Press Open

In May of 2024, my mother and I helped my Great-Aunt Marilyn move from her lifelong  home into assisted living. Marilyn never had any children, but Marilyn, my mother, and I  share a craft lineage. We all experience making as a way of knowing. Of the countless things  Marilyn left behind were quilts, sewing notions, a collection of handkerchiefs, handmade  clothing and a box of letters sent between Marilyn and her late husband Joe between 1953  and 1955.  

I went back and forth as to whether I should read Marilyn’s letters. I wondered whether  she remembered that she saved them. Had she ever re-read them since filing them away? I  wanted to know more about her life and what she wanted for her future. I have so many  questions for her, but an anxious uneasiness prevents me from asking.  I approached these objects as a historian to an archive: unearthing family secrets, asking  questions, and embracing the moments where knowing was beyond reach. Joe’s words  gave me a setting to ask Marilyn about her secrets. I wrote my own confessions and  compositions, and carefully created a repository of memory through material. 

All papers were handmade by the artist from Iowa kozo, Thai kozo, and cotton reclaimed  from Marilyn’s quilt. This quilt’s stitched pattern inspired a watermark motif that repeats  from sheet to sheet across the length of the book. The cover papers were pressed on the  quilt itself as they were formed, imparting the pattern in relief as they dried.  Pressure printing captures the soul of pockets and handkerchiefs reflecting each fold, seam,  and loose thread. Within the book, these objects protect and reveal secrets. Pockets partially  obscure the text - readers must peer in and rock back and forth to piece together the words  they carry. Handkerchiefs are tucked in the book’s center, their frilled edges breaking the  fore-edge. Each is unfolded and refolded in succession, unveiling a portion of text wrapped  well. 

Press Open was printed on an SP-15 and an SP-20 Vandercook press at the University of  Iowa Center for the Book in March 2025. The type is handset in Bulmer and the edition  size is 10. The book is 6 by 8 inches when closed and comes in a handmade box.

Inquire at kelseyvoystudio@gmail.com for purchasing information.