Accordion Books:
folded sheet of paper; Variation: accordion spine with pamphlet stitched signatures
Paper Preparation
1. For the simple accordion, determine
the type of paper you wish to use e.g.
watercolour paper, handmade paper, Japanese paper, painted or stitched
paper
2. Determine the number of sections or
folds in the accordion that you require
3. Determine dimensions of the paper,
the height and the length of the paper required to produce those sections
(sometimes paper will need to be pieced together to get a long enough strip for
the accordion to have the grain of the paper running in the proper direction)
4. The grain of the paper should run
parallel to the folds in the paper
5. To fold a strip into 8 even
sections:
a. fold the strip in half
b. open the fold and bring each outer
edge up to the middle crease and press the fold with the bone folder
c. flip the paper over and bring the
newly folded edges to the middle one at a time and press with the bone folder
d. bring the last edges to the middle
and press with the bone folder (Note: if
you are using a thick paper, scoring it first will make it easier to fold) This
will give you your accordion.
Spine Variation
1. The considerations for steps 1-4 are
the same for this spine variation. The sections are not of equal size
however. The first and last sections of
the accordion are full size sections and the middle sections are usually ¾” to
1” sections.
2. The first and last section are
attached to the covers and the remaining sections of the accordion simply act
as the spine of the book and are sewn to single signatures using the pamphlet
stitch.
3. The signatures can be sewn in the
mountain fold or in the valley fold. It is a matter of personal
preference.
4. The size of the signature will
differ depending upon which fold is used for the sewing. The signature may be larger if the valley
fold is used and would be smaller if the mountain fold is used.
Signature Preparation
1. Determine the size of the paper that
you plan to use. This will depend upon
the spine height of the accordion you have created and the maximum width of the
accordion book you are making. For
example. If your accordion book
dimensions are a spine height of 4½” and a total width of 6” and the accordion
folded spine is ¾ “ then dimensions of the folded signatures to be sewn on the
mountain folds should be 4½ “ x 5 ¼”.
2. Since there are three mountain
folds, you would need three sets of signatures with the grain running parallel
to the spine
3. You must determine how many pages
are in each signature and whether you are using a three or five hole pamphlet
stitch.
Sewing the Signatures
1. Determine whether you are using a
three or five hole pamphlet stitch.
2. Prepare a stitching template for the
appropriate number of sewing stations.
3. Use a phone book or large book as a
punching cradle and punch sewing stations into mountain folds. Mark an H to indicate the Head of the book.
4. Use the template to punch the sewing
stations into the signatures. Mark the
Head on each signature.
5. Use the appropriate pamphlet stitch
to sew the signatures to the mountain folds of the accordion spine.
Cover Preparation
1. Determine the dimensions of your
cover. Take your folded accordion and measure the length and width of the end
sections. (just one will do because they
should both be the same). Add no more than ½” to the width and 3/8 ” to the
spine length to determine the cover measurements. This will give you enough substrate to make a
cover for the accordion book. You will
need to cut two of these. One for the
front cover and one for the back.
2. The cover of an accordion book is
slightly different from covers of more traditional books. Because an accordion book is a more
decorative, artistic form, it is often displayed in an open style. For this
reason, an accordion book must be able to balance when open. The cover,
therefore, has less of a square or overhang on the bottom edge. Usually this is
kept to about 1/8”, just enough to make sure that the paper does not show. The square on the top and sides can be
larger, up to ¼”.
3. 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.
4. Decorate your cover as you
wish. An accordion book expands so there
is no fixed spine. This makes a difference when choosing a book closure. The closure must complete circle the book to
keep it closed but must also be able to be removed or allow the book to expand
for display purposes. Keep this in mind
if you plan to fix your closure to your cover.
Wrapping the Cover in Fabric
1. Refer back to the General Rules of
Thumb to review the technique for wrapping the cover in fabric, if necessary.
Attaching the Cover
1. Use a light coat of PVA or fabric
glue to attach accordion to cover.
Spread glue lightly with a brush or credit card. A strong glue stick could be used.
2. Put wastepaper / wax paper between
the cover and text block and place under weight to dry.
