Literally, this series is the most outstanding instructional video series I have ever seen. Well done and thank you! I am an artist and I have had an idea for a small book I wanted to make. These videos have made it possible.
Oh my goodness, thank you so much for that lovely compliment. I'm so happy that my wee tutorials have helped you out. It's always so lovely to hear and particularly getting compliments from an artist too, Thank you. Enjoy making your book. Thanks again for watching. Lee :)
Thats a great idea. I'm always adding my clamps to the books and trying to balance them somewhere so they don't fall, so a napkin holder would be a fab idea. Thank you. Lee x
I am so loving your tutorials! I am new to this, and my first book the spine was all wonky and to large. In all the videos I've watched, and books I've read you are the ONLY one who mentioned squashing the spine when you measure. Just starting my signatures for my 2nd book, and I will sooo be squashing them when I measure for the spine! THANK YOU. I have learned so much!
+Barbara Hallowell Awwww Barbara that is so nice to hear. Believe me, I learned the hard way too with the spine, lol. I like to think that I've made all the mistakes, so you don't have to, heehee. Im sure your book will turn out beautifully. Thanks for watching and commenting. Lee x
Great to hear.. Thank you so much Linda. If you have any questions or queries about bookmaking, just give me a shout back and I'll be more than happy to help you. Thanks so much for watching and comment. Lee :)
Great set of tutorials thus far...I've done a few pieces, and it's helpful to see all the techniques to correct some of my own mishaps....... Just a thought (something I do)...depending on the size of the signatures, I use either 2 pieces of ordinary wood, or 2 thin, small cutting boards..............the edges of the wood or cutting boards (particularly the edges near the spine) I cover in any kind of clear tape (Scotch tape, glossy clear packing tape, etc.)....................the boards essentially serve part of the function of the scrap paper you put under the clamps--but they also serve to spread the pressure evenly the entire length of the signatures...then I just use the same clamps you have to clamp the piece tight............2 different positions work well for me...either the wood exactly level with the spine of the signatures, which clamps the entire piece tightly...OR...position the boards just slightly lower than the edge of the spine, which serves to very slightly fan out the signatures...THEN I glue the signatures as you show, and everything is already clamped tight..........the tape covering the edges of the boards assures that these will easily pull away from the piece when it's dry with no tearing (you might have a few thin glue edges to simply trim away)
Hi Mark. Great suggestion. I actually have a make shift wooden book press that I use for making books. But when I made these tutorials, I was making it to show my friends that you didn't need fancy equipment to make a book....I never thought for one moment that these bookbinding tutorials would reach so many people, lol. They're such old videos now that I really should redo them and show some of the better techniques I know. I'm so glad these dodgy videos of mine have helped you out. And thank you so much for taking the time to comment too. Lee :)
Thank you so much , I always wanted to learn how binding is done and obviously you've corrected a lot of wrong Ideas I was gonna use ... I watched your tutorials to use on an old book to fix a torn out binding, it was different I had to locate the signature separations and thread holes .. but it was very helpful thank you .. Btw when using 6 thread holes the thread doesn't end outside of the spine on each time .. how is it arranged so that I can knot the thread correctly ?
Since I don't think I replied back when you answered my question a bit ago- just wanted to tell you I'm on this step right now and will be finishing my book tonight at work (lol)! Your tutorial is so amazing and helpful, things are very difficult for me to understand a lot of the time but you made this very accessible and entertaining to follow along with. I've shown a few of my friends your videos already (we're all English majors, so we have a very vested interest in this, haha). Also letting you know that I'm using your method to put together my first actual book, a poetry collection. I'm giving it to my fiance for Christmas. This was the only set of instructions that I could comprehend without feeling overwhelmed, and I'm really grateful! I know my fiance will be, too.
Awwww Robin that is so lovely to hear. I am so glad that you (and your friends) have found my tutorials useful. It's funny because these videos really only started out as tutorials for a couple of friends who had asked me to explain how I made my books. But it seems that a lot of people have found them useful which, I am absolutely delighted about. I am sure your Fiance will love your book of poetry, what a beautiful gift. Have fun finishing your book tonight Robin. And thank you so much for letting me know how you are getting on. Lee x
Hi Robin. I just wanted to check in and see how your poetry book making went? Im sure the book turned out beautiful. I know you said you were giving it to your fiance for Christmas which Im sure was loved and will be forever treasured. Lee :)
Crafty Loops Thank you so much, this is so sweet!! He LOVED it. (Maybe cried, haha) I have to thank you so much because I don't think I'll ever give a better gift in my life. All the poetry I've written him for the entirety of our relationship in one place + something handmade from me to have when I can't be there. He was over the moon and so happy!!
