Japanese Stab Stitch Book
To display the paper from the West Dean paper making course, I made a stab stitch book to house a selection of A6 pages which each demonstrate various techniques.
Selecting the pages
Having selected the pages I would use, I measured the largest. My plan was to insert half pages between each handmade page. These would act as primitive guards, protecting the delicate paper at the hinge joint as well as allowing the book to sit compactly and not fan out at the edges. They would also have the written information about each page: the techniques and materials I used as well as notes for improvement. I used Khadi 320 cotton rag paper, cut to size so the deckled edge would be visible. I wrote down the information and numbered them on the folded crease section which would eventually be hidden by the stitching.
Cutting the boards
I then cut 2 boards 9.9 x 19.8 cm, making sure I marked the grain direction. The pages were toughly 8.7 x 11.5 cm (which included the 4 cm seam allowance left before the hinge). This way, the boards would have a slight overhang and protect the deckled edges of the fragile paper between them. The board thickness was 2mm.
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I cut each board into three sections, the left hand section 3 cm, the middle 1 cm, and the final section was 15.8 cm. I did this for both boards, ensuring that for both the grain direction was vertical. After marking them to ensure that I could reassemble them correctly, I used wash tape to keep them together.
Line Guide
I then used some spare paper to make a line guide for the punched holes. The guide was 3 cm wide and divided into three sections so each hole was 1 cm apart. I punched the holes in the first of the three sections of the boards I had just cut using a 2 mm Japanese screw punch. I did this for the front and back covers.
Gluing down the Buckram
I was using a dark green buckram for the binding edge. I cut two book coverings the width of the board (and just over 5 cm in length) plus a 2 cm border. I then cut the Japanese patterned paper, as well as the green Khadi Lokta paper which I would use for the interior covers. I placed the boards (bound with washi tape on the font and glued on the back) onto the buckram and after securing the placement, I removed the middle 1 cm section, leaving a gully which will become the hinge joint. I used a bone folder to ensure no air bubbles were trapped between the board and the buckram and weighted it down before repeating the process with the second cover.
Turn ins
I cut the edges of the buckram to be even and then cut the corners at a 45 degree angle with a 3mm gap between the edge of the buckram and the corner of the board (the gap should be 1.5 x the width of the board). I then folded the top and bottom of the buckram edges in first. The 3 mm gap created a pig's ear that could be carefully folded into the remaining free flap. This creates an even corner when the side flaps are folded in last. Using the bone folder, I secured the now-glued edges, paying specific attention to the gully.
Fixing a Mistake
Using the line guide, I again punched holes into the left most sections of the board, this time pressing the holes through the buckram. I made a mistake when the left-most hole of the lowest row went wide and cut a hole in the buckram which did not align with the hole in the grey board. I used glue and the buckram circle still caught in the Japanese screw punch to fill it in. This mend would turn out to not be too visible one the thread was attached.
Turn ins continued
After repeating the process with the other cover, I glued down the Japanese paper, making sure to keep the left edge 1 cm away from the gully and using the same folding technique as for the buckram. I weighted the cover down and did the same with the second cover.
Adding the Ribbon
Having decided that, guards in place or not, it would be helpful to add ties to secure it, I then planned where, in my newly covered boards, I would punch holes. I made sure to punch the holes from the front so that the excess would be hidden by the decorative end papers. I then pushed the two lengths of ribbon through the holes and glued them flat to the uncovered interior side of each board and secured the green Khadi Lokta paper over the top of them, again ensuring that the gully was filled. I made sure to place the Khadi paper where I wanted it on the right hand edge, knowing that the left edge would not be visible once the book was assembled. Once weighted, I could use the screw punch to, once again, press the holes into the left-most section. This time, I pressed the holes from the inside of the cover. Looking back, although the ribbon itself was quite thin, because the Lokta paper was not very thick, you can see the outline of the ribbon through it. It would have been better to cut a recessed area in which to glue the ribbon, to leave a smooth surface to apply the Khadi end paper.
Assembling the book block
With the covers now complete, I then turned to the pages. I was concerned that the delicate handmade paper might tear under the screw punch, so I reinforces the left edges of the pages I thought too fragile with watercolour paper. After ensuring that I had the pages the right way round and in the correct order, I amassed them into four piles which I then secured with dog clips. With them all held together, I then put my line guide to the first pile and marked the holes with a pencil.
Sewing the Book
I then used the screw punch to punch through each hole and the repeated the process for the three remaining piles. Since the pages were not all the exact size, there was some creative re-punching needed for ones where the hole was too close to the page edge. Once they were all done, I put the pages together in one pile, securing with clips and ensuring that all the holes lined up. I used Pro Atelier Plus linen thread (spec 60) and a darning needle to sew the book together. The pages were so thick that I had to use a pair of pliers to pull the needle through the holes.
Sewing Guide
