Trista Vieth
Cut your covers whatever size you want the book to be. Take the front cover and cut an inch off the spine edge. Keep that inch to put back in with your cover. Take another ¼ of an inch off the front cover and discard. So now you have three pieces that are going to make up the cover; a back cover, and a front cover with 2 parts. Cover the book board with paper.
Cut your text block pages. They don’t have to be folded signatures just cut them all the same size. Make sure that your pages are about 1/8th of an inch smaller on the head, tail and the fore edge. Make end papers to go in the text block too.
Create a template for where you want to puncture holes. Make 5 holes 1/4th of an inch away from spine and make 4 holes 3/4th of an inch away from spine.
Punch holes in front and back cover and in text block. Try to keep the text block in place the whole time, use clamps to keep it from moving. You want your holes not be huge but not really small or its hard to get the thread through the holes as many times as you need.
Sew the text block to the front and back cover in the Hemp leaf stitch pattern.
1. Start at the tail edge at the second to last hole on the inside set. Go up through the back of the book to the front.
2. Loop the needle around the spine and back in the same hole.
3. At the front of the book now move your needle to the back of the book through the next hole going up the spine in the same row.
4. Loop the needle around the spine and back through the same hole.
5. Now at the back of the book thread through the next hole in the same row. At the front of the book now.
6. Loop the needle around the spine and back through.
7. Now at the top of the book at the last hole on the inside set of holes. Loop around spine and around tail edge.
8. Now go back down the other side using the same technique.
9. At the tail end of the spine now it’s time to start filling in the first row of holes. At the back of the book come back up through the same hole you started in.
10. Continue down the book making Y shaped stitches and then tie a square knot when you get to the end.
Nelson Penalo
ReplyDeleteJapanese 4-Hole Binding
Sewing Stations
The four sewing stations are 3/8” in from the spine edge. Station 1 is 1/2” up from the tail. Station 4 is 1/2“ down from the head. Stations 2 and 3 are equally spaced between. Pierce the stations.
Each station will eventually be sewn three times. Each time a station is sewn for the first time, the thread will be wrapped around the spine to form the small horizontal stitches from cover to cover.
The reason the stab sewings are never started at the stations is to ensure the knot does not hang out the head or tail.
Elaborated Sewing Procedure
1. Pick up front cover and about half of the book block. Start the needle on the inside of book block at station 2, proceeding up though, coming out the front cover. Pull all but 4” of thread inside the book extends towards the foredge. If it is near the backbone entangled in the sewing. It will need to free in order to tie-off at the end of the sewing cycle.
2. Proceed around the spine, take the needle to station 2 of the back cover, coming out through the front cover.
3. Proceed on the front cover to station 3. Go through the back cover, coming out through the front cover.
4. Proceed on the back cover to station 4. Go through station 4 on the back cover, through to the front cover. Wrap around the spine to back cover. Go through sewing station 4 of the back cover to the front cover.
5. Keep proceeding in the same direction. Since there are no more stations, the manner in which the sewing direction is changed is to wrap around the head to the back cover. Then proceed towards the tail to the next station, which is number 4.
Take the needle though station 4 to front cover. Since the spine has already been wrapped, proceed on the cover to station 3.
6. Go through station 3 to back cover. Since the spine has already been wrapped, proceed on the back cover to station 2. Take the needle through station 1 on the front cover. Since the spine has already been wrapped, proceed on the front cover to station 1
7. Take through station 1 to back cover. Wrap around the spine to front cover. Take the needle through station 1 on the front cover coming out on the back.
8. Proceed on the back cover to the tail. Wrap around the tail to front cover. Go through station 1 to back. Proceed on back cover to station 2.
9. Open the book to the middle page to the loose thread. Take the needle into station 2 on the back cover and proceed to the middle page, bringing the needle out beside the loose thread. Tie a square knot, pulling the knot into the gutter. Trim loose ends so they do not hang out of the book block.