Hello... fantastic and so well narrated (just love your accent)! I just can not find Part 3A anywhere. Can you please post a link (i searched it as Part Three A...). Cheers, Kathrine
Hi Jess, thanks for your question. I tend to use my fingers, particularly in this tutorial as the glue was still wet from adding the glue. If you let the glue dry on the spine for at least the hour I recommended, it should be pretty dry at that stage and if you wish you can use a bone folder to glue the spine piece down. However if you are impatient like me and don't wait for the glue to dry I'd recommend just using your fingers as the glue will seep too far in to the paper. TFW. Lee x
Question: I see you're using your fingers to stick the card stock to binding, would it be ok to use a ruler or bone folder to do this? Or would it make the glue sink too far into the pages? Thanks for these tutorials. I think I've got to make one right away! TFS Jess
Nevermind my previous question. I heard you say to let it dry at least an hour or two in the other video! Thanks again so much for your tutorial! I've always wanted to make my own book! :) You're awesome!
How long do you allow the glue to dry on the spine?? I am at the gluing stage of my book and it's quite large, about an inch and a half thick. Just wondering if I should let it dry overnight?
Hello again Lee - I finished my first book. It looks good enough. I'm designing a second book and watching your signature making series. I'm noticing that you showed the first two signatures being sewn, but not the last. And I didn't see what you did with the ribbons - how you sewed them into the signatures. Is there another video that shows that?
Hi again Mary. So glad you got your first book completed and you are planning your next one. That's wonderful news. Is it the ribbons on these videos you are talking about? I definitely showed what I did with them. It's probably the video before this one, so Part Three, A. But in any case, to save you searching, I simply glued the ribbon down onto the first page (as it will be sacrificed anyway in the cover), let the glue dry and then pulled the ribbon tight, glued it to the other side of the page and held it with a clip until it dried.....if I remember correctly, heehee. I'll have a look here and find it for you exactly. Give me a wee second....
Okey dokey Mary, I found it. It is on the video before this one. I only had one ribbon on this spine because there were only 4 holes for the purpose of doing a quick and easy book. But I usually do more sew holes so usually have at least 2 ribbons.....and that's if I can even be bothered with using ribbons at all now. To be honest, using cheesecloth down the spine of the book (instead of the cardstock like I did for this book) makes the spine extremely sturdy and durable. I think I will do a new updated version of this tutorial showing how I have tweaked my design and worked out better and quicker ways of doing things....I'll add it to my list of tutorials to do, heehee. Here is the link for you. if you start watching from around the 4 minute mark. Hope that helps. Lee xx
Lee, I see that you have don 8 signatures. Am wondering if you can do more as I love a FAT book. I don't know if it is good idea to make it larger so am needing your advice. thank you. Cindy :)
+Sanctuaryrain S Hi Cindy. Thank you so much for all your lovely comments and for subbing to my channel. Okey dokey, now to answer your question. Yes, absolutely you can make a bigger, thicker book. I only did a small book for tutorial purposes.....I didn't want to bore everyone to tears with me making a junky monkey book so I kept it small. You can do as many signatures in your book as you wish, as long as you increase your spine size to accommodate the amount of pages otherwise you'll end up with a book that looks like it has an Alligator mouth, lol. Also, for more signatures, I'd recommend doing more sew holes also, so 6 or 8 would be good. Just to ensure everything stays put. As you love making journals, I've done other book binding tutorials on a 3 hole and 4 hole pamphlet stitch. Also one that shows how to make a wrap around journal too. Here are the links for you if you want to check them out. 3 hole pamphlet th-cam.com/video/z3Ru6bkfsqM/w-d-xo.html 4 hole pamphlet th-cam.com/video/937rWn0YHfo/w-d-xo.html Wrap around journal th-cam.com/video/JV_ovup0hIo/w-d-xo.html Thanks again for your support Cindy. If you run into any troubles or have any more questions please give me a shout back, Im always happy to help. Lee x
yep it makes a lot of sense, this way I'll have two thread lines on the back of the signature and three on the inside .. seems I missed a hole when I was sewing .. and the book binding I made for my old book was great, not perfect but great I hope to do better next time .. thank you so much and sorry for being so late with the respond I didn't know where to find my inbox on the new system :/ Thanks a bunch have a nice day / weekend :)
Sorry! Missed it clearly too enthused by your demonstrations and keen to crack on and get making myself lol. I've seen some hand stitched simple leather covered books. Have you a tutorial on making those? Also thinking of covering a book in fabric instead of paper , any hints about weight, fabric type and issues with gluing to consider gratefully received! Btw my family are originally from Kells so no problems with the accent at all but your subtitles are funny :-)
