Bound
Author: Rachel Hazell
Date: 2018-09-19 23:00:00+00:00
Keywords: kindle; nonfiction; craft; books
Publisher: Octopus

contents

INTRODUCTION

TOOLS

MATERIALS

TECHNIQUES

SLIT BOOK

CONCERTINA

TURKISH MAP FOLD

FLIP FLAP TAB BOOK

SLOT STRIP BOOK

CONCERTINA WITH POCKETS

RIBBON-BOUND PAGES

FIVE-HOLE PAMPHLET

SINGLE SECTION:

RUNNING STITCH

STRING OF PEARLS

CHAIN STITCH

JAPANESE STAB BINDING

MULTI-SECTION SOFTBACK

PLACKET BOOK

HARDBACK

DIAGRAMS

GLOSSARY

RESOURCES

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introduction

At around eight years old, I began by creating crooked-edged wonky books, splaying brass split-pins through ragged holes. Being more enamoured of the printed word, I later went away to study literature at Edinburgh University. Three-quarters of the way through the degree my mother died. I took a year off, but determined to graduate. Afterward, while a little lost and full of sorrow, my stepfather sent a newspaper clipping advertising a bookbinding workshop. And that is how I’m here, introducing you to a book full of books. The day was a revelation. The repetitive steps “Cut here!” “Fold this!” “Measure here!” gave a reassuring order to the disarray of grief. That evening, I stood in the orchard of my childhood and realized I’d be a bookbinder for the rest of my life.

Training in traditional binding followed, in a classroom surrounded by wisps of gold leaf and leather parings, glue brushes in a bucket to soak, stacks of papers, guillotines and presses…. I learned ancient methods such as bevelling boards, how to construct intricate endpapers and sewing on linen tapes. The rarity of these specialist skills was beguiling. I revelled in the incongruous position of taking weeks to bind books slowly, by hand, in the same building as machines produced the same object at a hundred times the speed.

Up the road from the college at Elephant and Castle, I came across an exhibition of artist’s books at Liberty, and another page turned. I didn’t know that there was such a thing as book art. Using the book as a creative medium, combining craft with art and words, was, and is, the ideal blend of thinking and making. Two years of narrative sequences and quirky concepts led to a master’s degree from Camberwell College of Art, and a compulsion to teach.

In 1998 I returned to Edinburgh and founded a business creating and teaching contemporary bindings. There were exhibitions and commissions, residences and further studies in printmaking…but those stories are for another time.

the pure joy of making books

Making books is my way of making sense of the world. I believe everybody has a book inside them, in whatever form that takes, and I’m committed to getting these books out. My wish for you is that this book will unfold a passion for binding paper, and that you find pleasure in accomplishing each project in your own way, at your own pace.

Now, I move between the stimulations of contrasting landscapes. The journey from Edinburgh to Iona is a creative catalyst. Two trains, two ferries and a bus! By the time I’ve got there, and shrugged on my yellow wellies, the transition from city to island, from East coast to West, is complete. I feel luckier than Virginia Woolf, having one “room of my own” in town and another, with a desk looking out to sea.

Years ago, bound for an art residency on Shetland, a friend told me, “The thing about islands is, there’s less space between heaven and earth”. It turns out that the quote is a variation of something that the Iona Community founder said. And so my island meanderings have come full circle. There is a fundamental pleasure in being surrounded by water, big skies and wide open horizons.

Every spring, the Iona Driftwood Binding Retreat gathers inspiration from the shoreline and fills pages with thoughtful reflections. I’m so glad that Susan Bell’s evocative photographs share an impression of this special place and hope they might inspire you to visit.

The pure joy of Bound is that you don’t necessarily need to be artistic to create these books. I will guide you through each structure, step by step. Before we begin, there are sections on tools, materials and techniques, so that you’ll feel more comfortable with some bookbinding terms.

Bound consists of 15 book projects, ranging from a single-sheet fold to a sewn binding with hard covers. You’ll discover clever folded and slotted forms as well as decorative and functional stitching styles. Start by putting together a sampler of inky patterns, which are guaranteed to produce uniquely splendid decorated covers. A few specialist materials are listed, but these can often be substituted with alternatives – I’ll offer other options when possible. I suggest trying each project in order, progressing through the collection while learning different methods and fine-tuning your skills.

As The Travelling Bookbinder, I take people on imaginative journeys through online and in-person workshops around the world. Now you can lay this book open by your side, and refer to each project whenever you wish, happily solitary or with friends for a crafternoon. Step away from technology and enjoy the straightforward pleasure of using your hands to make something new.

Bookbinders are, by nature, rather precise. While I recommend attending to detail, I’d much prefer you to get folding and experimenting, instead of being bogged down by specific measurements. Some projects do require a certain degree of accuracy; the more books you make, the more you’ll recognize which structures suit your temperament and which you should leave out. Please take these instructions as a starting point for your book-art explorations.

We are all storytellers. A good tale has a beginning, middle and end, following an infinite number of paths to reach its conclusion. We seek satisfying narratives everywhere. Sharing histories by word of mouth, and by writing them down, is a very human habit. Books are the perfect vessel for creating and formalizing our stories, revealing information page by page.

By binding your own projects, you make a place for your own stories, however they are told. A book has a distinctive, recognizable shape that has changed little over thousands of years. Bound follows historic traditions, as well as opening new chapters by gathering innovative contemporary structures. The books you are going to make are beautiful as well as functional. The different forms span centuries, and cultures, from East to West and back again.

The benefits of binding your own books are multiple. Using your hands to fold and sew an object more usually made by machine is hugely calming and therapeutic in this digital age. Exercise your brain with measurements and design decisions/questions: How many stitches will fit down the spine? Which pattern looks best on this cover? What colour thread? Following a set of instructions can be very relaxing, especially when you know you’ll have produced something by the end of them. If I need some time to clarify my thoughts, I’ll start the process of dividing down paper, folding and marking sections, step by step, until my mind is clear and a book has appeared. It’s like a bookbinding meditation!

Makers talk about reaching a state of flow, when they are completely in the moment, neither worrying nor looking at the clock, happily lost in the act of doing. The systematic rhythm of putting a book together can induce similar feelings.

Making a book from start to finish is tremendously empowering. You get to choose exactly how it will be: What type of paper do you have around? How many pages do you want inside? What kind of pattern do I feel like making today? Who’s the book for? How will it be used? Is this going to be a one-off or a limited edition? You get to effectively self-publish! Imagine that? Binding a series, collected together on a shelf, makes a library!

Bound gives you the ability to make a variety of blank books. I dearly hope you will fill them with your imagination, making ingenious receptacles for poems, photos, dreams and journals. Develop the basic structures further by testing out scale and materials. Bind a set of very tiny books, or find huge sheets of paper to fold into enormous sculptural forms. Look out for unusual papers to repurpose (such as clothing catalogues, restaurant menus or posters) or dip into your stash of ephemera. Cover pages with writing or sketching, rubber stamps and maps to describe and document your stories.

May this book be just the start of our adventures together.

Best and bookiest, and bon voyage with Bound,

Rachel

tools

Book art, unlike traditional bookbinding, does not require particularly specialist equipment. A book artist is only as good as their tools, so while I firmly believe in making use of what’s around, please do invest in a few quality bits of kit if you can. Here are some details about the basic items.

BONE FOLDER

A bookbinder travels everywhere with their bone folder. This humble tool perfects your folds with its smooth long edge and saves your thumb from being burnished away. A standard size is 15cm (6in) long, and I’d take the rounded-at-one-end-and-pointed-at-theother option. The pointed end is good for scoring and moulding. There are vegan versions made of plastic, but mine is the by-product of a cow. Teflon folders are great for working with textured papers, as the plastic leaves no shine.

CUTTING MAT

The ideal smooth surface for preparing, marking and sewing your pages, a cutting mat defines your workspace, whether that is a studio desk or a kitchen table. It is a thick plastic mat, readily available from art shops and tool suppliers, which protects surfaces, self-heals and can be wiped clean. Get one marked with a grid pattern in centimetre (½-inch) increments: it is fabulous for lining up edges to make sure your paper is square and is also helpful for repetitive measurements. You can even set up jig marks with (removable) washi tape, to cut or fold in the same place every time. It’s good to have a conveniently small one (A4) for travelling and a larger one (A3, A2 or a monster A1 size) for working with big sheets of paper at home. When I was cutting the paper to make a 2m- (6 ½ ft-) high book sculpture, I discovered a set of cutting mats that jig-sawed together in a long row!

SCISSORS

I don’t think it’s possible for a maker to have too many pairs of scissors. I recommend gathering the ones you inevitably have about the house. Select one large pair for good straight cutting and a smaller pair for snipping threads. Make sure both fit comfortably in the hand (you’re going to be using them a lot). Tefloncoated scissors are wonderful because they repel glue. If you’re considering doing a lot of bookbinding, invest in a pair of shears with a straight, blunt top blade for precise cutting. I have a treasured pair of Japanese scissors made of copper; their lightness makes them ideal for travel.

SCALPEL

Cutting straight, clean lines is a prerequisite for bookbinders. I have always used a surgical blade that can be replaced when it gets dull. Treat yourself to a comfortable handle rather than the standard metal issue. My first teacher emphasized the importance of changing the blade frequently for the cleanest cuts. You may prefer a Stanley knife to cut thick board.

PENCIL

You might have thought that a pencil is a pencil. Well, technically, yes, it is, but if you want to mark precise measurements – and you do – then you’ll need to be particular in this regard. Think about a line made with an old school pencil: there’s quite a difference between a mark drawn with a sharp point or a worn-down tip. Which edge would you measure from if the line were a millimetre wide?

To get around constant sharpening, I suggest a mechanical (or propelling) pencil. It’s so satisfying to make a fine, light line. Choose a 0.5mm lead size and HB or harder (graded H), as soft leads (graded B) tend to smudge. I have a half-size pencil that sits snugly in my hand and is easy to manoeuvre when marking up a slippery stack of sections. The propelling pencil is a trusty friend.

avoiding indents

Watch out for pressing too hard when measuring and marking in pencil – avoid making permanent indents in the paper by maintaining a light pressure.

RULER

When you’re working with a scalpel, your ruler must be metal, otherwise every cut will shave away a bit of plastic and you’ll end up with a wobbly edge. Bookbinders have a love of accuracy built into their personality. I have a preference for chrome-plated surfaces. Find a ruler that has centimetres along one edge and inches on the other. It is handy to have three ruler lengths – 15cm (6in), 30cm (12in) and a 60cm (24in) or 100cm (40in) rule – but you’ll manage very happily with just the standard middle size. I’ve got a thing for tiny rulers and collect them at every opportunity.

If you have a choice, go for a ruler that has the increments engraved rather than printed on the metal so they’ll never wear off! And for the longer straight edge, pick one with a grip (plastic or cork) so that it doesn’t slip in the middle of a long cut.

NEEDLE

Almost half of the projects in this book are bound without sewing. When you come to the stitched structures, a needle is essential. A specialist bookbinder’s needle, such as the standard size 18 needle produced by John James (see Resources), is quite big – 5cm (2in) long. Its distinguishing feature is a straight shaft, which doesn’t bulge out at the eye like other needles. This is so it pierces the paper with the minimum size of hole. If you can’t get hold of a bookbinder’s needle, then a tapestry one will do. It is hugely gratifying to make holes in paper – try it!

threading a needle

The relatively small eye of a bookbinder’s needle can make it challenging to thread. Try flattening the end of the thread (I do this by pulling it between my front teeth… don’t tell the dentist) and holding it up against a white background for contrast.

SLITTING KNIFE

After the bone folder, this is the tool I’d find it hardest to live without. The straight, slightly blunt carbon-steel blade is ideal for cutting through folded paper. A straight-bladed butter knife, the type with a bone handle and rounded end, will work just as well. I love that mine is marked with a tiny shoe, as it is a tool used by shoemakers, too.

