BUSY BOOKBINDING WEEK

 

I've been really busy this week binding some books as gifts for my family so I can't show them to you just yet but here are some I made earlier that I can share with you. 

I made some double pamphlet books with decorative covers for my granddaughters, sister and daughter as they are so much easier than a fully stitched and hard bound book and can be dressed up in all sorts of ways. 

 

 

This red one for Kirsty has a crinkly red paper cover with a co-ordinating chinese printed paper for the lining.  I added a flap to the back cover and ribbon to close the book and left space for a pen to be clipped inside between the pages and the flap.  I also gave her a Chinese brush pen that I hope she will use for her Chinese language studies at University.

 

 

Sarah's book was covered in a fabric that I stitched to card  before sticking it to the book itself.  I sandwiched strips of card inside the flap for the closure and sewed the ribbon on with a few decorative beads on the front. The fabric has a Parisian fashion theme with slogans like 'you're the cat's whiskers' so I added a sketch of Sarah with her favourite cat to the inside.

 

 

 

This Japanese paper was a find in the craft department of our local store and I just couldn't resist buying several sheets to cover these books with. Because the sheet is a square it has to be cut to fit the pamphlet book.  I sliced off the bottom to use for the flap inside and the swallows on the back of the book were originally to the right of the lady in the kimono.

 

 

I cut out the stamp from the bottom slice to use to anchor the ribbon to the back of the book before slotting it through the front beneath the lady. I've made several versions of this for family and friends as well as the prototype for myself: sketchbook no 28 which I'm working in at the moment.

On a technical note, a pamphlet is a simple book made by folding a stack of folded in half paper and stitching down the middle, like a school exercise book.  To make a double one you take two sets of paper and stitch them together back to back with a cover sandwiched in the middle.  I have used this method and the added the decorative covers on top of the original cover for more body. 

 I hope you have enjoyed this little foray into bookbinding and I'm looking forward to sharing more methods with you later in the year.