Overview:
This course will show you how to create 5 distinct book structures that you can use for journals, sketch books, purse sized to-do lists, and finally, a bound set of class notes.
Materials you will want to gather from your stash:
·
A
selection of fabrics for book covers and for your design work and
embellishments
o
Stiff
denim can be used in fused layers for your cover
o
Cotton
duck or canvas can be used as a cover material or as “fabric pages”
o
Cottons
can be used for covers and as applique embellishments
o
Laces,
doilies, scraps for decorative purposes
o
Your
personal favourites for decorative work
·
A
selection of threads or fibres to:
o
Embroider
or embellish your cover fabric
o
Use
as a binding thread when sewing your book together
§ Examples: pearl cotton, fine crochet thread, heavy top
stitching thread, embroidery floss, waxed linen thread (some will be available
for the Coptic Book)
·
Embellishments:
o
Beads,
buttons, fibres, appliques, charms, embroidery, ribbons, trim,
·
Parchment
paper for ironing your fabric and Wonder-Under fusible web
·
Paper:
o
Copy
paper can be used folded into 5½ x 8½ “ booklets or cut down into two 4¼ x
5½” booklets (these smaller booklets
will have the grain of the paper running in the correct direction -parallel to
the spine of the book)
o
Decorative
papers: scrapbook paper, mulberry paper,
handmade paper
o
Card
stock
o
Watercolour
paper
o
Drawing
weight paper
o
Mixed
media paper
·
Cover
boards can be made from a variety of materials:
o
Flexi-firm
o
Peltex
o
Layers
of stiff fabric fused together
o
Stiff
cardboard or pages from a discarded children’s board book
o
Artist
canvas boards (from the $ store)
·
Adhesives
to adhere fabric to cover boards:
o
Wonder-Under
fusible web can be ironed to wrong side of fabric and then ironed to the board
material
o
Misty
Fuse
o
Aileen’s
Fabric Glue
o
Aileen’s
Tacky Glue
o
Welbond
adhesive
o
Elmer’s
Extreme glue stick (large size) - I’ve
had success with that on artist canvas boards and with chipboard and binder’s
board.
o
Fabric
Glue Sticks
·
Closures
for books:
o
Clasps,
buckles, ribbons, inexpensive elastic hair bands (think $ store)
·
Tools:
o
Something
to make folds - a bone folder, side of a
pair of scissors, bowl of a spoon
o
Cutting
tools: scissors, exacto knife or utility
knife for cutting board or pages, rotary cutter for fabric
o
Cutting
Mat: for fabric and paper cutting.
o
Hole
punching tools: awl (or tapestry needle
in a cork, paper piercer, large push pin) to make holes in page
signatures; Japanese screw punch (or
small eyelet punch, cropodile) to make holes in cover for Coptic Book
o
Binder
clips to hold pages of signature together for punching holes and sewing.
o
Punching
cradle -
a phone book makes an excellent cradle
o
Weights
– wrapped brick, fabric bag of rice,
heavy books -- to press
signatures and reduce swell of spine
o
Iron
– should be available on site
o
Needles: bookbinder’s needle or tapestry needle for
sewing signatures, embroidery needles for embellishments, circular needle for sewing Coptic book
o
Sewing
machine: if desired for home use
in preparing cover fabric or sewing satin stitch or decorative edging for
fabric cover
General Rules of Thumb
1. Your cover should be at least ¼”
wider and taller than your pages -- be sure to add in the width of the spine
for your final measurement. For
example: a booklet with 8 ½ x 5 ½ “ pages with a 1” wide spine would require flexi-firm or peltex that is 8
¾“ tall and 12 ¼ “ wide (5 ½ + ¼ + 5
½ + 1)
Note: Covers for the
Accordion and Star Books will be exceptions
2. The fabric for the exterior of the
hard cover should be1 ½” wider and taller than the cover dimensions (¾” on each
side) so that it may comfortably wrap around to the interior side.
3. The fabric or paper for the interior
of the cover should be ¼” smaller than the cover dimensions. This will leave a small margin around the interior
cover so that the edges of the endpapers or fabrics will not receive wear and
tear through use.
4. If you are using a satin stitch or
decorative edging for your cover, both the flexi-firm and interior and exterior
fabrics will be the same size – ¼ “wider and taller than the measurement of your
pages and the spine width.