I have a couple of tutorials on simple stitches on the spine of books. They are really basic stitches, called the pamphlet stitch. I've shown a tutorial doing a 3 hole pamphlet stitch and one using 4 holes. They are on my channel from around 1 year ago, but I've used hard covers for those; however the same rules apply on soft covers like leather. I do have another tutorial that I have recorded (just needs editing) which is a soft cover book. Its not on leather as such (its grunge paper from Tim Holtz) and its again using the pamphlet stitches. As soon as I get the editing completed and the voice over done, I will upload it asap. I have more decorative stitch tutorials in the pipeline with more elaborate stitches on the outside spine, so they will follow along soon. And a couple of tutorials on fabric books too actually, as its one of my most requested tutorials. When it comes to fabric covers you need to consider whether you want it padded or glued straight onto the cover. You can also make fabric slip covers too, so when you fill a journal or notebook, the cover can be removed and added to a new journal. I'll try to ensure I do tutorials on all these. But as for tips on fabrics, you can pretty much cover a book in any fabric. Obviously the thicker the material or fabric, the harder it will be to glue down and it may restrict the book when closing. But as long as you aren't using thick vinyl that might crack down the spine, any fabric......even synthetic furs can be used to cover a book. When I do my fabric book tutorials I will be sure to mention as many tips and tricks as possible Milly, I promise. Sometimes it takes me to be making a book there and then for all the tips and tricks to come to mind. But when I do the tutorial, I'll discuss all that could go wrong and what is best to use etc,. I love to hear when people have family from Ireland. Kells is a very historical place with the Abbey and the Book of Kells being made there. It's a beautiful part of the world. My family has deep roots in Ireland, lol. Lee x
Watched the spine gluing again and sorry still confused. Maybe I'm over thinking and just need to do but when you measure for the spine you squeeze the signatures together, yet when you actually glue it on it fits and this us prior to using clamps/bulldog clips. How did it shrink to fit?? And if it does indeed fit at this stage, what is the purpose of the clips? Sorry to ask so many questions!
Milly, don't worry one wee bit. You can ask as many questions as you want. When I squeezed the spine, because I sewed my signatures pretty well and they were really tight, there was maybe only a few mm's difference from when it was not squeezed. So when I glued the wee spine piece of paper on, there was actually 1mm or 2mm on either side of the spine but because its white on white and with all the glue it was hard to see the difference in size. At 5:26 you can just see the black thread in the middle at either side of the paper, that's the sewing threads of the exposed signatures and the gap on each side of the strip of paper. I should have used a different colour of paper so the space was more apparent, sorry. However, you don't have to use a piece of paper down the spine at all if you don't want to. If you just want to glue and clamp it, you certainly can do that. In fact, I now usually add cheesecloth to my spines and wrap it around each side of the spine by an inch or so. This helps pull the spine tight and also adds stability to your spine too. The reason you make the spine piece the same size as squeezed spine is because once its clamped, it will shrink between clamping and the drying of the glue pulling it tighter. If you make your cover spine piece the same size as the un-squeezed size, when it came to putting the book together, the spine piece would be wider than your signatures spine and your signatures would struggle and pull apart when you opened your book. It isn't quite as visible on books as small as this one, but definitely for much thicker books, getting the spine pieces measured corrently is essential. My advise to you is forget about the piece of paper glued down the spine. Glue on a cut piece of cheesecloth or muslin. Glue it down to the spine, pull it tight and then glue it down on either side of the spine about an inch or so. Don't worry, these pages get glued to the inside of your cover pages so the cloth won't be seen. If you don't have cheesecloth or muslin, don't worry. You can use masking tape too. However as I said, its not completely critical for smaller books like this one and in fact you can leave it out if you wish and just glue and clamp it. If you are making a smallish book like this and you are happy that you've sewn your signatures tightly, then you can leave this part out all together. But I did want to show it in this tutorial even though it is a small book as ultimately it does help strengthen your spine and pages and if you are making a much thicker book, this step is advisable. Milly if you have any further questions or even need me to explain this more, please feel free to ask. I will answer as many times as I need to until you are happy with it. I promise you, these books are not hard to make. Just jump in head first and start making one and you'll see how easy they are. Ok, you might find that you are not delighted with your first attempt (My first one wasn't great either!!) but the more you make of them, the more fantastic they look and you'll be able to make a book with your eyes closed soon enough, lol. I hope I've helped Milly. Let me know how you get on. And I genuinely mean it, if you need any more help do ask me. Lee xx
Hi Mel, I am so pleased you liked the videos. Tea staining is such a fabulous technique. If I were you, I'd do all your tea staining before making your book, so even before making the signatures. I used to tea stain by filling a large tray with tea and soaking the pages in it and drying them on my washing line. But a much quicker way to do it, which is the method I now favour, is to fill a spray bottle with strong tea and spray the pages. That way you can do many more pages. I tend to spray my pages and then dry them with my heat tool (a hair dryer will also work) which is a much quicker process. You can also dry the paper in a low temp oven but you have to really keep an eye on the paper using the oven as it can scorch or catch fire. However with all that said, it is more than possible to stain your pages once your book is completely made. You simply protect your covers and spray each page and dry, then move on. But this method can cause the pages to become uneven with the wetting and drying and may cause your pages to become wrinkled, uneven and a bit bulky at the page edges, so just keep that in mind as it can cause your page ends to expand making that section of the book sit open wider than the spine section (I hope that makes sense, lol). I hope I was able to help you out and if you have any further questions, please do ask. I am more than happy to help. Thanks for watching and commenting. Lee xx
