Making Fabric Books
Class 5 Sewing Over Tapes - Exposed Spine Binding
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) or custom size.
2. Determine the number of pages in the
signature.
3. Ideally, the grain should run
parallel to the spine of the book.
4. Fold the paper in half.
5. Nest the papers inside each other
and align the folds.
6. Create the desired number of
signatures.
Punching Holes in Signatures
1. Open your phonebook to the middle to
use as your cradle.
2. Place the first signature, opened to
the middle, into the fold of the phone book.
3. Make a stitching template, using a
2” wide strip of paper that is the same height as your paper. Fold the strip in half lengthwise and mark the
stitching holes on the inside of the fold line.
a. To measure for the stitching holes, lay
your tapes across the template with one tape lying at the middle and the other
two tapes evenly spaced above and below the first tape.
b. From the top of the template, mark a
hole at least ½ “ from the top. Mark the
next holes just above the top tape and just below it.
c. Mark holes above and below the
middle tape.
d. Mark holes above and below the
bottom tape.
e. Mark the final stitch hole at least
½ “ from the bottom of the template.
4. Place the template into the centre
fold of your pages in the cradle. Align
the edges carefully.
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.
6. Repeat for all signatures. Use an arrow or letter H to mark the top or
head of the signatures. This will make
sure that the holes on the signatures line up when you begin to sew.
Cover Preparation
1. This book has an open spine so you
will be making a separate front and back cover.
2. Determine the dimensions of your
front and back covers. Your covers will
be ¼ “ taller and about 1/8 “ wider than the pages. The covers will align, on the left, with the
folds of the signatures.
3. Determine the number and width and
length of your tapes. The example uses
three tapes approximately 1” wide. The
length is 2” + 2” + the width of the spine
(measure the spine width of the stack of folded signatures).
4. 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 to the General Rules of Thumb in the overview section to determine
the measurements of your fabric.
5. Decorate the cover as you wish. Keep embellishments away from the area that
will be covered by the tapes.
Stitching the Signatures
1. Determine the thread length needed
by measuring the height of the book once for each signature and once for the
kettle stitches between each signature and tying off the ends.
2. Use binder clips to hold the pages
of the signature together for sewing.
3. Enter the top hole from the outside
and leave a 3” tail of thread.
4. From the inside of the signature, go
out the next hole, lay the thread over the first tape and enter the hole on the
other side of the tape.
5. From the inside of the signature, go
out the next hole, lay the thread over the middle tape and enter the hole on
the other side of this tape.
6. From the inside of the signature, go
out the next hole, lay the thread over the third tape and enter the hole on the
other side of this tape.
7. From the inside of the signature,
exit the last hole in the signature.
8. Align the second signature on top of
the first.
9. Enter the bottom hole of the second
signature from the outside.
10. From the inside of the signature, go
out the next hole, lay the thread over the third tape, slide your needle under
the stitch laying on the tape at the first signature and enter the hole on the other side of the
tape at the second signature. This will
have connected the two stitches over the tape in an X shape.
11. Repeat this step for the middle
tape. From the inside of the signature, go out the next hole, lay the thread
over the middle tape, slide your needle under the stitch laying on the tape at
the first signature and enter the hole
on the other side of the tape at the second signature. This will have connected the two stitches
over the tape in an X shape.
12. Repeat this step for the top tape.
13. Exit at the top hole of the second
signature and tie a square knot with the 3” tail.
14. Align the third signature on top of
the second.
15. Enter the top hole of the third
signature from the outside.
16. From the inside of the signature, go
out the next hole, slide your needle under the top half of the X (above the
point where the threads cross) from the second signature and enter the hole on
the other side of the tape.
17. Repeat this step for the middle
tape.
18. Repeat this step for the third tape.
19. Exit at the bottom hole of the third
signature.
20. Make a kettle stitch between the
second and third signatures at the bottom hole.
a. A kettle stitch is a half hitch
knot.
b. Use your needle to go under the
thread that attaches the first and second signatures together at the bottom
hole.
c. Don’t tighten the thread all the way
at this point, but leave a loop.
d. Cross over the thread and pull the
needle through the loop.
e. Pull the knot firmly and vertically
to tighten without ripping your pages.
21. Align the fourth signature to the
third and enter the bottom hole of the fourth signature from the outside.
22. From the inside of the signature, go
out the next hole, slide your needle under the bottom half of the X (below the
point where the threads cross) from the third signature and enter the hole on
the other side of the tape.
23. Repeat this step for the middle
tape.
24. Repeat this step for the top tape.
25. When you exit the top hole of the
fourth signature, make a kettle stitch between the third and fourth signatures.
26. Align the fifth signature and enter
the top hole from the outside.
27. From the inside of the signature, go
out the next hole, slide your needle under the top half of the X (above the
point where the threads cross) from the fourth signature and enter the hole on
the other side of the tape.
28. Repeat this step for the middle and
bottom tapes.
29. Exit the fifth signature at the
bottom hole.
30. Repeat until you have sewn all your
signatures.
31. When you have sewn the last
signature, make your final kettle stitch and re-enter the final hole. Make a square knot in the interior of the
signature. Trim the threads.
Attaching the Cover
Tapes may be attached to the cover by fusing with
Wonder-Under, gluing with fabric glue (or another strong glue), or sewing.
1.
Fuse Wonder-Under to the underside of the extended part
of the tapes. Remove paper, align tapes
on cover and fuse to cover. Repeat for other cover.
or
2.
Apply glue to the underside of the extended part of the
tapes. Align cover and press down
tapes. Apply weight to the tapes until
dry. Repeat for other cover.
or
3. Sew
tapes by hand or machine to the cover after pinning them in place. Repeat for the other cover.
