Tuesday 19 August 2014

Engineering with Paper and String - An Experimental Binding

Well, they say there is "nothing new under the sun" and this is certainly true of the very old craft of book-binding.  However, many things are "new to me" and this week, I have been experimenting.  I wanted to show you the result of an interesting experiment, which James has dubbed "Engineering with Paper and String".  

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I have a number of "favourite" bookbinding books, including this great book by Esther K. Smith, of Purgatory Pie Press:

"How to Make Books, by Esther K. Smith"

Esther Smith explores a great variety of book styles and bindings in this book, giving good, illustrated instructions to create many of them yourself.   One of the forms she covers, is the "stab stitch binding" - sometimes known as a "Japanese Stab-Stitch", or "Oriental Binding".   Traditional Japanese, Korean and Chinese books were made from thin paper, which was sewn together with stitching that was made through the pile of pages and the covers, wrapping the thread over the left-hand edge and also the top and bottom of the book.


An Oriental-style Stab Stitch bookbinding (by LizzieMade Hand Bound Books - yours truly!)

You may notice that the cover of the book in the photos above has a hinge, to enable it to be folded back. The original stab-stitch books were made with soft papers, so the covers and pages were easily folded open; however the paper is still held firmly on the left-hand edge, so no stab-stitch book of this kind would ever open out flat. 
A stab-stitch book, showing the hinged cover and how the pages are held together by their edges, so the book will not open out flat.  

For the original books that were made in this way, the style of binding was not a problem, because of the materials used and the way in which the book was used also. Most were soft cover books and ledgers, with the book often being written in a vertical / portrait plane, rather than our own traditional horizontal / landscape setup. The stitching was done close to the edge, to maximise the page area and make it easier to turn the pages (this article explains the various techniques very well).  

Also, when used for something like a guest book or photo album, a stab-stitch binding is very attractive and, so long as the covers are hinged and will fold back, the fact that the book will not open flat and may have to be held open for writing or viewing, is not generally a big problem. Spacers can be added between the pages and creases can be made to enable the pages to fold easily. For someone who dislikes this style of binding, there are plenty of other attractive bindings, which will allow the book to lie flat on the table or lap.

However, Esther Smith had found an old book that was a bit different to the Oriental-style bindings. The stitching was not made over the top and bottom corners of the book. It was also stitched in such a way that the thread was quite slack and would allow the pages to be manipulated so that the book would open flat.

She found that this type of binding was used for a famous Art and Design magazine, from Holland, called "Wendingen" (Pub. 1918-1932), as well as the book she had found (in a second-hand bookshop). She gives instructions to make a simple, soft-cover version of this binding, in a similar style to the book she bought; there is an illustration of a version that is similar to the Wendingen binding.

I looked online and found some photos of copies of Wendingen, so I could have a look at the binding and try to understand it. I wanted to try a version of my own, stitching single sheets into hard covers, in such a way that the album would open flat.

This is the result:
You can see that the stitching is quite loose.  
Like the Wendingen Magazine, the binding is made through three pairs of holes, with stitching crossed over the spine.
The back cover - I have left the knot showing, since tucking it into the holes would not be effective anyway - it would only work its way out again, with the movement of the binding.  I'm considering whether to apply a spot of glue to the knot, to prevent it coming undone, then trimming the loose ends closer to the knot. I don't think, however, that the knot looks particularly untidy - it's part of the stitching and a functional part of the binding.  I like it. 



The slack stitching allows the pages to be opened and turned.  The book covers need to be slightly closed each time, in order for this to work... 
... but it does open flat, which is so different to the Oriental style of stab binding.
I'm quite pleased with this book, though the binding style is very unusual.  I think someone may wish to buy it, as it's an attractive and interesting book.  I love the cover paper - I chose the dark green, hand made paper for the edge of the covers, as it contrasted so well with the ferns on the decorative paper and added to the jungly, exotic effect.  I chose a pale grey-pink hemp cord to make the binding - it's strong, but attractive and picks out the pink shades in some of the designs on the patterned paper.

Overall, a successful Experiment, I think! 

21 comments:

  1. This is really interesting, I like how the book opens flat - it would make a great sketch book xx

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    1. Now there's a good idea, Celia! Glad you like the book - I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

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  2. Lovely! I've never tried book binding but it looks really interesting! :D

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    1. Hello Sinead, thank you for reading my post - I love bookbinding and there is so much to experiment with - so many possibilities from a pile of paper and thread!

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  3. That's a really interesting version, Lizzie! I had never heard of this style before and it's good to know there is an option that opens flat. Great Pictures for how it works!

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    1. Thank you Laura, it's always fun to "discover" something a bit different - even if it's not really "new"!

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  4. I think the loose threads add an interesting dimension.

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    1. Hello Sara, thanks for reading. It's always nice to get another bookbinder's thoughts on a project - especially an experiment. I like the threads too.

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  5. I love Book Binding and this one is so interesting. I like how it lays flat. I have been looking through your blog & loving that Tom makes such regular appearances...I love cats and miss having one these days. x

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    1. Hey Miriam, I love that you're interested in my experiment - it was fun and I loved doing this. Also great that you like to read about Tom - he has become very special to us.

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  6. Pretty cover and colours. I've made albums with the stab stitch binding and I like the look of the looser stitching including the knot. I'd be tempted to add a dab of glue or a bead to cover/hide/support the knot.

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    1. Not sure what I'll do with the knot... the jury is still out! Thank you for the clever idea about a bead though - hadn't thought of that. Thinking....

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  7. An interesting post Lizzie, it's good to experiment with new (or is it old?! ideas, and I agree, this is a success. Love the cover design too.

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  8. Interesting - I think I prefer the first binding as I'd worry that the threads would tear the pages with repeated use ... will they hold up do you think?

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    1. Hi Jemma, well I did wonder myself; the book is large and has heavy-weight pages of dense paper, so I think it will hold up okay. I deliberately chose the paper and also the hemp cord for binding - hemp is softer in texture, than linen, though still strong, so I hope it will not cut into the paper. I think (and hope) it will be alright.

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  9. Well done - it looks a little like a flattened spiral binding inside? Your covers are delightful ...

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    1. Yes, it does have a sort-of spiral-bound effect inside. I liked the crossed stitches on the spine edge of the Wendingen magazines, so I copied those. That made pairs of threads, which is why it has that nice effect inside.
      Glad you like those covers - so do I!

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  10. Hi Lizzie! Very interesting work! I have the same book by E. Smith and I'm looking forward to use this same binding method for my final project at uni (I'm a graphic design student).
    I think your variation is very interesting but I can't figure out how you sewed the thread inside the holes, since you seem to have two holes for each hinge and a criss-cross loop around the spine. It's quite different from Smith's version which is quite simple.
    Could you please give more explaination on how you did it? I would really appreciate it and find it super-useful! Thank you!

    Daniele

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    1. Hi Daniele, thanks for the interest - it's nice of you to be so keen!
      I will try to come up with some diagrams, to show how this was stitched. It isn't as complex as it might appear - instead of one hole, there are two and the criss-cross loop is just a cross-stitch. I'll do my best to get round to this for you and post it on my blog asap!
      Lizzie

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    2. Thanks Lizzie! I am still learning about handmade bindings...so not very practical yet! Some diagrams or simple tutorial would be much appreciated! All the best! D.

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