BOOK

 

A month ago, I was entrusted to make a vigil book for my BFF's knighting, and it was fun!

I started by ordering some hand recycled paper, 5.5 x 11", and folded it in half, using the edge of a credit card to get a good crease in it.  I used six signatures with four papers each.

Pro tip: the reticulated mat really helped me figure out what "half" was since all the papers were wonky, and all in a few different directions. 

  

I then measured out six punctures (half an inch from the edge and a full inch between holes) and used an awl to go as perpendicular to the spine as possible.  I cut a piece of leather the same height as the folded signatures (5.5") and long enough to wrap around the whole thing, and then mirrored the punctures with the awl.

 

I followed this video about coptic binding relatively through, especially with how it instructed to sew the signatures together with artificial sinew on any needle that will take it.  I was originally going to use a tapestry needle, but it was too thick and I didn't want to ream the holes.

 

You start one hole off from the end and go from outside the spine to the inside of the signature, and back out the edge hole. Then go into the corresponding hole in the leather, go back up through the second hole, and tie to the end of the sinew before going back in to the spine. Running stitch baste the signature and the leather until you reach the end. 

 

When you reach the end, you add another signature and this time follow the motions of a sewing machine, where you go down into the hole of the new signature, around the stitch right under it, and then back up through the same hole you came from (also similar to naalbinding).  Go through each hole until the end, and then step up and change direction again.  Once you've added all the signatures, time to do a running stitch through the leather, mirroring the path of the first row, and then tying off the sinew and tossing the tail into the spine. 

Lastly, I added a strap of leather that I could tie closed and painted his arms on the second page (so that the leather wouldn't rub it off if it was on the very first page).

 

I am very proud of my first attempt at book binding (and that I convinced myself to not make the paper from scratch (I only had one sheet of parchment I had made a few Pennsics ago and that wouldn't have been appropriate for random people scribbling at a vigil)).  I now have copious materials for making more books!  And I want to try the ones with fancy covers.