BRUSHES

For the purposes of this book, pretty much any kind of brush can be employed to make a pattern. Each of the projects invites you to personalize the cover by decorating it in your own way. You’ll also need a brush for applying glue.

for ink

An effective method of making these books your own is to make marks with a brush and ink. Ideally, you’ll have two different types of brush: one round with a pointed tip, and one flat. You choose the size… maybe this will depend on your artistic personality: small for fine, repetitive detail, large for looser, splashy shapes. If you have the option, experiment with a variety of brush styles. Using a Japanese calligraphy brush will feel very different from a wide, foam one. You’ll notice a difference between the finest sable and the hard bristles of a cheap paint brush, but for the purposes of this book, the quality doesn’t necessarily equate to the satisfaction of making your own patterns. The more primitive the brush, the more liberating the mark – try tying together a bundle of twigs and see what happens!

for glue

Pig’s bristles bound to a chunky wooden handle, the traditional bookbinder’s glue brush is an awesome bit of kit. Size 24 is the recommended standard, which can seem cumbersome when you’re just starting out, but it carries a decent amount of glue and can cover larger areas quicker. However, a non-specialist glue brush can be used for the hardback project in this book because it does not require a large area of gluing. Whichever brush you use, be sure to wash it thoroughly afterward and lay it somewhere to dry slowly.

AWL

A sharp, pointed tool for piercing holes, the awl has been in use since ancient times (the word is Anglo-Saxon). Though more commonly used with leather, the awl gives you a hassle-free way of making holes in paper.

Having two sizes would be ideal: one with a fine point, the same as a bookbinder’s needle, and another, more substantial tool to make larger holes. It’s possible to get a handle with an adjustable grip (called a pin vice) that will hold any size of needle. A bigger awl might be found in a carpenter’s toolbox, but whatever the size, watch out for those sharp points!

JAPANESE SCREW PUNCH

A Japanese screw punch is an exquisitely engineered tool. The quality screw action does not come cheap, but satisfaction is guaranteed. The punch bit is sharp, easily punching through paper and even grey board, resulting in clean, precise holes. The bit is interchangeable, so you can make holes from 1mm to 6mm in diameter. You absolutely don’t need to invest in a screw punch, but I can’t stop you longing for one once you’ve tried it out – after a particularly memorable workshop, all the attendees had ordered their own screw punch within 24 hours.

PRESS

In an ideal workspace, you’d have a cast-iron nipping press in pride of place, with a set of flat boards, ready for use. You can sometimes come across them at car boot sales, or at the back of junk shops, gathering dust. Being so solid, their incredible weight allows them to impart great pressure down onto your book, smoothing out the page creases and reminding the paper to stay flat. Sandwich items to be pressed centrally between clean, smooth, flat boards (MDF or laminated panels.) If glue is involved, slip waste paper between the surfaces, to soak up excess moisture.

This specialist, and very heavy, bit of kit is not essential: make your own press by assembling a good stack of smooth, heavy books. Ensure that the book in direct contact with your work has an even, flat surface. In extenuating circumstances, I’ve made presses out of gas cannisters, sewing machines and boulders…

materials

The more you know about the specific qualities of the materials you’re working with, the better they will serve you. Understanding how certain papers respond to manipulation enables you to control them better. The bindings in this book will benefit from being made with sumptuous textured papers and richly pigmented inks, but they will also dazzle if constructed with sugar paper and poster paint. Basically, use what you have! Here, I want to run through a few things to look out for when you’re selecting materials, as some of the specialist terminology can be daunting. A little bit of knowledge will help you get a handle on the details.

PAPER

You might have assumed, in this day and age, that we would have standardized sizes and weights of paper. But, no, there is a mixture of metric and imperial, bespoke and one-offs out there. Paper is one of the most versatile and accessible materials in the world. It has a vast and varied history, and is produced by hand and machine, from papyrus to wood pulp, in individual sheets and enormous rolls. For our purposes, we’re going to use cartridge paper, watercolour paper, cotton rag paper (khadi), copy paper and waste paper. Just be aware that papers such as newsprint and brown kraft paper will deteriorate, as their high acidic content makes them unstable in light, so don’t waste the pretty on them.

cartridge paper

Formed from wood pulp, cartridge paper is great, affordable, quality stock. So-called because it was originally used to make paper cartridge cases for firearms, it is robust, holds folds well and presents a good surface for drawing, writing and collage. Available in a variety of weights and shades, the 200gsm (grams per square metre) is my go-to standard.

watercolour paper

Made from 100 per cent cotton or blended with wood pulp, watercolour paper is absorbent and strong: ink soaks into the fibres rather than lying on the surface, and it is robust enough to hold together when completely waterlogged. This paper is often textured, which enhances the depth and intensity of your ink marks. The high percentage of cotton (or linen) in watercolour paper gives it a certain softness. You can see the fibres at a torn edge. Don’t be bewildered if you come across references to “Hot Pressed”, “Cold Pressed” or “NOT”. These describe the surface finish of each sheet:

•   “Hot Pressed” (HP) is smooth, as if it has been ironed. Ink stays on the surface and isn’t so quickly absorbed, but it does dry fast.

•   “Cold Pressed” (CP) is very textured, creating a grainy effect as ink lies in the indentations. It is sometimes simply labelled “NOT”, as in, “not hot pressed”.

deckle edges

Handmade paper will have a deckle (or rough) edge on all four sides, where the pulp has been squeezed tight between the wooden frames of the mould and deckle. Commercially produced paper, made with a cylinder mould, tends to have two deckle edges and two cut edges as it comes off the roll.

cotton rag paper

Also known as khadi, this deliciously textured paper with long fibres is traditionally made in Karnataka, South India, from recycled cloth. It is acid-free and has deckle edges on all four sides. The uneven, rough surface gives character to books made from it, even before you add words and images. Stronger and more durable than wood pulp-based paper, this is wonderful to work with. The irregularities show exactly how handmade it is. Sometimes you can see the ghost of peg marks where the paper has been hung to dry.

copy paper

The ubiquitous block of plain white copy paper is a studio staple for me. The limitless potential of pristine sheets inspires me to be fearless, as I’m not restricted to keeping notes and sketches in order in the same way as I would be in a book. You can mock up ideas and storyboards without feeling precious, and there’s always the option of binding them together later, with one of the techniques in this book if you want to gather them together.

waste paper

Waste paper will help to avoid glue or marks on your finished books, work surfaces and floor. Newsprint is best suited to this purpose because it is thin, absorbent and recycled (already waste). The ink from actual newspapers can come off on your fingers, leaving unwelcome marks on your work, so get the blank stuff. Art suppliers sell clean newsprint pretty cheaply. Shiny Sunday supplement magazine paper will work, too.

grey board

Thick card used for book covers and box-making, this is low-grade board built up from layers of pulp. It has a smooth surface and is sold by thickness. (A micron is equivalent to 1mm.) Unless you buy board that is specifically archival and acid-free, it will discolour when exposed to light. For this reason, the grey board used for the final, Hardback project in here will be covered with your decorated paper. We’ll use card that is 2,000 microns thick (which is the same as 2mm). I have been known to cut a cover-size chunk from the backboard of a paper pad in an emergency. Mill board is a higher-quality material, more dense than grey board (therefore harder to cut!) with a smoother, buffered surface.

my favourite paper

I love Bockingford watercolour paper (190gsm, white, CP (NOT) 760 x 560mm/30 x 22in) for the random, textured surface created by the woollen felts it is couched (pressed) out on, and it’s made at St Cuthbert’s Mill, just along the river from where I grew up in Somerset.

PAPER SIZES

Some of the projects in this book specify AO sizes, an ingenious format used by the International Standardization Organization. The system cleverly maintains its proportions when divided in half, so the aspect ratio remains the same. A4 paper, which we’re most familiar with, is half the size of A3, or double the size of A5. There’s a diagram to make it clear.

In contrast, the names of old British Imperial paper sizes are pure poetry: Foolscap Quarto, Small Post Octavo, Elephant, Super Royal and Double Foolscap… Aren’t they evocative?

The watercolour paper I prefer – Bockingford – is made on a machine that is over a hundred years old. It cuts into imperial-sized sheets that also have a metric equivalent (56 x 76cm/22 x 30in).

Due to so much discrepancy, I tend not to give specific measurements, and ask you to trust your intuition when you come to evaluate how a sheet of paper will end up when folded and cut down. As long as the proportions of your finished book are similar to the example, then numbers don’t really matter!

PAPER WEIGHT

You are most likely to see the weight of paper described in metric terms; grams per square metre (gsm). I don’t imagine paper mills have metre-wide weighing scales – I wonder how they can be so precise. At college, I remember being intrigued by the machine that tests the burst pressure of paper. Imagine being the tester of industry standards!

The sheets in your average pack of copy paper will weigh 80gsm. An airmail letter is 70gsm or less, making it cheaper to post. Dictionary pages are thin but crisp at 45gsm. The cartridge paper used in many of the book projects is 200gsm, giving a substantial quality to the simplest of structures. The thickest paper recommended for the projects is 300gsm, as heavier stock can be more difficult to fold and glue. You’ll probably come across non-metric paper that is weighed in pounds per ream. If you do, there is a conversion table that will give you the equivalent metric weight.

GRAIN DIRECTION

In order to exploit the myriad qualities of paper, you need to know how it behaves. Grain direction is fundamental to this knowledge. A good place to start is by thinking about the paper-making process. Paper is made when wet pulp from plant (cellulose) fibres is formed into rectangular sheets by spreading an even layer over a screen and letting any excess water drain away.

handmade paper

The paper pulp is scooped up with a mould and deckle – a screen and frame that act together like a sieve. Once the liquid has dripped through, the sheet is “couched”, or laid down, between felt blankets. Only one piece of paper is made at a time. The stack of sheets is then pressed to squeeze out every last drop of liquid, and then each page is hung up to dry.

machine-made paper

The pulp for industrially produced paper is mixed by a huge electric beater. It is then distributed onto a continuously moving screen, or rotating cylinder. Excess liquid is sucked out or drained away, and then cut into sheets. The majority of machine-made papers are long grain but then the odd sheet can catch you out (like the Bockingford), so always check.

With both these methods, you can physically see how the manufacturing process affects the end product. In a handmade sheet of paper, the fibres end up lying in random directions, whereas in machine-made paper, they are more uniform and lie in the same direction. You can see that they will behave differently as a consequence.

Knowing about grain direction can help when choosing which sheets of paper to buy. Long-grain and short-grain papers divide down differently when you’re folding and cutting them to size, so you’ll end up with books of different proportions. In the Techniques section, you’ll find a checklist for determining grain direction, but for now keep in mind that it is easier to fold with the grain, and paper in a book has the grain running parallel to the spine.

INK

As an artist who’s averse to drawing, it was a liberation to discover what beautiful results can be achieved when using watercolour ink. The effects are almost accidental. The jewel-like pigments are suspended in liquid, allowing you to spread the tint across your page, letting it pool in the textured surfaces. The colour is so intense that a very small bottle will go a long way, enough for numerous covers of limited editions. Go for liquid ink over tubes of paint, as the colours are more vivid. Decide if you prefer opaque or transparent results. My current favourites are from J. Herbin, a company that has produced ink in Paris since 1670. Apart from their remarkable tones, I find the colour descriptions so much more romantic and exotic in French.

Experiment on sample cards before starting on the real thing and you’ll soon develop your own style. Avoid cockling (uneven surface warping) by using thicker paper. Ripples may appear, but they’ll usually relax in time. Some ink-bottle labels advise that their contents should never be mixed: please ignore this warning for artistic purposes. Also, black Quink ink is magic. Fact. See how it separates out into different colours when you add water.

THREAD

The best thread for binding books is waxed linen. It has great strength and the wax allows the thread to run through paper smoothly. Linen holds a knot, doesn’t stretch and bites into the paper when it needs to (as in a Japanese Stab Binding).

You’ll want a heavy-ish gauge thread, as all the stitching will be visible on the sewn book projects. Bobbins of thread can be labelled as 16/2, 18/3 or 40/3. This is quite an arcane way of noting the thickness: the second number refers to the ply, and the first is the number of times the thread can be wrapped around two set points on a stick! So, the thinner the thread, the higher the number. Isn’t that good to know?

A creamy white is standard issue. You can dye your own linen thread if it’s unwaxed. Then, to make it smooth, run your length of thread through a block of beeswax (see right) to give it a light coating and a honey scent.

GLUE
glue stick

For many of the book’s projects, if adhesive is required, a glue stick will do the job. Easy to apply, you can coat paper with an even layer of glue, in exactly the right place, as it is easy to control. Although it’s pretty sticky, the substance in a glue stick is relatively moisture-less – perfect for joining strips and covering small areas. Not all glue sticks are created equal; choose a well-known brand such as Pritt.