Crafty Loops Thank you so much for your quick reply. I use a spray botyle and heat tool and love the results. I sometimes run a wet teabag around the edges too to make it a bit darker. Thanks for the tips, and for your wonderful videos. You explain everything so thoroughly and clearly, they are a joy to watch. :)x
I'm confused! When you measured the width of the spine for the cardstock you squeezed the spine together yet when you actually attached the spine after gluing it fitted perfectly. Did the fairies squeeze the signatures together whilst I wasn't watching lol, or perhaps it was the glue that tightened it? Can you advise please? Thank you, Milly :-)
Hi there Milly. Sorry if I confused you. I think I did say in the video that you had to squeeze the spine, as when its glued and the ribbons are attached and clamped the spine gets smaller. Particularly when the spine is glued and clamped. You can use the clamps like I used or put it in between 2 heavy books or a book press. I now have a book press for this. So the spine does in fact get thinner, once its all glued and squashed together. The reason the spine is bigger before gluing is because the pages have been folded and allowed to expand and get air between then as such. So squeezing, gluing and clamping the spine whilst the glue dries helps remove the air and makes the spine its proper size. It also means there will be no gaps or spaces between your pages and signatures and also stops glue seeping down between the pages. Does that make sense, lol? I hope it does. I wish it was the fairies that helped make the spines, teehee. That would make bookmaking a much faster task, lol. Give me a shout back if I haven't made an ounce of sense......it does happen quite frequently, lol. Thanks for watching. Lee xx
Emilia Norris Awww thank you Milly. I just checked there, I explain it in the first minute or so of the video. Hopefully that helps you out. But by all means come back and ask me as many questions as you like. I am more than willing to help in any way I can. And if there is a particular process you'd like me to go over more or a type of book or anything crafty you'd like a tutorial on, please do ask me. Thank you for watching and your for lovely comment. Lee xx
Lol, I'm so glad you are enjoying these tutorials. Do you make videos yourself? If so, are you planning on showing your handmade book? No pressure or anything of course. But if you do make a video on it, could you let me know? I'd love to see it. Thanks again for watching. I'm so happy you are making your own book. Big hugs,Lee x
Hi Anna. Yes, absolutely. I'd use cheesecloth here instead of the card stock. The cardstock still works a treat. But I do prefer to use cheesecloth when I have it. Thanks so much for watching along. I hope you enjoy making your own book. Let me know if you have any further questions. Lee :)
Great news! I hope you enjoy making your book. You'll be delighted when you hold your very own handmade book in your hands. Thanks for watching and commenting. Lee :)
At what time in this process if you were using Tyvek would you add it to signatures? Would use it over the narrow piece of cardstock or instead of cardstock? Or would you use it when you were ready to attach to covers? I feel like this is an answer to a quest I've been on ha! Thank you so much. I just want flat pages I hope this makes sense. I read your conversation with MrZaZa I have Tyvek and kraftex(which is thick!) I also will be using a mix of papers Again thank you. You have a lovely accent, I'll be in Dublin for about 4 days in Sept. Then on to Edinburgh and Inverness Take care Jeanne
+Jeanne Corsby-Hale Hi Jeanne, lovely to hear from you. OK, as regards to using Tyvek, its all down to you how you would like to use it. If you are worried about the stability of your spine, add the cardstock first and then the tyvek. I tend to leave wee wings of tyvek on either side and you can either glue them down on each side, or glue them to the inside of your cover. Or you can just use tyvek if you don't want to use cardstock down the spine. I personally don't stick to any particular way if Im honest. If I happen to have tyvek on my desk, I'll use it. Also, instead of using the cardstock down the spine, I've started to use cheesecloth. It is a fantastic way to keep your spine strong. Your book will definitely be flat if you use this sewing technique. Just make sure you dont glue your spine down to the inside spine of your cover or you'll have no hope of your book lying flat, lol. I hope that has helped you out. Let me know if I can help in any other way. Lee :)
Hi Adham. Thank you for your comment. To answer your question, you need to start your sewing from the outside of your spine. So when you get to sewing through the 6th hole, your needle and thread will end up on the outside again. That way you can knot the threads. For this type of binding, always start with sewing from the outside. Does that make sense? If you have any problems, let me know and I'll do my best to help. I'm glad my tutorials have helped. Have a great week. Lee x
The spine works better and holds stronger if you put mesh on it instead of cardstock. Instead of using that one strip of ribbon, put thick cardstock or mesh all the way up and down the spine (prior to the final mesh glue) and make sure it extends 1.5-2 inches wide on each side.
