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.