PVA

Polyvinyl acetate (PVA) is the artist-bookbinder’s go-to glue. While fairly “gloopy”, with the potential to get messy, this glue is used for more traditional binding structures. We’ll be using it to create covers for the final Hardback project. It has the consistency of thick cream, maintains flexibility when dry, starts white and ends up clear. If you’re concerned about the archival qualities of your books, choose glue with a neutral pH (neither acidic nor alkaline). Unworried makers can use wood glue found in hardware shops. Bear in mind the temperature of your room will affect the glue’s “open time”, which is how long it will remain tacky and workable. Beginners may want longer to wield the brush. I often wish I had a third non-gluey hand, as it’s impossible to keep my fingers clean and dry. Thankfully, PVA can be washed off cutting mats, clothes and other appendages, with water.

drying flat

You can “remind” the painted paper to dry flat by placing the (touch-dry) sheet between clean waste paper under a smooth, heavy book.

WASHI TAPE

A paper tape from Japan (washi is the Japanese word for “paper”), which is available in the most delicious array of colours and patterns. Both decorative and functional (though not super-strong), washi tape is useful for embellishing a page edge, adding a pop of character or securing an end of thread. The tape is rippable and repositionable. Win win.

BEESWAX

A chunk of beeswax on your desk adds an aura of crafty artistry to your workspace, as well as the aroma of a bookish library. It comes in small bars, resembling ingots of gold. Coat your linen thread with a layer of wax, by running it through the block. This serves to smooth the fibres and makes the thread slip through your paper comfortably.

ABSORBENT TISSUE/KITCHEN PAPER

Soak up all manner of messes swiftly by having a roll of tissue to hand. Use a corner tip to draw up excess ink when you’re painting. Dab brushes dry. Wipe gluey fingers quickly to avoid getting marks in the wrong place. Absorbent tissue is multipurpose and you’ll miss not having a sheet or two nearby.

techniques

Just as the benefits of knowing the nature of your materials result in a better book, so focusing in on a few basic skills will enhance the quality of your work immeasurably. As with any craft, putting in the practice leads to finer results. The process of binding will flow, and you’ll delight in the simple satisfaction of producing books that are beautiful but also well made. The common characteristics of a happy bookbinder are precision, accuracy and neatness. Do any of these chime with you?!

CHECKING GRAIN DIRECTION

Get into the habit of checking the grain direction of every piece of paper and board that you use. Here’s how:

rolling

•   First, have a good look at the sheet. Hold it up to the light. Can you see any consistent pattern in the pulp?

•   Next, roll the paper lengthways into a tube between both hands and feel the amount of resistance. Change the paper’s orientation to widthways and compare the difference. With board there should be a clear difference when you bend it lightly in both directions.

•   If your sheet is large, lay it on a flat surface and bring one of the short sides over to meet the other. Make a mental note about how much the paper resists being rolled this way and then try the same with the long sides.

•   If the resistance is less short side to short side, it would show that the fibres are lying parallel to the short side, so the sheet is “short grain”. Following the same thinking, if there’s least resistance when the long sides come together, then the sheet is “long grain”.

tearing

The tear test can also give a very quick indication of which way the fibres lie. Take a page of non-precious paper and try to rip it in a straight line horizontally, then repeat on the vertical. Was it harder to make a straight tear the first or second time? If you get a clear answer to that question, then you will know which way the fibres lie, as it is easier to rip with the grain rather than against it. However, if none of the above tests is conclusive, add moisture!

adding moisture

Rip a tiny strip of paper horizontally along your sheet, and another strip vertically. Dab water (or lick) these strips and see what happens. If the fibres have room to expand with the moisture, the paper will curl; if not, the strip stays flat. Paper always curls parallel to the grain direction.

why grain direction matters

“OK,” you might be thinking, “I’ve got a 50 per cent chance of getting this grain direction thing right…does it really matter?” Well, yes, your books will look and function better if the grain direction runs head to tail, aligned with the spine. Being grain-direction savvy means you will:

•   Know how to make your books stand, not slump.

•   Avoid buckled and warped results.

•   Ensure your books function perfectly (they open flat and the pages can be turned smoothly).

FOLDING

Once you’ve checked the grain direction of your paper, picked the book structure you’re going to create and skim-read the instructions, it’s time to get folding. Have a clear idea in your head about how the sheet will be divided down to make the book size.

folding one sheet

Without wanting to state the obvious (but bookbinders tend to have strong feelings on the subject), try to be as accurate as possible. Start with clean, dry hands and have your bone folder ready. Lay the sheet flat on your cutting mat and draw one side over to meet its opposite. Line up the edges carefully and hold firmly in place with one hand. With the long side of your bone folder angled at 45 degrees, swoop down to begin forming the crease a third of the way along. Smooth the fold right to the end, then return along the whole length. There! Now you have the most satisfying, crisp crease!

folding a stack

Toward the end of the projects in Bound, when working with multiple sections, you can look like a pro, bone-folding a stack all in one go. With the heel of one (clean and dry) hand holding the pile steady, flick through the stack and bone-fold the crease of each section. Flip over the pile and repeat on the other side. This quick fix gets around the need to press sections under a heavy weight. You’ll reduce the “swell” (squidgy-ness) and end up with a good solid book block.

scoring

Scoring makes folding more precise by creating a groove that guides your fold. This will prevent paper from cracking and stop a fold from going where it wants to go. As with the scalpel, score with a ruler for best results. Use the point of a bone folder for a clean, wide indent, or the dull side of a knife blade, which will give a very fine line. Take care that you don’t press too hard or you could cut right through the fibres.

There is a difference of opinion as to which way the fold should be creased after scoring – each gives a slightly different effect. Do you fold into the raised side or with the indentation? It’s a matter of personal preference. Experiment and see which gives you the most satisfaction.

At the back of the book, in the Glossary, you’ll find details of different folds and what they are called.

cutting

Folding and cutting paper down to size is tremendously meditative. When life is confusing, it’s my go-to way of powering down and reflecting.

If I am dividing paper by folding, I’ll use a slitting knife to slice along the crease. When a particular size of paper is called for, the scalpel will make a sharp, definitive cut.

using a slitting knife

Hold the knife at 30 degrees to the line of cut. Keep the paper still with your other hand. Use a sawing motion and work with the blade flat to the desk. I prefer to lay the paper crease parallel to the table edge, while having the control of drawing the blade toward me. This method gives a soft edge. If you’d like a rougher finish, try using a bone folder in the same way.

The key to happy paper-slitting is bone-folding a firm crease first. Experiment to find the optimum angle of blade and settle into a cutting motion that feels comfortable to you.

using a scalpel

As you might expect, the scalpel will give a precise, fine cut, so use when accuracy is important, i.e. for a template or the plackets in the 14th book. Wielding a surgically sharp blade can be daunting until you learn to approach each cut calmly. Use a steady, firm stroke, taking care to keep in line. Your metal ruler and scalpel make the best team, along with a cutting mat. Once you’ve marked the cut’s beginning and end points, line up the ruler to them. I like to make an indentation with the tip of my blade at one of the marks so that the ruler can butt up against it. When cutting card or board, accept that you’ll need several cuts to get through all the layers. Try to be aware of the scalpel blade angle, especially when cutting thick board; avoid an angled edge by holding the knife at 90 degrees to the cut. Draw the scalpel toward you for small cuts, and parallel to the front edge of the cutting mat when you are standing to cut a longer length. Remember to keep your fingers out of the way of the blade!

successful cutting

•   Always work with a sharp blade, replacing the blade regularly.

•   Use a metal ruler and a cutting mat.

•   Cut lightly with multiple strokes to get through thick stock.

measure carefully

Remember the old, but still true, saying: “Measure twice and cut once”!

MEASURING

A typical bookbinder loves attention to detail, and measuring is where an obsessive can shine. I want to show you how to make well-crafted books, and, once you have the skills, you can choose to subvert or reject them and continue to develop a style of your own.

I mentioned the importance of good tools earlier. To measure well, you’ll need metal rulers, without gouges or dents, a smooth, clear work surface (that’s a big ask in my house), decent light and a mechanical pencil.

Be aware how thick a graphite line can be and be really particular about how you transfer a measurement from the ruler. Get into the habit of taking your measurements from the book in progress – that’s the thing that matters after all – rather than the number on a ruler.

inkery

Every one of the projects in this book can be made from blank paper. I am interested in you making your mark (literally) and putting your personal signature on each piece, be that through pattern, calligraphy or simple, strong graphic shapes. To start exploring your style, here’s a list of prompts. So gather together your brushes, inks, water and waste paper, and prepare to play!

PATTERN SAMPLES

Divide a couple of large sheets of watercolour paper (300gsm) into postcard-size pieces. A stack of 16 or more is ideal. You’re going to create a set of pattern designs, like recipe cards, to get a feel for what kind of marks you like to make – your own unique sampler! See what the inimitable combination of your hand, ink and brush produces.

Spread out the waste paper and have a roll of absorbent tissue to hand. When you’ve finished each sample, set it to dry on some paper, as there may be some stray drips. If liquid has gathered in particular areas, these will take longer to dry, so leave them undisturbed for as long as possible (sometimes a few hours). I choose to relax with inkery in the evening, leaving wet sheets scattered about overnight, when I won’t be tempted to smudge them…

Be as loose and playful as you can be.

1

Start with an all-over wash: dip a wide, flat brush into your ink, and paint even lines of colour, horizontally, from top to bottom of your sheet. Keep the brush wet and allow each line to merge into the next. Watch how the liquid puddles, spreads and settles. Don’t fiddle. Leave to dry.

2

Now, go for a graded wash: start dark and get lighter and lighter. Achieve this effect by beginning with a fully loaded brush full of ink. Again, paint a horizontal line, this time dipping your brush into clear water in between each stroke. The colour will get paler and paler until it gradually fades away to nothing. This technique gives gorgeous depth and perspective to your pages and is also known as “ombré”.

3

Lightly draw a faint pencil line across the middle of your paper, like a horizon line. Then choose to fill in the lower half with an even wash of colour, or a gradation from the line to the bottom edge. It’s very bold to leave empty space on the page.

4

Now that you’re getting the hang of these inky washes, try outlining an oval, in pencil, at the centre of your page. Carefully paint around the outer edge of the shape and continue to fill in the background, right up to the page edge. The secret here is to work fast, so that the ink blends in with each ring, rather than drying into a hard line. The clear oval is perfect for a handwritten name or title.

5

Channel your inner Rothko by painting bands of pure colour (less diluted with water this time) across the page and adding contrasting edges so that the panels of colour appear to float. Don’t worry about inks running into each other; let the watercolour do its thing.

6

Cover a page with “dabs”! Use the imprint of an inky brush almost like a stamp. The shape of each mark will depend on how the bristles splay out when pressed onto the paper. Don’t limit yourself to one shot at this technique. Yes, this is quite messy. No, don’t do this with your best sable brush. Experiment with pressure and angle. Do you prefer regular or random marks?

7

Fine dashes scattered across the surface of your paper give a great all-over texture. Try tiny dots, spots or lozenge shapes. Make the marks uniform by reloading the brush every time, or keep going until the colour runs out. Look how different the dots appear when dry! (I could spend a large part of my life covering paper in ink dots.)

8

Rows of rings make a lovely pattern and provide instant satisfaction for a lover of repetition. Arrange in orderly lines or spread them jauntily across the paper. I find it easier to control smaller circles, but you may wish to go for statement-size shapes!

9

Scatter triangles like confetti across the paper. Play with plain outlines or solid shapes, sharp points or rounded edges. Cluster shapes together or let them dance solo.

10

Freehand rows of interlinking triangles give a delightful graphic pattern. Pencil in the lines first, if you want, then relax into the rhythm of filling in tiny shapes. Personally, I favour an uneven finish, and don’t worry if the bottom rows don’t line up with the edge in the end.

11

Play with letters. Use a small, fine brush to spell out the alphabet from A to Z and keep going, in a nonstop line, until the whole space is filled. Try block capitals or joined-up small letters. You’ll end up with a page of literary texture, rather than readable sense.

