4 1

Four Hole
Binding
This illustration is to scale. With a ruler,
measure off this illustration and mark the Japanese Stab Binding
front, outside cover with sewing holes. 1.

For this project you will need:

. scissors or craft knife .
2 weights (try a brick wrapped in kraft paper)
. small glue brush, about 1/2 wide pencil .
starting hole
. heavy duty paper awl .
wax paper to smooth out glued surfaces
. .

1999 Books by Hand

small hammer and pliers bone folder
. ruler
Spine edge
2. . PVA (good quality paper glue)
. scrap paper to glue on
A tool used by bookbind-

.
ers to fold paper and wrap
3. needle edges around bookboard.
Purchase at hobby or art
supply stores.

4.
To prepare for this project:
Clear a work space and do an inventory of all the pieces in this kit. This kit makes three books
so there will be three times the amount of the materials listed below. Carefully measure each
5. piece and separate the materials into three groups--one set for each book. With a pencil,
6. lightly label each piece with the capitalized letter that corresponds with the list below, figure 1.
Materials: For one book
1.
A two pieces--7 x 5
7. decorative paper (front and back cover)

b two pieces--6 x 4
text weight paper (the end papers)
8. a
c bookcloth to make corner pieces. b
9. Follow instructions for cutting.
pages
sixteen pages: 12 x 4

1999 Books by Hand

10. text weight paper (the bookblock). c
Do not mark the pages with a letter.
NOTE: In Asian bindings traditionally the
Decorative Thread: folded page edge is opposite the spine. The
use to create the outside, decorative edges are left folded to strengthen the page.
11.
12. *
binding pattern on the spine edge.
.
40 long for the Four Hole Binding
.
55 long for the Noble Binding
.
75 long for the Tortoise Shell Binding
fImportant!

* Sew back into the last hole, between the Work on each book individually
cover and the front page. Open the cover. Linen thread: in the following order:
Near the hole, apply glue to the thread. use for the inside binding to sew the 1. Four Hole Binding
Sew through the spine to the outside, spine pages and endpapers together. 2. Noble Binding
edge. Trim and tuck the gluey thread end
3. Tortoise Shell Binding
into the spine.

JTP320 INS

BOOKS BY HAND WWW.BOOKSBYHAND.COM Holyoke, MA 01041 Made in U.S.A.

2 3
Making the bookblock and inside binding: Attaching the outside cover: Use the book block and matching
Begin with the pages, endpapers and linen thread. pieces of decorative paper.
. on the bookblock apply an X of glue
to the outside of an endpaper, figure 9.
. fold sixteen pages in half along 10.
the short dimension, figure 2. . center and glue the bookblock to the
With a bone folder, burnish each 2. fold
wrong side of a paper cover, piece a, 9.
fold. figure 10.
. mark an endpaper, piece B, . clip the corners of the paper cover
with two pairs of sewing holes, very close to the bookblock, figure 11. glue
figure 3. clip
. with the point of a bone folder, on the
3. This illustration is to scale. With a ruler,
. create the bookblock by stacking wrong side of the cover, score closely
measure off this illustration and mark the
the pages together and matching around the edges of the bookblock,
top, outside endpaper with sewing holes. 11.
up all the folded edges. Place the figure 12.
endpaper on top, with the marks

1999 Books by Hand

opposite the folded edges. . at the score marks, fold the flaps onto
Place the second endpaper, piece the wrong side of the cover. The folded
B, on the bottom, figure 4. flaps should end up between the cover 12.
and the bookblock -- do not try to wrap score
. place a brick on top of the book edges around any of the pages, figure 13.
block, figure 4. At the sewing 4.
marks, punch through all the lay- . tuck in thread tails. On the spine edge
ers with a heavy duty awl and
brick side, apply glue to the entire cover flap
hammer. spine edge and glue it onto the endpaper, figure 14. 13.
Glue the side edges in the same manner.
. with the linen thread, sew the 5. folded edge Glue the edge opposite the spine last. 14.
fold & tuck in flap
bookblock together, figure 5. tie each pair separately . repeat these steps for the second glue between the cover
Sew each pair of holes individually
cover. and the bookblock
and tie the thread ends tightly
with square knots. Trim the ends
to one inch.
Sewing the outside binding: Use the book and the decorative thread.
. choose a binding pattern. Using the template on the
Attaching the corner pieces: following pages, mark the sewing pattern on the cover. At 15.
6. Cut 1 x 3/4
Use the book block and two matching rectangles the marks, punch through the layers with a heavy duty awl
of bookcloth. fold and hammer.
. cut out a piece of bookcloth and fold in half along the . double thread a needle and knot twice, leaving a 1 tail
short dimension. Burnish fold with a bone folder, figure dart
6. . open the book to the third page. Push a bone folder
7. point through the book spine, figure 15.
tip: use pliers to pull needle

1999 Books by Hand

1
. cut two darts out of the bookcloth piece, figure 7. /4 . from the outside, sew to the inside through the space through tight spots.
. apply glue to the paper side of the bookcloth. 8. created by the bone folder. Remove the bone folder.
. place one of the bookblock corners, on the spine edge, . sew from the inside into the starting hole to the outside,
tightly into the fold of the bookcloth piece. Wrap and figure 16. Pull the knot into the spine, between the
glue the bookcloth edges tightly around the bookblock, pages. Tuck the thread tail in.
figures 8. . follow the appropriate binding instructions on the 16.
following pages.
. repeat these steps for the second piece.