Bookbinding

I did some bookbinding recently to create an art journal – one with empty pages this time, so it’s a brand new book ready for use!

This journal is of my preferred A6 size. I cut out A5 sheets from a drawing book, which I then folded into half for A6 pages. I used a bone folder for crisp folds. I then grouped the pages into signatures, and evened out the signatures by shearing the page edges again. On their spines, I marked the points through which I’d later sew the thread, and then poked holes over the marks.

For the covers, I used the backing cardboard from the same drawing book that provided the pages. I used two patterned papers – one for the outside and another for the inside. (Oh the joy of flipping through patterned papers! It’s so difficult to select one, not just because of the plethora of choices, but also because I’d rather look at the papers than use them. 😛 )

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  Front cover

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  Inside cover

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  Back cover

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  Pages

I cut the patterned papers, and covered the front and back covers with them, again using a bone folder for neater folds. I used up all the patterned paper scraps too, so I’m pretty pleased about the zero-wastage. I then punched holes in the covers, making sure they align with the ones on the signatures.

I’d used coptic stitch in my previous bookbinding attempts, so I thought I’d go with something else for this project. However, after going through a bunch of videos and tutorials, coptic stitch seemed like the best fit for my needs this time too. I used thick cotton yarn for the stitches, and followed the same video from Jennifer (SeaLemon) that I always do.

It’s impressive how neat the stitches are on empty pages, when compared to those on mixed-media-filled pages from my earlier projects. And I’m glad that I undertook my bookbinding project in a slow and mindful manner this time – it’s meditative and therapeutic.