12

I was happy to rediscover this loopy pattern (see below right), last used in a teenage school textbook probably. It makes for a playful texture and tests your hand-to-eye coordination, too! The lines may not be even, but quirky is charming.

13

With a fine-tipped brush, paint interlocking rings to fill the page row by row. If you use a lot of ink, it will blend between the circles. Add in different tones to vary the effect. This technique, like the others, can be adapted to any page proportion. I think it looks like knitting.

14

Leaf shapes make a jaunty pattern. Conjure up imaginary botanical silhouettes or gather a few samples to copy. Line them up in rows or place in drifts across the page.

15

Create a painted patchwork! Choose geometric triangles, colour-coordinated squares or irregular shapes. This one may take a while if you need to wait for sections to dry before filling in more.

16

Try a little alchemy by seeing what happens when you drop salt crystals onto wet ink. Scatter a few grains over the surface of your sample card. Salt absorbs the liquid, sucking out the colour, giving the effect of stars twinkling in a night sky. An even scattering of salt will leave a mottled effect all over the page. Depending on the amount of ink and the thickness of the paper, the cards may end up warping or cockling. Fix this by placing between waste paper and under a heavy smooth book as soon as the surface is touch dry. There are enough sample-patterns here for you to cover each of the book projects in a different style, or select the ones that suit your hand and eye best.

PIERCING

When pricking holes through pages or covers in preparation for sewing, keep these tips in mind. Hold the section to be pricked taut between your fingers. Please don’t blunt your needle or awl trying to pierce holes onto your cutting mat. I always prick holes from the outside because that is where the sewing positions are marked. You can also use a purpose-built cradle, or simply the crease of a telephone directory, with a template. Concentrate on directing your needle right onto, and through, the crease line.

using a screw punch

As you will have guessed by the name, this tool has a magnificent screwing action. Just don’t let it catch you unawares. Hold the paper that you’re piercing firmly, otherwise it will spin about. Clear the chute regularly, so that hole material doesn’t get backed up. Respect each punch bit by keeping them in a place where they won’t get knocked or dented.

SEWING

Sewing is such a useful way to join things! We’re used to clothes that have been stitched on a machine, but can forget that books are held together by thread. While binding stitches are usually functional, they add to the beauty of a handmade object. Each of the sewn book projects includes specific instructions, but here I’d like to mention some general points about sewing with paper.

•   Pre-prick the holes! I’ll tell you where to mark each “sewing station”, but seeing the holes before you start sewing will make the stitch pattern clearer.

•   Paper is not fabric! It is not as strong, so to avoid accidental ripping, always pull your thread in the direction that you’re sewing, and don’t place sewing holes too close together.

•   Wax your thread, if it isn’t already, by running it over a block of beeswax a few times. It smells divine and will make your thread work better.

•   Make your stitches a feature. In three of the projects, you’ll literally bind a pattern onto the spine in thread (Running Stitch, String of Pearls and Chain Stitch). Use these stitches elsewhere, as ornamentation.

•   Add (optional) pockets and decorative embellishments by using very visible stitches: join pages with a running stitch or embroider a name on a cover.

•   Sew your own style into each binding.

GLUING

Good gluing is all about preparation, mental as well as physical! Have everything you’re going to need within reach before you start:

•   Plenty of waste paper (larger than the piece to be glued)

•   Somewhere to rest the brush (I use the upturned lid of the glue pot)

•   Something to wipe your fingers on (an apron or a damp cloth)

•   Scissors

•   Bone folder

•   Clean, dry fingers (with nails trimmed short, if you’re taking this seriously, to avoid half-moon dents appearing on your covers)

•   A nipping press (or pile of heavy books)

•   Extra waste paper (for aiding drying and to absorb excess moisture)

1

Take a deep breath, hunch your shoulders up then exhale. You want to be relaxed and alert. Run your fingers through your hair, or over your cheeks, to get a fine coating of oil that will repel the glue.

2

Load the brush with glue so that the bristles are full. Hold the brush in your fist with a good grip. This is so you can rotate it as you work, for an even coverage.

3

Work from the centre out, in a starburst, then fill in the gaps, continuing to work from the centre to the edge. This stops glue from seeping in the wrong direction. Try not to panic as the paper confirms its grain direction by curling. When the fibres absorb the glue’s moisture, the paper will relax. Have a cloth on hand to dab away any excesses and rub off any dobs of glue from your fingers. Once the waste paper’s work is done, be sure to fold it in half so that it doesn’t stick to anything else.

4

When your boards (or whatever you’re sticking together) are covered, remind them to dry flat by placing them between clean sheets of waste paper and under a heavy weight, such as a pile of smooth, heavy books. I have also been known to employ boulders, sewing machines and bricks as makeshift book presses.

5

Leave overnight, if you can bear the wait. Then you’ll see that the waste paper has crinkled as it has absorbed the glue’s moisture, resulting in perfectly formed dry boards.

slit book

This is an ingenious way of folding and cutting a single sheet into a brilliantly useful set of pages. It immediately challenges us to consider what we think a book is and how it should look. I like that it’s a slip of a thing but can hold so much. Slide one in your pocket for documentation on the move. Fold up a series and store them in a special box.

you’ll need

1 X SHEET OF A4 COPY PAPER, FOR PRACTICE

1 X SHEET OF A3 CARTRIDGE OR WATERCOLOUR PAPER (160–200GSM)

BONE FOLDER

SCISSORS

WATERCOLOUR INK

BRUSH

1 Start with the A4 paper, to try out the fold before using larger, thicker paper. Fold the sheet in half widthways and then open it out flat. Take care to line up the edges as closely as possible.

2 Fold the sheet in half lengthways and open it out again. The reason I recommend opening the sheet out flat after each step is to ensure that the folds are in the right place because bookbinders like to be neat.

3 Now fold the short ends in to the middle crease and open them out flat. Your page has been divided into eight with no measuring.

4 When you’ve folded the sheet in half widthways again, carefully cut a slit from the crease to where the four folds meet in the middle.

5 Open the page out flat and refold it in half lengthways.

6 With the slit at the top, hold the left and right ends firmly, with your fingers close to the first and last vertical creases.

7 Move your hands, gripping the paper lightly, toward each other until the slit pops open. Keep going until you’ve created an “X” shape.

8 Gently ease the pages round to form a book shape. Use a bone folder to smooth down edges and sharpen up the finished piece.

note

Even though this book does not have many pages, each is double-sided:

You could create pockets within the pages by sealing up one open side with washi tape.

Cut out oval shapes with a scalpel to make picture frames – photographs and drawings can be slid in and out.

9 Now create a bigger book with the cartridge or watercolour paper. Doesn’t it feel good to work with thicker paper?

10 Choose one of the techniques from your inkery sample cards and decorate the cover.

concertina

The concertina makes a fantastic double-sided and versatile display structure. Use the front and the back to tell a circular story. You might think that folding a strip of paper forward and backward is self-explanatory, but I want to show you a couple of different ways to extend your zigzag, too – a quick and effective way to present words and images with stylish simplicity!

you’ll need

2 X SHEETS OF A2 OR CARTRIDGE PAPER OR 76 X 56CM (30 X 22IN) WATERCOLOUR PAPER; CHOOSE STOCK THAT’S STURDY ENOUGH TO STAND UPRIGHT (160GSM MINIMUM)

SLITTING KNIFE

BONE FOLDER

GLUE STICK

MECHANICAL PENCIL

AWL (OPTIONAL)

NEEDLE

WAXED LINEN THREAD

WASTE PAPER

WATERCOLOUR INK

BRUSH

WASHI TAPE
precision folds

First, a pep talk about precision! Concentrate on making sure paper edges line up exactly before you fold. If possible, stand while folding concertinas, so that you’re looking right over the crease from above and can adjust the line before committing. If one fold is slightly out, then the whole book is going to end up slightly wonky, so take care with each stage. Aim for an even, regular fold – the more you do, the smoother you’ll get!

1 My watercolour sheets are easier to fold widthways (because this particular paper is short grain), so I’ll fold and cut each page into four long strips (each 76 x 14cm/30 x 5½in). Sharpening up the creases with a bone folder and using a slitting knife will give a soft, even edge to your cuts.

2 Take one strip and fold it in half widthways. Open the strip out flat before folding the short sides in to the middle – your strip is divided into four.

3 Now subdivide these four by folding them in half. You’ll have eight pages on each side of the strip – see diagram. Then refold to get an even zigzag.

4 Voilà! A basic, brilliant concertina. Stand the book on its long side and decide how you’ll decorate the front and back. Which inkery pattern (see here for inspiration) will look best on the portrait covers? Lay the paper out flat before painting.

extending a concertina

There are a few reasons why you might want to join strips of paper together:

•   to make your book longer

•   to use different types of paper in the same book

•   to make a feature of the joins

Here are three ways to extend your concertina.

Divide your two sheets of A2 cartridge paper into short-grain strips (see here for how to tell grain direction). If your paper is long grain, your strips will be 42 x 14.9cm (16½ x 5¾in).

glued tab

1 Take two strips that are the same height. Score a line 2.5cm (1in) in from the end of one strip, parallel to the short end, and fold. This is your tab.

2 Now divide the strip into four, as before, but make the first fold up to the score line.

3 Cut 2.5cm (1in) off the end of the second strip. Fold the second strip into four.

4 Check how the two strips will look joined together.

5 Lay the tab onto waste paper and spread glue right up to the edges.

6 Place the first page of the second strip in place, lining up the top and bottom before rubbing firmly all over. Help the glue to stick by using the long edge of your bone folder to smooth the surfaces together.

stitched tab

1 Repeat steps 1–4.

2 You could use a couple of pieces of washi tape, to place the tab in position with the second strip, while you mark holes 5mm apart, placed down the centre of the tab. If your tab is 2.5cm (1in) or 25mm wide, the holes will sit 13mm (½in) in from the edge.

3 Lightly prick holes through the two thicknesses of paper using an awl or the needle, then prick more firmly through the individual strips

4 Since the waxed linen thread holds its place in the paper well, I don’t use a knot. If your thread is more slippery, you might need to secure the end.

5 Sew in and out of every hole, using a running stitch, leaving decorative tails at the start and finish.

invisible join

This is a genius technique, as the join edges are hidden in the concertina crease.

1 Fold two strips of paper into four.

2 Set strip one with all the valley folds (i.e. the bottom points of the “V”s) facing you, and strip two with all the mountain folds (with the “V” points facing away from you) to the front.

3 Tuck the last page of strip one flat against the inside of the first page of strip two.

4 Check that you’re happy with the position and then glue the whole of that last page, right up to its edges. Place it down directly on top of the first page of the second strip.

5 Check that the top and bottom edges line up before pressing down firmly with the heel of your hand, and use the long edge of your bone folder to make sure the page is stuck down firmly.

turkish map fold

This book contains a surprise when opened. Even though the map fold is created from a single sheet of paper, it pops up to reveal many angled surfaces. A deceptively simple dynamic structure, ideal for making sense of a place or experience – it’s light enough to travel with you. Experiment with scale once you’ve got the hang of those reverse folds. Attach a cover to protect your map fold book, or keep it safe in an envelope.

you’ll need

1 X SHEET OF A4 COPY PAPER, FOR PRACTICE

1 X SHEET OF A4 LONG-GRAIN CARTRIDGE OR WATERCOLOUR PAPER (160–200GSM)

1 X SHEET OF LONG-GRAIN CARTRIDGE PAPER OR WATERCOLOUR PAPER (200GSM), FOR COVER (OPTIONAL)

GLUE STICK

WATERCOLOUR INK

BRUSH

RIBBON (OPTIONAL)

1 Start with the thin copy paper to get your head around making the folds. Fold the sheet in half widthways, and keep that crease at the top of your work surface.

2 Make as if to fold in quarters, but just pinch the paper at the crease, to mark where the middle is.

3 Now take the top left and top right corners and fold them down to meet in the centre, 90 degrees down from the crease. Once you’ve gone over the folds with a bone folder, open them out again.

4 Reverse folds are next. A standard origami move, a reverse fold looks simple, but can be hard to get right to begin with. (See diagram.) Hold one side of the crease with one hand and use the other to open out the far side. Gently push down on the central crease until it sits back down at 90 degrees, and press the triangle flat. Repeat on the other side.