Yep, i tend to do that now. This was just my quick way of showing my friends how I made a book. But its a pretty old video now....and my techniques have gotten better, lol.
@@CraftyLoops Yes. But the videos are good and your kind to put them up...I watched it remember....saw nothing wrong, just updating...its good for all of us...:)
Hi Chris. I dont use any particularly bookbinding items that you cant find anywhere really. I buy my board on Ebay.....or wherever is the cheapest. My paper is usually printer paper or water colour paper which again, you can buy anywhere. But you can just use items you have around your home, so for the boards....try a cereal box. Just glue 2 bits together to make it a bit thicker. The glue I used is just white pva glue from a hardware store. Everything I use can be found around your home or easily purchased locally or on Ebay or Amazon. But please don't spend a fortune. The point of my tutorials was to show you that you don't need expensive tools and items to make a beautiful book. I hope this helps you out. Let me know if you have any other questions. Lee :)
daaamn.. instead of adding clips and getting a curved and lumpy spine, get two lengths of wood, one either side, and clamp them with the clips, then your spine will be evenly compressed.. hopefully you've learned that in the 10 years since you posted this ;)
I have a book press, but when I was doing these tutorials I wanted to show that you could make a book with practically anything you have at home. I didn't want to make it about buying tonnes of equipment, especially if it was just something you were wanting to make only a few times. But yes, my book press does a great job. Lee :)
Hey there. I actually mentioned what type of paper it is.....somewhere in these tutorials, lol. Its just plain old copier paper. You can use whatever type of paper you want for bookbinding. But for this tutorial I just bought some cheap copier paper. I hope this helps. Lee x
You're a goodin' Tricia.....still going strong and watching these videos. You are either a gluten for punishment Or actually enjoying them, lol. Hmmmmmm.....don't answer that one, lol. Lee x
+Angelina Han Hi Angelina. I thought I said in the video what glue I used but if not in this video, its definitely in the description box below the video. Sorry if I didn't mention it in this particular video. Because this is a series of videos, I'm never sure which one it is that I mention each product in, it was probably the one before or after this one, lol. I definitely spoke about the glue in detail somewhere in this group of video, teehee. In any case, most of the products needed are listed in the description box. But for easiness sake, the glue I'm using is PVA glue or a simple white school glue is good too. Nothing fancy. I just buy cheap PVA glue from my local hardware shop. The reason PVA is ideal is because its water based and flexible. So it dries quickly and is flexible enough to suit books that will be opened and closed a lot. It's not like a stiff drying glue that would crack over time. So try and get PVA if you can, but as I said, it doesn't need to be an expensive, fancy glue. Just get whatever one you can find at a cheap price. PVA isn't an expensive glue in any case. Hope that helps and these videos are useful. If you have any more questions, please do ask me, I'm more than happy to help. Lee :)
+Crafty Loops I didn't see part 3(a) so I didn't see what was written there but I've finally found part a but thank you for yelling at soon as possible
+Angelina Han Oh my word Angelina, I hope you didn't think I was yelling? Sorry if you got that impression. I was merely trying to explain where you'd find most of the information needed. No yelling intended at all. Lee :)
Lol, if you go back to Part 2 A, Part B is linked in the description box. It will take you straight to part B. And each video following will have the subsequent videos in the description box so they are easy to get to. Give me a shout if you need any more help. Im more than happy to help. Lee xx
lsbrother Opps, good call. I actually got it right at the start of this video with the title, just not in the actual video name. You must have eagles eyes for catching mistakes but I hope you also enjoyed these videos too, lol. Thanks for catching this.
11 years later, wanted to thank you for this beautiful tutorial! Following along at the moment and about to start gluing!
Fantastic! I'm so pleased you are making your own book. Please give me a shout if you have any questions or issues. Have fun. Lee x
Thanks for showing every little detail, just like a pro book-binding! Starting my own right now!
Literally, this series is the most outstanding instructional video series I have ever seen. Well done and thank you! I am an artist and I have had an idea for a small book I wanted to make. These videos have made it possible.
Oh my goodness, thank you so much for that lovely compliment. I'm so happy that my wee tutorials have helped you out. It's always so lovely to hear and particularly getting compliments from an artist too, Thank you. Enjoy making your book. Thanks again for watching. Lee :)
Thats a great idea. I'm always adding my clamps to the books and trying to balance them somewhere so they don't fall, so a napkin holder would be a fab idea. Thank you. Lee x
I am so loving your tutorials! I am new to this, and my first book the spine was all wonky and to large. In all the videos I've watched, and books I've read you are the ONLY one who mentioned squashing the spine when you measure. Just starting my signatures for my 2nd book, and I will sooo be squashing them when I measure for the spine! THANK YOU. I have learned so much!