Note: The covers for the Accordion and Star Book will be exceptions
Book Structures:
Class 1: Pamphlet binding - 3 or 5 hole stitch,
one signature
Class 2: Accordion book – folded pages and
accordion spine variation with pamphlet stitch signatures
Class 3: Long Stitch binding - fold over cover
with closure, Long stitch on spine, multi-signature book
Class 4: Star Book – French link stitched
exposed spine with 5 decorative nested paper signatures. A sculptural artist book
Class 5: Coptic Stitch binding - kettle stitch,
multi-signature book of printed class notes
Class 6: Show and Tell - time to finish up
projects and show final results
Class 1: Pamphlet Books: single signature book
Paper Preparation
1. Determine the size of the paper you
plan to use. i.e. 8 ½ x 11” or 8 ½ x 5 ½
“ (standard sheet cut in half).
2. Determine the number of pages in the
signature.
3. Fold the papers in half. Ideally, the grain should run parallel to the
spine of the book.
4. Nest the papers inside each other
and align the folds.
Punching Holes in Signature
1. Open your phone book to the middle
to use as your punching cradle.
2. Place your aligned pages into the
fold of the phone book.
3. Make a stitching template using a 2”
strip of paper that is the same height as your pages. Fold the strip in half lengthwise and mark
the stitching holes on the inside of the fold line. For the smaller book, 3 holes will be
sufficient; for the larger book, 5 holes would be more appropriate. Place one hole in the middle of the template
fold and the remaining holes evenly spaced on either side of the middle
hole. The top and bottom holes should be
at least ½ “ from the edge of the paper. Mark the top of your paper with an H
for Head.
4. Place the template into the centre
fold of your pages in the cradle. Align
edges carefully with the H at the top.
5. Use your awl or piercing tool to
punch the holes indicated on the stitching template. Hold your piercing tool perpendicular to the
paper to make sure the holes go through the folds of the signature.
note that paper strip is folded
in half lengthwise and the holes are in the fold
Cover Preparation
1. Determine the dimensions of your
cover. Remember the rule of thumb: Your cover should be at least ¼” wider and
taller than your pages -- be sure to add in the width of the spine for your
final measurement if you are using a lot of pages in your signature.
2. Decide how you will edge your
cover. i.e. wrapped edges or decorative stitching on the
edges. This will determine the
dimensions of your fabric. Refer back
the General Rules of Thumb in the overview section to determine the
measurements of your fabric.
3. Decorate your cover as you
wish. Keep embellishments away from the
spine area. You will need space for
stitching the signature to the spine.
Punching Holes in Cover
1. Fold your decorated cover in half.
2. Place cover in punching cradle if it
will fit. If not, simply fold the cover
in half on a flat surface.
3. Place stitching template into the
centre fold with the H at the top. Make
sure the template is centred in the fold. i.e. 1/8 “ from top and bottom of
cover.
4. Use your piercing tool to punch
holes through the template and through the spine of the cover. Make sure the holes go completely
through the cover’s spine.
Stitching the Pamphlet
1. Use binder clips to hold pages of
signature together for sewing.
Three hole pamphlet
1. Use a length of thread at least 3
times the height of the book.
2. Start with the middle hole. If you start on the outside of the cover, the
finishing knot will be on the outside and you can use beads to decorate the
tails of the thread. If you start inside
the signature, the finishing knot will be inside the book, leaving a clean
stitching line on the outside. The
choice is yours.
3. Go out one end hole.
4. Skip the middle hole and go to the
other end hole.
5. Come back through the middle, pull
the thread tight and tie a square knot around the long stitch in the
middle. Be careful not to stitch through
the thread when re-entering the middle hole.
Five
hole pamphlet (or
any uneven number of holes)
1. Use a length of thread at least 3
times the height of the book.
2. Start with the middle hole.
3. Sew a running stitch down to the bottom
hole.
4. Continue sewing a running stitch
back up to the top but skip the middle hole.
5. Sew back down to the middle and use
the thread tail to tie a square knot around the long middle stitch.
6. Be careful not to stitch through the
thread when re-entering a stitch hole.
That will prevent you from being able to pull the threads tight.