5 Now lift the short sides of the top surface in to meet in the middle, and unfold.

6 Flip the whole thing over and repeat on the other side.

7 Now reverse-fold all of the side sections, one at a time. Hold onto the top triangle crease with one hand, and gently ease the fold inside itself.

8 Embellish the exterior surfaces with your own watercolour design, or add a cover, by cutting paper that is the same thickness or thicker, to fit around your map fold. If you’ve been very neat, then a strip the length of A4 (29.7cm/11.69in) and half the width (10.7cm/8.27in) folded in half widthways fits exactly. Spread glue right to the edges of one house-shaped side at a time, and place inside the cover, rubbing down firmly. You may prefer a little overhang, and a ribbon tie…Go ahead.

9 That’s it! Open out the map fold to show all the angles. If you’re happy with how that went, repeat steps 1–7 using watercolour paper.

flip flap tab book

A bold, ingenious structure that is quick to create, with tabs in the cover slot through the inside pages giving a satisfying visual, strong form. This book is designed to make you think about space on the page, and how cut outs and flaps enhance your composition.

The paper I’ve used is Bockingford NOT, which has a rough surface that holds paint well, and the ink is Cacao du Brésil by J Herbin.

you’ll need

1 X 300GSM SHEET OF WATERCOLOUR PAPER, 56 X 76CM (22 X 30IN)

INK

BRUSH

MECHANICAL PENCIL

SLITTING KNIFE

CUTTING MAT

30CM/12IN METAL RULER

SCALPEL

GLUE STICK (OPTIONAL)

1 Check the direction of the grain in the sheet of paper – it needs to run head to tail, parallel with the short side – then divide it into four, and cut into quarters. Fold each of the quarters in half and “nest” them together.

2 The outermost page is going to become your cover. Use a brush and ink to create an all-over pattern. Wait for the ink to dry completely. Impatience at this stage can be disastrous: go and have a cup of tea and a read.

3 Open the cover out flat on the cutting mat, pattern uppermost. Mark two tabs, by drawing around the square end of a 30cm (12in) ruler, on opposite sides of the crease 6cm down from the top and 6cm up from the bottom. The tab should be at least half the width of the page. Carefully cut three sides of each tab, leaving the spine crease edge intact. These are the flip and flap of the title!

4 Using the tabs as a template, lay the folded second section onto the cover. Mark just above and below each tab, on the crease-line and cut these two slits with a scalpel. Repeat with the third section.

5 Slot the pages together. Start with the cover sheet and weave the tabs through the slits in the second section. Then weave the tabs through the slits in the third section. You can leave the tabs loose, or glue them down, whichever you prefer. Magic.

slot strip book

This unusual and original method of binding shows off your paper-folding and construction skills. It looks impressively complex but is delightfully straightforward to make. You’ll use a concertina strip to interlock pages together, then slot in bookmarks to hold everything in place. Highlight order and sequence by collecting together favourite colours or textures in a visual narrative.

you’ll need

1 X SHEET OF SHORT-GRAIN WATERCOLOUR PAPER (190GSM), FOR THE PAGES

1 X SHEET OF A2 LONG-GRAIN CARTRIDGE PAPER (160GSM), FOR THE CONCERTINA STRIP (YOU’LL ONLY NEED A VERY SMALL PART OF THIS)

PAPER FOR BOOKMARKS – THERE WILL BE SOME LEFT OVER FROM THE LARGE SHEET OF WATERCOLOUR PAPER

MECHANICAL PENCIL

SCALPEL

30CM (12IN) METAL RULER

CUTTING MAT

WASTE PAPER, FOR TEMPLATE

WATERCOLOUR INK

BRUSH

GLUE STICK (OPTIONAL)

1 First, divide your sheet of watercolour paper into folded pages. This sheet is short grain, so fold and cut it in half, then quarters and finally eighths. This will give you six pages to fold in half widthways, and two spare for bookmarks. See diagram.

2 Take the A2 sheet of cartridge paper and then cut a narrow (4cm/1½in) strip from the short side. Fold the strip into a regular concertina by folding it in half, and half again.

3 Keep dividing the strip in half widthways until you have eight page sides, and seven folds. Depending on how you’ve folded it, zigzag the strip forward and back to finish.

4 Now create a template – this will make it easier to cut a slit in the right place, on the crease of each page. Cut a piece of waste paper the same height as your folded pages. Place one end of the concertina strip roughly centrally, and mark a point on the crease, just above and below, with a pencil. Take your book pages, lay the template against the crease and translate the two marks over onto the section.

5 Open out the folded page and carefully cut a straight line (using your ruler and scalpel) between the two pencil marks. Repeat until you have cut slits on the crease of all six folded pages. These are going to be your “slots”. Nest the folded pages into pairs so you have three sections.

6 Now for the intriguing bit! Imagine your concertina strip is made up of mountains (where the fold points up) and valleys (where the fold points down). Leaving the first flap free, slot the first valley into the slit of the first folded section, from the outside. Then slot the second valley into the second section. Continue slotting the concertina into the last folded section.

7 Now you’re ready to cut the bookmarks to size. These are going to slot down in between the concertina fold in the centre of each folded page. This cleverly locks the structure together with no glue or thread… but getting the right width is important. Have a guess, and try one bookmark for size, before cutting the rest. Slot all the bookmarks into place.

8 I’ve chosen to decorate the first and last page with inkery. You may prefer to embellish the bookmarks, or the concertina, or both, or everything. Leave the flaps to fly, or stick them down.

concertina with pockets

I love this book for its capacity to hold so much. It will not want to lie flat, preferring to show off the contents of each pocket. This substantial structure calls for a large sheet of the thickest and best paper you can lay your hands on. It makes a statement piece for displaying precious cards, letters and smaller books, and is perfect for a commemorative gift or a record of a special trip.

you’ll need

1 X SHEET OF LONG-GRAIN WATERCOLOUR PAPER (300GSM)

1 X SHEET OF A4 COPY PAPER, FOR PRACTICE

BONE FOLDER

SCISSORS

MECHANICAL PENCIL

30CM (12IN) METAL RULER

SLITTING KNIFE

WATERCOLOUR INK

BRUSH

NEEDLE

WAXED LINEN THREAD

AWL WITH A FINE POINT

MINI BOOKS, LETTERS, POSTCARDS, ETC., TO FILL POCKETS (OPTIONAL)

1 Start by folding this magnificent sheet of paper into eight: fold it in half widthways, then open it out fully before folding it in half lengthways. After opening the whole page out again, take the short ends into the centre and fold. Use a bone folder to get those creases crisp!

2 Now mark a parallel line 8cm in from each of the long sides, and fold in. If you want to be precise, score the line with a ruler and bone folder first.

3 Beginning at one short end, cut or slit straight along the middle crease line until you reach the three-quarters mark, and then stop (see diagram).

4 Quickly practise the fold with a sheet of A4 copy paper: fold it into eight, as you did with the big sheet (see step 1). Then fold the long sides in by 3cm (1in). You’re going to fold a concertina, starting on the bottom left side of the long cut. Keep folding forward and backward, even when you reach the top and need to change direction. Just make sure to fold away from the already-folded pages, rather than wrapping them up. This is quite a complicated fold, so you could practise first with a sheet of A4 copy paper. Take it steady, ensure your folds are true and remember who’s in charge. (The answer is: you, and your bone folder.)

5 You’ll end up having folded a “U”-shaped concertina with an odd fold in the middle: this is not a mistake. This is your secret compartment. Depending on how you started, the row of pockets will be on the inside or the outside. You can choose which way you prefer, by changing the direction of the first fold.

6 Isn’t that the funkiest thing to make out of a single piece of paper?

7 Once you have an idea of the finished book structure, mark the front and back covers lightly in pencil so that you know which way they are. Open out the sheet and add some inkery to the covers and the pockets.

8 When the ink is completely dry, fold the book up again and add tiny stitches to secure the pocket-sides. Use a knot or a running stitch for different decorative effects. Fill the pockets with other small book structures you’ve learned, or small bundles of postcards or letters.

ribbon-bound pages

An unassuming and charming way to bind a series of pages together. This book looks wonderful with raw deckle-edged paper, so seek out quality materials for this project. Perhaps now is the opportunity to use that ribbon you’ve been saving for just the right occasion. Bring back the tradition of a keepsake, and give a ribbon-bound memento to someone you treasure.

you’ll need

3 X SHEETS OF A4

TEXTURED COTTON RAG PAPER, SUCH AS KHADI (HANDMADE PAPER THEORETICALLY DOESN’T HAVE A PARTICULAR GRAIN DIRECTION, BUT IF YOU HAVE AN OPTION, CHOOSE SHORT GRAIN)

LARGE AWL OR JAPANESE SCREW PUNCH

60CM (24IN) LENGTH OF RIBBON, (MINIMUM 3MM (0.1IN)/MAXIMUM 8MM (0.3IN) WIDE), UNBLEACHED LINEN OR SMOOTH SATIN NEON, ACCORDING TO TASTE

SCISSORS

STICKY TAPE

WATERCOLOUR INK

BRUSH

1 Fold the three sheets of paper in half widthways, and open them out flat.

2 Decorate one side of one sheet with an inky pattern.

3 Make a generous hole, by finding the middle of the centre crease and, using an awl or screw punch, go through all three sheets.

4 Cut a length of ribbon that is three times the height of your book. With all the folded pages together (and holes lined up), start threading the ribbon through the central hole, from the outside to the inside. If this is tricky, try a) adding sticky tape to reinforce the ribbon end, cut into a point, or b) making the hole bigger.

5 Holding onto the tail end of the ribbon with a spare finger, take the ribbon up and over the top of the pages, down the outside spine and under the book’s bottom edge.

6 Bring the ribbon back up to the middle and ease it through to the outside of the book. Ensure that both ends lie on opposite sides of the long length of ribbon.

7 Now tie a double knot (or a bow if the tails are long enough) and trim the ribbon ends diagonally to stop them fraying.

five-hole pamphlet

The most useful bookbinding structure ever. This is the best and strongest method of sewing folded sheets together. Neat, functional and versatile, you can make this binding out of any combination or variety of papers. You’ll never look back once you realize how quick it is to create bespoke books. The standard pamphlet stitch has three holes…we’re going straight for five! Use bright thread for a classy pop of colour, or make a series with contrasting covers.

you’ll need

1 X A2 SHEET OF LONG-GRAIN CARTRIDGE PAPER (200GSM)

1 X STRIP OF 300GSM SHORT-GRAIN WATERCOLOUR PAPER, FOR THE COVERS, 38 X 15CM (15 X 6IN)

BONE FOLDER

SLITTING KNIFE

WATERCOLOUR INK

BRUSH

MECHANICAL PENCIL

PAPER, FOR TEMPLATE

FINE AWL

NEEDLE

WAXED LINEN THREAD

GLUE STICK

CLIP (OPTIONAL)

PAPER, FOR HANGING TAGS (OPTIONAL)

1 Fold the sheet in half widthways and slit with a slitting knife. Fold both pieces of paper in half lengthways and cut them, too. Lay one strip aside for another project.

2 Now’s the time to decorate the watercolour cover strip with an allover pattern. Note that the first and last quarter of the strip will eventually be folded in, so bear this in mind if you’re working out where you might put a title.

3 Prepare the internal section while you’re waiting for the cover to dry: fold the remaining three strips in half, then cut. You’ll have six pieces of paper. Fold and nest them together into one thick section (see diagram).

4 Make a template from a piece of paper the same height as your book: it doesn’t matter how wide it is – probably about 5cm (2in) for ease of handling. Make five marks on the long edge of the strip. Start by marking the exact middle, then mark 1.5cm down from the top and 1.5cm up from the bottom edge. Fit another hole evenly spaced between the upper and middle holes, and, lastly, one between the lower and middle holes (see diagram).

5 Place the nested sections inside your (now dry) cover. Leave the cover flaps unfolded for now. Put the template up against the inside middle crease, then transfer the five marks from the template onto the crease with a fine pencil.

6 Use the awl to push a small hole through all the sections and cover together. Hold onto the paper firmly, take care that your fingers don’t get pricked, and make the holes sit right on the crease. A clip can help to keep the pages in place.

7 Get ready to sew by threading your needle with a length of thread that is three times the height of your book. You don’t need a knot. Starting on the outside, take your needle and thread through the middle hole of the cover and sections, right into the centre of the book. Leave a tail of about 8cm (3in), and hold onto this with your thumb. There’s a diagram that shows the sewing steps clearly.

