Small, hand-bound books have a deeply personal quality because of the
labor that goes into assembling the pages. You can bind small books
yourself with string to imbue your booklet with a high-quality,
personalized sensibility. By stitching the string through
well-positioned holes, you can create a lasting seam to secure the book.
Though you may not be able to bind large tomes with string, you can
fashion booklets suitable for weddings, events or memory keeping.
Instructions
- Book pages
- Book cover
- Hole punch, handheld or vice-style
- Fine string thread
- Large sewing needle
- Small bead or charm (optional)
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1
Stack the pages of the book on top of the cover material. Fold the stack in half along the spine of the booklet.
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2
Open the stack so that you are viewing the center of the book. Lay it flat on your work surface.
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3
Position the hammer of a hole
punch above the spine, centered over the crease, 1/4-inch away from the
bottom edge of the book. You can use a handheld hole punch or vice-style
hole punch. The hole should be as broad as two strands of the string
you are using.
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4
Squeeze or twist the punch to make a hole. Punch holes 1/4-inch apart across the entire spine.
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5
Cut a piece of string that is
four times the length of your book's spine. For example, if your booklet
spine is 10 inches long, cut a 40-inch piece of string. Thread the eye
of a large sewing needle with the string.
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6
Lay the loose end of the
threaded string on the punched crease in the stack. Match the end of the
string with the top edge of the stack. Lay the string across the entire
spine.
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7
Lift the bottom edge of the book
slightly. Position the needle under the first hole at the bottom edge
of the spine. Insert the needle through the hole.
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8
Secure the loose string laying
in the spine with a finger. Pull the string through the first hole until
all of the slack is through the hole. The loose string should not go
through the hole.
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9
Insert the needle down, through
the second hole, to make the first stitch. Stitch over the loose string
to secure it to the spine. Pull the thread through the hole. The loose
thread should not move because you stitched over it.
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10
Sew the entire spine to the top
end of the book. Stitch over the loose string each time you insert the
needle from the top side of the stack. The stitching should look like a
spaced line of dashes.
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11
Stitch over the top edge of the
book when you reach the end of the spine. Insert the needle in the first
hole at the top of the spine.
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12
Sew down the spine to the bottom edge of the book. The line of spaced dashes should look like a solid line of dashes.
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13
Remove the needle from the
string. Tie the remaining string in a knot to secure the stitching. Add a
small bead or charm to the string before tying it off, if desired.