+Barbara Hallowell Awwww Barbara that is so nice to hear. Believe me, I learned the hard way too with the spine, lol. I like to think that I've made all the mistakes, so you don't have to, heehee. Im sure your book will turn out beautifully. Thanks for watching and commenting. Lee x
Your sewing and gluing are easier than other I seen thanks
Great to hear.. Thank you so much Linda. If you have any questions or queries about bookmaking, just give me a shout back and I'll be more than happy to help you. Thanks so much for watching and comment. Lee :)
Great set of tutorials thus far...I've done a few pieces, and it's helpful to see all the techniques to correct some of my own mishaps.......
Just a thought (something I do)...depending on the size of the signatures, I use either 2 pieces of ordinary wood, or 2 thin, small cutting boards..............the edges of the wood or cutting boards (particularly the edges near the spine) I cover in any kind of clear tape (Scotch tape, glossy clear packing tape, etc.)....................the boards essentially serve part of the function of the scrap paper you put under the clamps--but they also serve to spread the pressure evenly the entire length of the signatures...then I just use the same clamps you have to clamp the piece tight............2 different positions work well for me...either the wood exactly level with the spine of the signatures, which clamps the entire piece tightly...OR...position the boards just slightly lower than the edge of the spine, which serves to very slightly fan out the signatures...THEN I glue the signatures as you show, and everything is already clamped tight..........the tape covering the edges of the boards assures that these will easily pull away from the piece when it's dry with no tearing (you might have a few thin glue edges to simply trim away)
Hi Mark. Great suggestion. I actually have a make shift wooden book press that I use for making books. But when I made these tutorials, I was making it to show my friends that you didn't need fancy equipment to make a book....I never thought for one moment that these bookbinding tutorials would reach so many people, lol. They're such old videos now that I really should redo them and show some of the better techniques I know. I'm so glad these dodgy videos of mine have helped you out. And thank you so much for taking the time to comment too. Lee :)
Thank you for putting so much detail, it really does make it seem so easy to do! :) xx
I really got hooked, I really enjoyed watching them, Lee it was a fabulous tutorial. xxxxx
Thank you so much , I always wanted to learn how binding is done and obviously you've corrected a lot of wrong Ideas I was gonna use ...
I watched your tutorials to use on an old book to fix a torn out binding, it was different I had to locate the signature separations and thread holes .. but it was very helpful thank you ..
Btw when using 6 thread holes the thread doesn't end outside of the spine on each time .. how is it arranged so that I can knot the thread correctly ?
Since I don't think I replied back when you answered my question a bit ago- just wanted to tell you I'm on this step right now and will be finishing my book tonight at work (lol)! Your tutorial is so amazing and helpful, things are very difficult for me to understand a lot of the time but you made this very accessible and entertaining to follow along with. I've shown a few of my friends your videos already (we're all English majors, so we have a very vested interest in this, haha). Also letting you know that I'm using your method to put together my first actual book, a poetry collection. I'm giving it to my fiance for Christmas. This was the only set of instructions that I could comprehend without feeling overwhelmed, and I'm really grateful! I know my fiance will be, too.
Awwww Robin that is so lovely to hear. I am so glad that you (and your friends) have found my tutorials useful. It's funny because these videos really only started out as tutorials for a couple of friends who had asked me to explain how I made my books. But it seems that a lot of people have found them useful which, I am absolutely delighted about. I am sure your Fiance will love your book of poetry, what a beautiful gift. Have fun finishing your book tonight Robin. And thank you so much for letting me know how you are getting on. Lee x
Hi Robin. I just wanted to check in and see how your poetry book making went? Im sure the book turned out beautiful. I know you said you were giving it to your fiance for Christmas which Im sure was loved and will be forever treasured. Lee :)
Crafty Loops Thank you so much, this is so sweet!! He LOVED it. (Maybe cried, haha) I have to thank you so much because I don't think I'll ever give a better gift in my life. All the poetry I've written him for the entirety of our relationship in one place + something handmade from me to have when I can't be there. He was over the moon and so happy!!