8 Now go out through the next hole up, and back in through the top hole. Go back out through the next hole down then miss out the middle hole and, instead, take the needle back in to the centre of the book at the fourth hole down.

9 Come back out through the bottom hole and up into the fourth hole again. Finish by coming back to the centre hole and being reunited with your tail.

10 Make sure that your tail is on one side of the long stitch, and your needle and thread are on the other. Tie a double knot to secure the binding. Trim the ends. I prefer to leave them quite long, so that bespoke tags can be attached.

11 With the book lying flat, mark where the fore edges of your covers will be, and fold them in.

single section: running stitch

The first of three bindings that each contain a single section of folded pages. The running stitch makes a jaunty feature on the spine. Taking the time to create a cover and sewing a line of thread just for one book, gives it a value out of proportion to its size. Use thicker paper for the covers if you’d rather it was more substantial, and fit extra pages into the section if they are of thinner stock. In the image above, you’ll see the running stitch binding on the left, string of pearls in the middle, and chain on the right.

you’ll need

1 X 190GSM SHEET OF WATERCOLOUR PAPER, 76 X 56CM (30 X 22IN), ENOUGH FOR FOUR BOOKS

BONE FOLDER

SLITTING KNIFE

MECHANICAL PENCIL

NEEDLE

WAXED LINEN THREAD

WATERCOLOUR INK

BRUSH

1 Divide your sheet into four strips by folding it in half lengthways then cutting it, and then also fold those pieces in half lengthways and cut again. Lay three strips aside for other books. See diagram.

2 Fold one strip in half widthways and cut it into two. Fold one of these in half widthways again and cut. Fold the two pieces in half and nest them together. They have become your single eight-page section.

3 The remaining strip will be your cover.

4 Create a box-pleat spine by folding two parallel creases down the centre: take the left-hand end of the cover strip and make as if to fold it in half widthways, but stop 3mm (0.1in) short of the right-hand end (3mm is not very much – check on a ruler). Then open out the strip before taking the right-hand end and doing the very same thing: go to fold the cover in half, except line up the edge 3mm in. This is a cunning way of folding two parallel lines without fiddly scoring and measuring.

5 Now mark up the spine in readiness for sewing. Open up the cover, with the inside facing upward. Carefully add an even number of light pencil dots, centred between the parallel creases. They don’t need to be evenly spaced. You’ll have about 14 holes, about 1cm (½in) apart. Once you’re happy with the position of the pencil marks, prick them through the paper with a needle or awl.

6 Next, use the line of pricked holes as a template for getting the holes in the right place on the section: lay the long folded side up against the spine markings. With a pencil, lightly transfer the position of each hole onto the section crease. In order not to get muddled up later, I put a tiny “T” on both the cover and the section. Then prick through both folded pages, trying to make the holes lie on the crease.

7 Excellent! It’s time to sew. You won’t need much thread for this; about twice the height of the book. Thread the needle and make a nice chunky knot at one end. Starting at the bottom, on the inside, take your needle through the section, and the cover, to the outside. The knot should sit happily anchored in the hole.

8 Continue going in and out of all the holes, right up to the top. If you’ve got an even number of holes, you’ll end up on the inside. To tie off, take the needle and thread under the last stitch and through the loop created as you pull it tight – this is called a half-hitch (see diagram). Trim close.

9 Finally, fold in the flaps to make double-thickness covers. Don’t forget to lay the book flat before marking where the fore edge should be.

10 Paint the covers now.

11 Try making other running stitch books. Use shorter or longer stitches, or different-coloured thread.

single section: string of pearls

The stitch pattern for this second single-section book forms tiny loops of thread on the spine that look like pearls. What a romantic, evocative binding! Fill with sweet nothings, dreams and wishful thinking. Link the contents to the string of delicate pearls down the spine. Give as an 18th birthday present or to a bride-to-be.

you’ll need

1 X 190GSM SHEET OF SHORT-GRAIN WATERCOLOUR PAPER, 76 X 56CM (30 X 22IN), ENOUGH FOR FOUR BOOKS

BONE FOLDER

SLITTING KNIFE

MECHANICAL PENCIL

NEEDLE

WAXED LINEN THREAD

WATERCOLOUR INK

BRUSH

WASHI TAPE

1 Prepare the section and cover by repeating steps 1–4 of Running Stitch. Lay your folded cover open with the inside facing uppermost. Mark a row of regularly spaced dots in a straight line between the parallel spine folds. Start 5mm (0.2in) down from the top and finish 5mm (0.2in) up from the bottom. Make the dots roughly 1cm (½in) apart (14–16 dots).

2 Prick holes through with your needle. Transfer these sewing positions onto the section (your two folded pages nested together) and prick them through, too.

3 You’ll need a length of thread three times the height of your book. So charge your needle and get ready to sew. Starting at the top hole inside the section, take your needle through the two folds and the cover. Tape a short end of tail (5cm/2in) to the side with a bit of washi tape, so that it doesn’t slip out accidentally during the next few steps.

4 Go from the top right down into the bottom hole. You’ll have a long stitch down the spine. Now come out of the next hole up from the bottom. Go over the long stitch and back into the same hole. Don’t pull too tight. You’ve created your first pearl! Take care not to pierce the thread with your needle as you go along, as this makes it difficult to pull your stitch taut. (The worst that can happen is that you’ll get loose, loopy stitches on the inside of your book, which won’t affect the structural integrity, maybe just your pride.)

5 Exit the third hole up and take your needle around the long stitch before going back into the third hole. Carry on up the spine, one pearl at a time, until you reach the last hole but one. NOTE: The top and bottom holes do not have a pearl.

6 Secure the end by tying a double knot with the tail you taped down at the beginning. You can gently pull the long stitch taut before the final knot. Trim short.

7 Glance back at the Running Stitch, step 9 for a reminder of how to fold in the covers. Decorate the covers with inky patterns.

8 Develop by making another String of Pearls book. Perhaps this one will have contrasting threads – tie a different colour on the inside, once you’ve made the first long stitch.

single section: chain stitch

Create a chain pattern down the spine, to make a strong, chic binding. Embroiderers will find this stitch reassuringly familiar. Vary the effect by trying different thicknesses of thread, or choose a colour that contrasts with the cover design so that it stands out beautifully. The symbolism of a linked chain could have nautical as well as romantic associations.

you’ll need

1 X (190GSM) SHEET OF WATERCOLOUR PAPER, 76 X 56CM (30 X 22IN), ENOUGH FOR FOUR BOOKS

BONE FOLDER

SLITTING KNIFE

MECHANICAL PENCIL

WAXED LINEN THREAD

NEEDLE

WATERCOLOUR INK

BRUSH

WASHI TAPE

1 Prepare the section and cover by repeating steps 1–4 of Running Stitch. Lay your folded cover open with the inside facing uppermost, ready to mark the sewing holes. This time your pencil dots will be 5mm (0.2in) apart all the way down the spine. Make sure they sit centrally between the parallel lines on the inside cover. You’ll have about 26 holes

2 Use a needle to prick holes through the cover, then lay the section alongside to mark and prick holes in the corresponding places too.

3 This binding stitch requires quite a bit of thread. Cut a length five times the height of the book, to be sure of having enough. Starting from the second hole down from the top, on the inside, take your needle to the outside (through both folded pages and the cover), then up to the top hole. Tie a double knot. This is your anchor stitch.

4 Return to the outside through the third hole down. Take your needle underneath that first stitch on the spine, and go back into the third hole. You’ve made the first link in the chain!

5 Come out of the fourth hole down from the top and slip your needle under the two threads that make the first chain link, then back into the fourth hole.

6 Continue in this way, going around the link above, right down to the bottom hole.

7 When you’ve worked the last link of the chain and have come back to the inside, tie a half-hitch (see Running Stitch) to secure. Mark and fold in the cover flaps as for Running Stitch, step 9.

Paint a cover that contrasts with the first two in this set.

8 Use the extra set of papers to make a chain stitch book with the holes even closer together.

japanese stab binding

A traditional Asian-style of binding, this is a useful way to gather single sheets together. Its distinctive linear stitch gives a very clean, graphic look. Choose a softer paper so that the thread, when pulled tight, can really sink into the spine. I enjoy the process of “filling in the gaps” to complete the binding. Once you’ve learned the basic version, you could investigate more complex stitch patterns, such as hemp leaf or tortoiseshell, or invent your own.

you’ll need

8 X SHEETS OF A5 SHORT-GRAIN TEXTURED PAPER (MINIMUM 150GSM) – I’VE USED A KHADI COTTON RAG PAPER; ROUGH-EDGED PAPER WORKS WELL

PAPER, FOR TEMPLATE

FINE AWL AND CARDBOARD

MECHANICAL PENCIL

NEEDLE

WAXED LINEN THREAD

WATERCOLOUR INK

BRUSH

CLIP (OPTIONAL)

SCALPEL (OPTIONAL)

1 Fold each of the sheets in half widthways, and stack them on top of each other. Unusually, the creased side is going to be on the fore edge of this book.

2 Make a template that is the same height as your book. Rule a line running 12mm (½in) parallel to the left-hand long edge. Mark a dot on that line 12mm (½in) down from the head, and another one 12mm (½in) up from the tail. Now find the mid-point and place a dot there. Finally, mark midway between the top and middle dots, and the middle and bottom dots. You’ll have five marks evenly spaced from the centre point. Refer to the diagram.

3 Place the template on top of your stack of folded sheets and put a thick piece of cardboard underneath. (Take a moment to check three things: i) that all the fore edges line up; ii) that the long cut edges are on the left; and iii) that the template is squarely on top.)

4 Carefully make holes that go through every page in the pile. Try to keep the awl at 90 degrees to the book, so that the holes go straight down, rather than at an angle. Once the holes are all made, use a clip to be sure of keeping them all lined up, if you like.

5 Charge your needle with thread four and a half times the height of the book. I’m going to ask you to start in a slightly odd place but trust me, it’ll make sense in the end. With your needle and thread in one hand, grip the stack of pages at one corner with the other. Find the gap in between sections four and five and take your needle up through the middle hole. Leave your tail to lie in between the pages (not inside a folded page, or hanging out of the spine) and then put all the pages (the “book block”) back together again; from now on you’ll be sewing it as a whole.

6 Go up to the next hole and through all the pages. Come around the spine and back into the same hole. Continue up to the top hole on the back, go through it and around the spine. Also, go over the top of the book and back into the same hole. Pull the thread really tight, so that it bites into the paper.

7 You’ll notice that a pattern is starting to appear. Take your needle into the second hole down, and come back to the front through the middle hole. Don’t wrap around the spine at this point.

8 From the middle, work the bottom half of the binding in the same way: so go one hole down, wrap around the spine and back into that same hole. Take your needle down through the bottom hole and remember to wrap around the spine and the tail edge, too.

9 Go up one hole, through to the back and then out to the front at the middle hole. All the gaps in the pattern have been filled in except the last stitch.

10 If we were to go around the spine and right through the book, our needle and thread would end up on the outside, when our tail is still on the inside – we want to reunite them: take your needle around the spine and point it into the middle hole. Instead of going all the way through, wiggle the tip so that it comes out in between the pages where the tail is lying.

11 Celebrate by tying the ends in a double knot and trim them close. You can nudge the ends into the spine to hide them, if you like.

12 Having double-thickness pages gives you the option to use them as pockets by sealing up the bottom edge with tape or stitch, or cut small “picture frame” windows with a scalpel (insert card first, otherwise you’ll be cutting though both layers).

multi-section softback

A multipurpose journal containing three folded sections – giving lots of pages for writing or drawing – with three lines of stitch on the spine. The soft covers, made with thick watercolour paper, make it perfect for tucking in a pocket or bag while on the move. Bound with linen threads that burst from the spine at jaunty angles, this is a book whose confidence belies its simplicity.

