography that I learned while earning a graphic design degree from the University of Georgia and while designing publications for several years.

In 2011, inspired by a move to the thriving creative city of Nashville, I broke away from the designer's desk to make bookbinding my full-time profession. I could hardly have imagined the support I would find here — a city going in exciting directions but also appreciative of handcrafted goods and traditional art forms.

I've learned that Nashville loves to learn. Teaching book arts has become a big part of what I share with the city. I now proudly consider myself a teaching artist, the best of both worlds: creating art and sharing those skills with others.

About the name linenlaid&felt

I've always had an eye for detail, so when it comes to the world of books, the papers I use are a top consideration. Texture gives each paper its unique fingerprint. It's what sets two seemingly similar cream sheets apart.

Paper has many textures, including the namesakes for my business: linen, laid, and felt.

Linen paper is embossed so that it resembles linen cloth. Laid paper has a texture with impressed lines created by papermaking molds. Felt paper features a mottled texture resembling that of wool felt.