That is so wonderful to hear. Lee x
Hello... fantastic and so well narrated (just love your accent)! I just can not find Part 3A anywhere. Can you please post a link (i searched it as Part Three A...). Cheers, Kathrine
Hi Jess, thanks for your question. I tend to use my fingers, particularly in this tutorial as the glue was still wet from adding the glue. If you let the glue dry on the spine for at least the hour I recommended, it should be pretty dry at that stage and if you wish you can use a bone folder to glue the spine piece down. However if you are impatient like me and don't wait for the glue to dry I'd recommend just using your fingers as the glue will seep too far in to the paper. TFW. Lee x
Question: I see you're using your fingers to stick the card stock to binding, would it be ok to use a ruler or bone folder to do this? Or would it make the glue sink too far into the pages? Thanks for these tutorials. I think I've got to make one right away! TFS Jess
Nevermind my previous question. I heard you say to let it dry at least an hour or two in the other video! Thanks again so much for your tutorial! I've always wanted to make my own book! :) You're awesome!
How long do you allow the glue to dry on the spine?? I am at the gluing stage of my book and it's quite large, about an inch and a half thick. Just wondering if I should let it dry overnight?
Hello again Lee - I finished my first book. It looks good enough. I'm designing a second book and watching your signature making series. I'm noticing that you showed the first two signatures being sewn, but not the last. And I didn't see what you did with the ribbons - how you sewed them into the signatures. Is there another video that shows that?
Hi again Mary. So glad you got your first book completed and you are planning your next one. That's wonderful news. Is it the ribbons on these videos you are talking about? I definitely showed what I did with them. It's probably the video before this one, so Part Three, A. But in any case, to save you searching, I simply glued the ribbon down onto the first page (as it will be sacrificed anyway in the cover), let the glue dry and then pulled the ribbon tight, glued it to the other side of the page and held it with a clip until it dried.....if I remember correctly, heehee. I'll have a look here and find it for you exactly. Give me a wee second....
Okey dokey Mary, I found it. It is on the video before this one. I only had one ribbon on this spine because there were only 4 holes for the purpose of doing a quick and easy book. But I usually do more sew holes so usually have at least 2 ribbons.....and that's if I can even be bothered with using ribbons at all now. To be honest, using cheesecloth down the spine of the book (instead of the cardstock like I did for this book) makes the spine extremely sturdy and durable. I think I will do a new updated version of this tutorial showing how I have tweaked my design and worked out better and quicker ways of doing things....I'll add it to my list of tutorials to do, heehee. Here is the link for you. if you start watching from around the 4 minute mark. Hope that helps. Lee xx
Ughhhh...forgot to give you the link. Im a doughnut! th-cam.com/video/VMCbxRWTRcg/w-d-xo.html
Lee, I see that you have don 8 signatures. Am wondering if you can do more as I love a FAT book. I don't know if it is good idea to make it larger so am needing your advice. thank you. Cindy :)
+Sanctuaryrain S Hi Cindy. Thank you so much for all your lovely comments and for subbing to my channel. Okey dokey, now to answer your question. Yes, absolutely you can make a bigger, thicker book. I only did a small book for tutorial purposes.....I didn't want to bore everyone to tears with me making a junky monkey book so I kept it small. You can do as many signatures in your book as you wish, as long as you increase your spine size to accommodate the amount of pages otherwise you'll end up with a book that looks like it has an Alligator mouth, lol.
Also, for more signatures, I'd recommend doing more sew holes also, so 6 or 8 would be good. Just to ensure everything stays put. As you love making journals, I've done other book binding tutorials on a 3 hole and 4 hole pamphlet stitch. Also one that shows how to make a wrap around journal too. Here are the links for you if you want to check them out.
3 hole pamphlet th-cam.com/video/z3Ru6bkfsqM/w-d-xo.html
4 hole pamphlet th-cam.com/video/937rWn0YHfo/w-d-xo.html
Wrap around journal th-cam.com/video/JV_ovup0hIo/w-d-xo.html
Thanks again for your support Cindy. If you run into any troubles or have any more questions please give me a shout back, Im always happy to help. Lee x
yep it makes a lot of sense, this way I'll have two thread lines on the back of the signature and three on the inside .. seems I missed a hole when I was sewing .. and the book binding I made for my old book was great, not perfect but great I hope to do better next time .. thank you so much and sorry for being so late with the respond I didn't know where to find my inbox on the new system :/ Thanks a bunch have a nice day / weekend :)
Sorry! Missed it clearly too enthused by your demonstrations and keen to crack on and get making myself lol. I've seen some hand stitched simple leather covered books. Have you a tutorial on making those? Also thinking of covering a book in fabric instead of paper , any hints about weight, fabric type and issues with gluing to consider gratefully received!
