Over the past couple of weeks, I have had lots of fun rediscovering the joy of making books. I found a stack of nice paper that had been hidden in the cupboard for years as well as some spare canvas prints that were test prints for an exhibition. I wanted to challenge myself with making hardcover books, something I had never tried before. I was familiar with simple bookbinding with a couple of different stitches, but not with making a spine and cover.
Both books use kettle stitch, a bit like Coptic stitch. There are some great tutorials on YouTube, Jennifer from Sea Lemon has an extensive series of videos on bookbinding, going into great detail into many different techniques.
This video from Sea Lemon was really helpful. Jennifer uses imperial measurements but it is easy to convert to mm.
Most of the materials and tools I already had at home. The main things you need are paper, a cutting board, utility blade, needle and thread, a bone folder (or similar), cardboard and PVC. You also need a book press, which is easy to make (my hubby made mine) or you can use books, etc as weights.
I have learnt heaps and can’t wait to make more!
Tracey M Benson || Bytetime 