Today I will show you how to make book binding stitches (bookbinding stitches) so you can have your own book or notebook (DIY notebook) and also keep its pages for much longer.
It is a technique that really is not difficult but it does require your attention to have good results.
There are also different procedures in the trade for binding: they can be worm and ring bindings but we can try to do something more personalized, which will be easier and will be nicer.
This way you will no longer have boxes and boxes of messy files (if you want to bind documents) and you will be much happier. I assure you!
Now let’s sew your “diy book”!
Make your " book binding stitches"(10 easy steps)
The materials required are very easy to get and maybe you have some of them at home. Let’s see the checklist for ”book binding stitches”:
Materials Needed:
- Sheets of paper (the size you want to bind).
- Color sheets (the same size as the previous ones)
- 1 roll of waxed linen threads
- Needle (can be without a sharp point)
- 1 strip of cardboard (5 cm wide)
- 2 micro corrugated cardboard lids
- White glue
- Thick cardboard sheets (in case you want to have sections or volumes)
- 1 wooden board more than 30 cm long
- 1 paintbrush
- 1 ruler
- 1 mechanic’s tweezers
- 1 pair of tweezers to cut paper clips
- 1 full brick or similar object that is heavy and that we can line with newspaper
- 1 cutter
- 1 hammer
- Thin nails (or pins, this will depend on the thickness of your book)
Step#1
The papers or documents that we are going to bind mustn’t have clips or buckles (so if they do, you must remove them before working).
We must also order them and verify that all the sheets are placed, taking into account the header on the left side since later they will not be able to be corrected.
If we are going to use new loose sheets, we must first fold them in half and then pass the ruler over the folded part. This process must be repeated sheet by sheet. Then you must insert one inside the other until you have a sandwich full of sheets (specially in “diy notebook”)Step # 2
Once you have ordered everything you want to bind (here you can make separation with colored cardboard) try to match them as accurately as possible so that their leaves reach what would be the spine of the binding.
We will also try to give air to all the sheets so that they are arranged properly.Step #3
When you have finished this matching process, you are going to lay out the paper book on a table and with the help of the wooden board we will try to make sure that they do not move and that they do not lean to one side, but that they keep a vertical line on all 4 sides of the paper book.
When you have finished arranging the volume, close this kind of paper tower with the board and put the brick paper on top so that it doesn’t get dirty.Step #4
Now you will apply a coat of glue to the thickness of the book, making sure that it reaches all areas (i.e. that no area is left without glue).
Let it dry for as long as necessary and then apply a second coat of glue to the thickness of the book.Step #5
When you see that the glue is completely dry, you can separate the volumes or chapters with a cutter, obviously if this is the case.Step#6
Now take the ruler and mark with a pencil the measure of approximately 1.2 cm on the left margin of the book (also 1 ⁄ 2 cm from the edge of the volume).Step#7
With the help of the hammer, we insert the nails(or the pins) in the marks we made with a pencil on the margin of the book and then we remove them with the tweezers(very gently) to start making the stitches with the linen thread.Step #8
You can put your book on a library shelf (at a height where you can work well) and place threads with the help of adhesive tape at each point you made with the nails between the shelf and the shelf.
Then take the needle with the basting thread and start sewing on the marked stitches. Try to wrap the threads that are placed between the shelves with the stitches you are stitching, as this will make your binding much more solid.Step #9
Once your stitching is ready, cut the threads of the shelves and reapply glue over the entire thickness of the book.
Here you can place the brick again to flatten the book while you apply the glue.
When the thickness is dry, you put some cardboard as covers and glue the leftover threads. Then you take the 5 cm strip of cardboard and glue it over the laths, making the whole thing much neater.Step #10
Finally, we take the cardboard lids and glue them onto the cardboard sheets. Here the trick is to cover all the sheets of cardboard with glue, so your covers perfectly adhere.
And that’s it, you have a complete diy book!
If you want to watch a step-by-step of how to bind a book you can click here.
I hope you liked this tutorial about book binding stitches!
It’s always a pleasure to help you create all kinds of crafts!
No doubt if you are a lover of books and notebooks, you will discover a whole new universe to create. You can even make a great diary project if you wish.
See you in the next article about ‘What are warp and weft in textile weaving!’.
Happy Crafts! 😉
You can do it!