For the pages, I recommend a heavy-weight cartridge paper, minimum 200gsm, maximum 220gsm. Using an awl with a fine point is easier on the hands than a needle but is not essential.

you’ll need

1 X A2 SHEET OF CARTRIDGE PAPER, DIVIDED INTO 8 LANDSCAPE PAGES, 21 X 15CM (8¼ X 6IN) – 2 OF THESE WILL BE “EXTRA”, FOR ANOTHER PROJECT

THICK WATERCOLOUR PAPER, PREFERABLY 300GSM – THE SIZE NEEDS TO BE THE SAME HEIGHT AS YOUR OPEN PAGES AND TWICE THE WIDTH, I.E. 42 X 15CM (16½ X 6IN) AS FOR THE FIVE-HOLE PAMPHLET.

INK

BRUSH

CUTTING MAT

30CM (12IN) METAL RULER

SCALPEL

SCRAP OF PAPER FOR SEWING TEMPLATE

NEEDLE OR AN AWL WITH A FINE POINT

WAXED LINEN THREAD

PROPELLING OR MECHANICAL PENCIL WITH 0.5MM LEAD, OR A NICELY SHARPENED ORDINARY PENCIL

WASHI TAPE

BONE FOLDER

1 Create the inside pages by folding the cartridge papers in half, gathering two sheets into each section.

2 Form the squared off spine by making two parallel creases down the middle of the cover. This is known as a box pleat, or even a French pleat as used in the single section bindings (see here). You need to check how wide the spine has to be to accommodate all the folded sections. There is a cunning way to do this: line up/stack all the pages so that you are loosely gripping the side with the folded edges. Lay the cover strip out flat. Guesstimate the spine-width by butting the book pages up to one end of the cover strip. Go to fold the cover almost in half, up to your stack of pages, and make a firm crease. Excellent.

3 Now open the cover out again, to an “L’”shape, and place the book pages on the longest side, nestled into the right angle. Make a fine indent with your nail on the edge of the cover, to mark the position of the second spine crease. Now fold to that mark, lining up with the top edge. NB: Bookbinders hate a baggy spine, so it’s better to end up with one that’s on the narrow side of snug rather than squidgy. Leave the cover sides long to fold in later.

4 Cover one side of the watercolour paper with an inky pattern. I’ve left a central strip clear of colour so that you can see the stitches. Leave until absolutely dry.

5 Make a template out of scrap paper that is the same height and width as your spine. You’ll be marking up three rows of stitches. It is worth being neat and a bit pernickety over this stage. Mark three holes; one right in the centre, and the other two directly above and below this, about 2cm (¾in) up from the bottom, and 2cm (¾in) down from the top. This is row “B”. Next, position outer holes to the right and left of the centre hole, ensuring that they are no closer than 2cm (¾in) apart. This is to avoid any risk of ripping through at the sewing stage. I know this is fiddly with a narrow spine. The side holes can be very close to the spine creases. Finally; add the top and bottom outer holes, each 3cm (1in) from the top and bottom respectively. These holes are for sections “A” and “C”. Now that you have nine neat dots on the template, prick each through with a needle or an awl. There’s a template diagram.

6 Lay the template on the spine section, on the inside of the cover, making sure it is squared up. Hold in place with a couple of strips of washi tape to be extra sure. Push a needle through each hole in the template, gently transferring nine holes onto the actual cover. Carefully remove the template. Make a little “T” (for Top) mark to the left of the spine, so that you know which way is up!

7 Lightly mark the top of each section respectively with an “A”, a “B” and a “C” so that they don’t get muddled or the wrong way up! Prick straight through each of the holes, taking care that each comes through on the crease. Now lay each section against the cover and transfer the three marks across, so that you have three dots lying on the centre crease of each section. “A” and “C” will be the same. The holes for “B” will be further apart.

Check that the holes on the sections align with the cover when stacked together.

8 We‘re going to sew one section at a time into the cover. Be aware of which section goes where, i.e. the three vertical holes on the left of the inner spine are for the “A” section.

Thread a needle with a length of linen that is three times the height of the book. You don’t need a knot at the end. Pick up section “A” and place inside the cover. Starting on the outside, on the right-hand side, at the middle hole, take the needle and thread through the cover and both pages of section “A”. Leave a short tail. Hold onto this with a spare finger/thumb.

On the inside now, take your needle out through the top hole. Miss out the middle hole, go down to the third/bottom hole and back into the centre. This creates a single long stitch on the spine. From the bottom hole, take the needle and thread back though the middle hole to the outside. Ensure the tail-end and needle-end are on opposite sides of the long stitch. Pull firm.

9 Tie a double knot (aka a reef knot) tightly over the long stitch to finish off. Leave tails long to flaunt and hang things from. Repeat with sections “B” and “C” taking care to use the correct set of vertical holes in the cover. Thankfully, this gets more obvious as you go along.

10 Once the sections are all sewn, cautiously fold the front and back cover flaps around the first and last pages of your book. When you are happy that it will be in the right place once the book is shut, use the bone folder to make a firm crease.

placket book

An ancient bookbinding structure, once used for spiritual writings. The placket serves to reinforce the spine, as well as looking good. Traditionally made of vellum or leather, our book probably won’t be subject to much wear and tear, so the placket will be fashioned from thick, strong paper instead. The binding looks complex but is, in fact, a series of tied knots.

you’ll need

3 X SHEETS OF A2 LONG-GRAIN CARTRIDGE PAPER (200GSM), FOR THE INSIDES

1 X SHEET OF THICK SHORT GRAIN WATERCOLOUR PAPER NOT (300GSM), FOR THE COVER

STRIP OF THICK LONG GRAIN PAPER (MINIMUM 300GSM), FOR THE PLACKETS

SLITTING KNIFE

SCALPEL

CUTTING MAT

WATERCOLOUR INK

BRUSH

MECHANICAL PENCIL

30CM (12IN) METAL RULER

JAPANESE SCREW PUNCH (OPTIONAL)

GLUE STICK

NEEDLE

WAXED LINEN THREAD

1 Start by dividing and cutting your sheets of cartridge paper down to size. Fold the A2 page in half widthways and cut. Then fold each of those in half lengthways and cut. You’ll have four strips from each sheet: fold these in half widthways and nest them together in pairs. If you do this with each A2 sheet, you’ll end up with six sections: we only need five, so one will be spare.

2 Your cover is the same height as the sections, and between three or four times the width of the folded pages, which are 21 x 15cm (8¼ x 6in). It’s more important that the cover is short grain than four times the width, so make a judgment depending on the paper you have to work with. My cover is 76 x 15cm (30 x 6in). Cut that to size now.

3 Let’s form the spine by folding a box pleat in the cover. You need to know how wide the spine should be for all five sections to fit comfortably within it. Grip the sections, not too tightly, and make a visual note of the width. Fold the cover almost in half widthways, but leave a gap equivalent to your estimated spine-width at one end.

4 Bring the shorter end of the cover up to form the upright part of a capital “L” shape. Lay your sections, spine folds downward, onto the corner of the “L” and make a mark with your nail where you think the fold should go. Too wide a spine will result in a squashy book, with the risk of cracking the spine; too narrow and the covers may never close flat... try for snug. The width of my spine, using 200gsm cartridge paper, is 11mm (½in).

Make the second spine crease by folding the cover at your nail mark, keeping the top straight edge aligned.

5 Now that you know the spine width, you can make two perfectly sized plackets. These will be 4cm (1½in) high, and 2mm (⅛in) less than the width of your spine. Take the measurement from the outside, by laying a ruler across the spine at a right angle. If the plackets hang over the spine edge, they could catch or crease. Ideally, they will lie trimly between the parallel lines. Round the corners of each placket, to soften the edges.

6 The next step is to mark the five sets of sewing holes on each placket with a pencil. Have a look at the diagram to see the positioning. Mark five holes in a row, 2mm (⅛in) down from the top, and 2mm (⅛in) up from the bottom. Set each hole about 2mm (⅛in) apart.

7 If you have a Japanese screw punch, use this to make the holes, otherwise use a large needle.

8 Use a dab of glue to attach these plackets to the outside of the spine. Place one 2cm (¾in) down from the top and the other 2cm (¾in) up from the tail. Using the plackets as templates, prick holes through the cover, too.

9 The last step before binding is to mark the four sewing positions on each of the sections. Lay each section alongside the corresponding holes on the inner spine. It’s a good idea to lightly number, in pencil, every section, to keep them in order and the right way up. Now prick the holes through, trying to stay on the creased line.

10 A metre (yard) of thread will be more than enough. This book is bound with a series of knotted stitches, rather than a continuous binding. Check that your sections are in the right order, with the holes lined up.

11 Start with section number one: line it up with the left-hand vertical row of holes inside the cover. Take your needle out through the second hole down, through the two folded pages and the cover. Come back into the centre through the top hole. Pull tight, and tie the ends together in a double knot that sits in the second hole down. Trim the ends close (1cm/½in).

12 Attach the bottom placket in the same way, starting from the third hole down on the inside of section one. Go down to the last hole and back into the middle to tie off. Simple, eh? I love a composite binding.

13 Continue attaching each individual section to the spine, tying off after each stitch. When all the sections are bound in, fold in the covers by marking the fore-edge position and committing.

14 Unfold the cover and paint it with your own inkery design. Lay it out to dry.

hardback

The final project brings together all the skills you’ve developed, with the addition of a new binding method – the classic kettle stitch – and the ability to add hard covers. This is a proper practical book, hardy enough to work as a sketchbook or journal. The exposed spine helps the pages to lie perfectly flat when open, making them a joy to draw or write on. Once you’ve got your head and hands around this binding, use different weights and types of paper to suit your purpose and style.

you’ll need

1 X SHEET OF WATERCOLOUR NOT PAPER (MINIMUM 190GSM), FOR THE PAGES

GREY BOARD, 2MM (⅛IN) THICK (OR 2,000 MICRONS), CUT TO SIZE AFTER SECTIONS ARE FOLDED, FOR THE COVER WATERCOLOUR PAPER, CUT TO SIZE AFTER BOARD MEASUREMENT IS KNOWN, FOR THE COVER

SCALPEL

CUTTING MAT

BONE FOLDER

SLITTING KNIFE

PAPER, FOR TEMPLATE WATERCOLOUR INK

BRUSH

MECHANICAL PENCIL

METAL RULERS, 30CM (12IN) AND 15CM (6IN)

NEEDLE

WAXED LINEN THREAD

SCALPEL

GLUE

GLUE BRUSH

WASTE PAPER

SCISSORS

HEAVY BOOKS, TO USE AS A PRESS

1 Begin by cutting your large sheet down into double-page spreads. I have a thing for small chunky books, so I’m dividing my sheet into 16. Fold and cut steadily in half, quarters, eighths and, finally, sixteenths. See diagram.

2 Fold the pages in half widthways and nest them in pairs. You’ll end up with 16 sections. Use the long edge of your bone folder to smooth down the crease of each section that little bit more firmly.

3 Next, mark up the spine in preparation for sewing. Make sure your block of sections is squared up to the spine, by tapping it firmly onto a flat surface. When you’re happy that the sections are lined up neatly and evenly, grip them with your non-writing hand.

4 Lay a small ruler across the spine at a right angle. Mark a single line, in pencil, 12mm (½in) in from one end, so that you have a dot of graphite on each crease. Do the same 12mm (½in) in from the other end.

5 Systematically open out each section, one at a time, and prick the two holes with a needle, placing them down in a neat pile once you’re done (so they end up in the same order and the right way up).

6 You’ll need a length of thread that is 20 times the height of your book. This binding is going to take you up and down each section, linking them together with a knot at each end as you go along. I’m right-handed, so I always lay my stack of sections on my left, spine out.

7 Flip over the first section. Start at one end – it doesn’t matter which, and take your needle from the outside to the inside – leaving a 5cm (2in) tail. Go along the crease and come out of the second hole. Lay it flat, spine facing you.

pulling thread

To pull the thread tight without ripping the paper, always pull in the direction that you’re sewing. You can leave the tail long, as it’ll be hidden later.

8 Flip over your second section and place it directly on top of the first. I find it helps to see what’s going on if the sections are lined up at the edge of my workbench. I hold the needle and thread in one hand and place the fingers of the other hand in between the pages, so that I can flick to the middle and the outside easily.

9 Go into the hole right above the one you’ve just left, along to the second hole and out. Tie the ends together here, with a double knot.

10 Flip the third section over, to lie on the second, checking the holes line up. Go in and out of the holes as before.

11 It’s time for the first kettle stitch! When I started bookbinding, I assumed this was something to do with cups of tea, but actually the word derives from the German word for chain, ketten. Take your needle around the stitch (or post) that links the sections below from the inside to the outside. As you’re pulling it through, put your needle up through the loop that is forming. Now when the knot is tightened, it looks like the link of a chain.

12 Place the fourth section on top of the first three. Sew in and out of the holes as before, and form a kettle stitch at the end, before adding the fifth section.

13 Continue in this way until all 16 sections are sewn. Do a double kettle stitch at the end (just one on top of another) and leave the tail untrimmed.

14 Now you can cut the covers to fit the book! Check the grain direction of the board, then place the book block down in one corner. Mark a fine pencil line just on the fore edge and tail, where the book meets the edge of the board.

15 These boards are going to be exactly the same size as the front and back pages of your book. Carefully cut the boards with a fresh blade and steady strokes. Excellent.

16 The boards will be covered with your customized paper, so we’ll prepare these next. Lay each board onto the watercolour paper, leaving an extra “turnover” of 1.5cm (0.6in) on all four sides. Cut these out.

17 Paint and decorate one side of each cover paper with inkery, bearing in mind that the outside edges will be turned in and hidden.

18 While you’re waiting for the ink to dry, gather together everything you’ll need for gluing: a few sheets of waste paper, glue, glue brush, scissors, bone folder and some heavy books to use as a press.

19 Place one of the covers, painted side down, in the middle of a sheet of waste paper. Load up the glue brush with a generous dollop of glue and spread it from the centre to the edges in a starburst pattern. Stay calm, as the paper will undoubtedly curl up, confirming the grain direction (as the moisture of the glue is absorbed into the paper – it will relax, but it can be a stressful moment).

20 Whisk out the gluey waste paper. Set down the card centrally on the cover paper. Lightly press it down with the heel of your hand. Quickly cut the corners at an angle of 45 degrees, leaving a gap that is one and a half times the thickness of the board (3mm/1/8in).

21 Using all your fingers, draw over the long sides first. Really mould the paper around the contours of the board, and press down at the edges to make sure it’s stuck.

22 With a thumbnail or the point of a bone folder, push the cover paper toward the board.

23 Now turn in the short sides and smooth the edges down. Wipe away any excess glue that may have squeezed out. Repeat the process with the second cover. Place the covers in between clean waste paper and press under a heavy weight for a few hours until dry.

24 To attach the first board to the book, slip a piece of waste paper between the first and second pages, and spread a thin layer of glue all over it. That waste paper means that you can go right up to, and over, the edges. Lay the thread ends across the book page, so that they will be sandwiched by the cover.

25 Pull out the waste paper and set the front cover in place, checking that it’s positioned centrally. Push down firmly. Gently open the book and lay the cover down flat. Look for dobs of glue at the edges, and wipe them away. Use the long side of your bone folder through a sheet of waste paper to thoroughly smooth the endpaper to the cover board.

26 Repeat the process with the back cover. Slip waste paper between the first and last pages to absorb the moisture. Place under a weight until dry.

PARTS OF THE BOOK

PAPER SIZES

A0 | 841 x 1189 mm | (33.1 x 46.8 in)
A1 | 594 x 841 mm | (23.4 x 33.1in)
A2 | 420 x 594 mm | (16.5 x 23.4in)
A3 | 297 x 420 mm | (11.7 x 16.5in)
A4 | 210 x 297 mm | (8.3 x 11.7in)
A5 | 148 x 210 mm | (5.8 x 8.3in)
A6 | 105 x 148 mm | (4.1 x 5.8in)
A7 | 74 x 105 mm | (2.9 x 4.1in)
A8 | 52 x 74 mm | (2 x 2.9in)

US letter size (8 x 11inches) is perfect to use when A4 is called for.

PAPER WEIGHT CONVERSION

54lb = 80gsm | 135lb = 200gsm
68lb = 100gsm | 140lb = 300gsm
101lb = 150gsm |

lb = pounds per ream   gsm = grams per square metre

FOLDS

KNOT

STITCHES

PROJECT DIAGRAMS AND TEMPLATES

(arrows show grain direction)

glossary

Awl

Pointed metal spike (often with a comfortable wooden handle) for making holes.

Cold pressed

Watercolour paper that has been passed through cold metal rollers during production, resulting in a textured paper with a slight tooth. Also referred to as NOT (see below.)

Concertina

A zig-zag, folded forwards and backwards like an accordion. A folded book resembling the instrument.

Cotton rag

Primary ingredient of good quality paper. Traditionally made from old clothes (rags) rather than the cotton plant, now more likely to be cotton linters.

Couched

Part of the paper-making process, when a layer of wet pulp is laid onto a sheet of felt, which absorbs moisture and gives surface texture. Couching also prevents two sheets sticking together. From the verb ‘couch’: to lay down.

Deckle edged

The thin layer of paper pulp which forms a ragged edge around a sheet of handmade paper. The deckle is a frame which sits on top of the paper mould, pressing the pulp flat. Any pulp squeezed out at the sides creates this distinctive edge.

Folding

Transforming an originally flat sheet of paper by bending and creasing. Satisfying method of dividing paper without measuring.

Grain direction

Fibres in the paper-making process align on the surafce in a particular way, affecting how a page behaves when folded, glued or painted, for example. The fibres in machine-made paper are arranged regularly and parallel to each other, whereas handmade paper fibres lie in a random pattern. Determining the grain direction of each sheet of paper enables you to best exploit its qualities.

Grey board

Also known as book board. Thick card used for book covers and box-making, this is low-grade board built up from layers of pulp. It has a smooth surface and is sold by thickness.

gsm

Metric measurement of weight. Initials stand for ‘grams per square metre’. The higher the number equates to heavier paper. Thin copy paper is 80gsm and a substantial heavy watercolour paper could be 300gsm.

Half hitch

A simple overhand knot, not usually used alone, but secure enough to tie off a single section binding. Use two half hitches, one on top of the other for extra security. See diagram.

Head of book

Top part of book, the uppermost horizontal side. See diagram.

Hot pressed

Watercolour paper that has been passed through hot metal rollers during production, resulting in a smooth surface ideal for detailed brush work.

Kettle stitch

A useful linking knot to join book sections at each end during the sewing process. The word derives from the German word for chain, ‘ketten’. Used in the final project here as a decorative, as well as functional, stitch. See diagram

Khadi

Thick cotton rag paper traditionally made in Karnataka, South India. Handmade, acid-free and very textured.

Lengthways

When folding, parallel with the long side of the paper.

Linters

Short cotton fibres, a raw material of paper-making.

Long grain

When the majority of fibres align parallel with the longest side of the paper.

Mechanical pencil

Also known as a propeller pencil. Contains a replaceable graphite lead, which can be mechanically extended as it wears down through use. Good for marking precise measurements and fine lines.

microns

Unit of measurement for the thickness of greyboard. 2000 microns is two millimetres.

Mould and deckle

Used in hand-made paper-making. The mould is a frame covered with metal or nylon mesh. A deckle frame sits on top of the mould and is used to shape the pulp, giving hand-made paper its distinctive edge.

Mountain fold (+ diagram)

When the crease makes a top point with the paper angled down and away from it. The fold looks like a mountain peak.

Nest/nesting

Describing folded sheets nestled together forming a section. Place folded sheet inside another so that the creases align.

Nipping press

Used to apply pressure, to flatten sections before they are sewn and to prevent warping when glued boards are drying. A pile of smooth, heavy books works as well.

NOT

Watercolour paper that has not been hot pressed, ie passed through hot rollers to smooth out the texture, so the surface is rougher. See Cold pressed.

Pin vice

A tool handle which grips a pin or needle. The adjustable collar grip can be loosened so that the pin can be replaced. More comfortable and effective than using the pin or needle alone.

Placket

Reinforcing material added to strengthen the spine, thus avoiding stitches ripping through. Traditionally made of leather or vellum, though we’ll use strong paper.

Reverse folds (+ diagram)

A fold reversed back in on itself, allowing the paper to change direction. The fold sinks in between the outer paper layers.

Scoring

Prepare paper for folding by creating a groove, which dents rather than cuts the surface. Your folds will be more accurate and crisp. For effortless creasing, run the dull edge of a knife, or the point of a bone folder, along a ruler.

Section

Also known as a signature. Describing a gathering of folded papers that are bound together into a book. A folded sheet of paper is a four-page section. Two folded sheets nested together form an eight-page section.

Short grain

When the majority of fibres align parallel with the shortest side of the paper.

Stock

A general term to describe different types of paper.

Tail of book diagram

The bottom part of a book.

Tooth

Refers to the surface finish of paper. For example, a heavily textured watercolour paper could be described as having a lot of tooth. (Ideal for artistic purposes as ink will gather and puddle in the ruts, with satisfying results.)

Valley fold

When paper is folded inwards, creating a ‘v’, resulting in a crease at the bottom, like a valley.

Wash

Describing the process of covering large areas of paper with watercolour. A very wet technique. Experiment with flat and graded effects.

Widthways

Describing folding parallel with the short side of the paper.

resources

A few places to find tools, materials, information and opportunities:

Bureau Direct
www.bureaudirect.co.uk

Greyfriar’s Art Shop
www.greyfriars-art-shop.co.uk

Hewits
www.hewitonline.com

Hollander’s
www.hollanders.com

J Herbin ink
www.jherbin.com

John Purcell
www.johnpurcell.net

MT Washi tape
www.mtmaskingtape.co.uk

Paperchase
www.paperchase.co.uk

Ratchfords
www.ratchford.co.uk

Shepherds Falkiners
store.bookbinding.co.uk

St. Cuthbert’s Mill
www.stcuthbertsmill.com

CFPR newsletter and yearbook
www.bookarts.uwe.ac.uk/newsletter

Paper: An Elegy. Ian Samson, Fourth Estate.

Iona Awl, available exclusively from the author at the website below.

To find out more about Rachel Hazell’s workshops in Edinburgh, Iona, Shetland, Venice, Paris and Amsterdam. as well as the PaperLove and BookLove e-courses, visit www.thetravellingbookbinder.com

acknowledgements

Thank you Judith Hannam for the invitation.
Thank you Vicky Orchard for bringing Bound to life.
Thank you Susan Bell for your ability fo find the light and think in narratives.

With gratitude to all the teachers who have led me here:
Neville Whitney, Richard Norman (for that first weekend workshop,) Faith Shannon, my tutors at Edinburgh University, London College of Printing, Camberwell College of Art, Edinburgh College of Art and the Arvon Foundation, Helen Storey, Gavin Wallace, Ali Bowden, Monica Dengo and my father.

The Flip Flap book structure was conceived by the innovative Hedi Kyle, and taught to me by the extraordinary Cristina Balbiano D’Aramengo.
The Slot Strip is an invention of Alisa Golden.
The three single section bindings are from the legendary Keith Smith.
The Placket Book was learnt at a brilliant workshop with Michael Burke.
Please forgive any omissions.

Thank you Iona Hostel for warmth and welcome.
Kate Downie, Fiona Hutchison and Paul Furneaux lent me their studios; the images in Bound are infused with exquisite glow and texture because of them.
Rondé Cycle Café and Montezuma Chocolate Buttons fuelled this book.
Thanks Beauty by Cass at Sandy Jones for elegant nails.

Hugely grateful for the support of un-named friends – you know I adore you!
Thank you to all my students for everything you have taught me.

So many thanks to Barbie Lyon.
Boundless love for John Maclean.

For John, my island man

An Hachette UK Company
www.hachette.co.uk

First published in Great Britain in 2018 by

Kyle Books, an imprint of Kyle Cathie Ltd

Carmelite House

50 Victoria Embankment

London EC4Y 0DZ
www.kylebooks.co.uk
eISBN: 9780857835567

Text copyright 2018 © Rachel Hazell

Photographs copyright 2018 © Susan Bell

Illustrations copyright 2018 © Esther Coombs

Design and layout copyright 2018 © Kyle Cathie Ltd

Distributed in the US by Hachette Book Group, 1290 Avenue of the Americas, 4th and 5th Floors, New York, NY 10104

Distributed in Canada by Canadian Manda Group, 664 Annette St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6S 2C8

Rachel Hazell is hereby identified as the author of this work in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilised in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Editor: Vicky Orchard

Design: Miranda Harvey

Photography: Susan Bell

Illustrations: Esther Coombs

Production: Lisa Pinnell