Btw my family are originally from Kells so no problems with the accent at all but your subtitles are funny :-)
I have a couple of tutorials on simple stitches on the spine of books. They are really basic stitches, called the pamphlet stitch. I've shown a tutorial doing a 3 hole pamphlet stitch and one using 4 holes. They are on my channel from around 1 year ago, but I've used hard covers for those; however the same rules apply on soft covers like leather. I do have another tutorial that I have recorded (just needs editing) which is a soft cover book. Its not on leather as such (its grunge paper from Tim Holtz) and its again using the pamphlet stitches. As soon as I get the editing completed and the voice over done, I will upload it asap. I have more decorative stitch tutorials in the pipeline with more elaborate stitches on the outside spine, so they will follow along soon. And a couple of tutorials on fabric books too actually, as its one of my most requested tutorials. When it comes to fabric covers you need to consider whether you want it padded or glued straight onto the cover. You can also make fabric slip covers too, so when you fill a journal or notebook, the cover can be removed and added to a new journal. I'll try to ensure I do tutorials on all these. But as for tips on fabrics, you can pretty much cover a book in any fabric. Obviously the thicker the material or fabric, the harder it will be to glue down and it may restrict the book when closing. But as long as you aren't using thick vinyl that might crack down the spine, any fabric......even synthetic furs can be used to cover a book.
When I do my fabric book tutorials I will be sure to mention as many tips and tricks as possible Milly, I promise. Sometimes it takes me to be making a book there and then for all the tips and tricks to come to mind. But when I do the tutorial, I'll discuss all that could go wrong and what is best to use etc,.
I love to hear when people have family from Ireland. Kells is a very historical place with the Abbey and the Book of Kells being made there. It's a beautiful part of the world. My family has deep roots in Ireland, lol. Lee x
Watched the spine gluing again and sorry still confused. Maybe I'm over thinking and just need to do but when you measure for the spine you squeeze the signatures together, yet when you actually glue it on it fits and this us prior to using clamps/bulldog clips. How did it shrink to fit?? And if it does indeed fit at this stage, what is the purpose of the clips? Sorry to ask so many questions!
Milly, don't worry one wee bit. You can ask as many questions as you want. When I squeezed the spine, because I sewed my signatures pretty well and they were really tight, there was maybe only a few mm's difference from when it was not squeezed. So when I glued the wee spine piece of paper on, there was actually 1mm or 2mm on either side of the spine but because its white on white and with all the glue it was hard to see the difference in size. At 5:26 you can just see the black thread in the middle at either side of the paper, that's the sewing threads of the exposed signatures and the gap on each side of the strip of paper. I should have used a different colour of paper so the space was more apparent, sorry.
However, you don't have to use a piece of paper down the spine at all if you don't want to. If you just want to glue and clamp it, you certainly can do that. In fact, I now usually add cheesecloth to my spines and wrap it around each side of the spine by an inch or so. This helps pull the spine tight and also adds stability to your spine too. The reason you make the spine piece the same size as squeezed spine is because once its clamped, it will shrink between clamping and the drying of the glue pulling it tighter. If you make your cover spine piece the same size as the un-squeezed size, when it came to putting the book together, the spine piece would be wider than your signatures spine and your signatures would struggle and pull apart when you opened your book. It isn't quite as visible on books as small as this one, but definitely for much thicker books, getting the spine pieces measured corrently is essential.
My advise to you is forget about the piece of paper glued down the spine. Glue on a cut piece of cheesecloth or muslin. Glue it down to the spine, pull it tight and then glue it down on either side of the spine about an inch or so. Don't worry, these pages get glued to the inside of your cover pages so the cloth won't be seen. If you don't have cheesecloth or muslin, don't worry. You can use masking tape too. However as I said, its not completely critical for smaller books like this one and in fact you can leave it out if you wish and just glue and clamp it. If you are making a smallish book like this and you are happy that you've sewn your signatures tightly, then you can leave this part out all together. But I did want to show it in this tutorial even though it is a small book as ultimately it does help strengthen your spine and pages and if you are making a much thicker book, this step is advisable.
Milly if you have any further questions or even need me to explain this more, please feel free to ask. I will answer as many times as I need to until you are happy with it. I promise you, these books are not hard to make. Just jump in head first and start making one and you'll see how easy they are. Ok, you might find that you are not delighted with your first attempt (My first one wasn't great either!!) but the more you make of them, the more fantastic they look and you'll be able to make a book with your eyes closed soon enough, lol. I hope I've helped Milly. Let me know how you get on. And I genuinely mean it, if you need any more help do ask me. Lee xx
This is good info but what is that paper called does it have to be a kind what store
Excellent videos and instructions. I just wondered, if I wanted to tea stain the paper, at what stage should I do it?
Hi Mel, I am so pleased you liked the videos. Tea staining is such a fabulous technique. If I were you, I'd do all your tea staining before making your book, so even before making the signatures. I used to tea stain by filling a large tray with tea and soaking the pages in it and drying them on my washing line. But a much quicker way to do it, which is the method I now favour, is to fill a spray bottle with strong tea and spray the pages. That way you can do many more pages. I tend to spray my pages and then dry them with my heat tool (a hair dryer will also work) which is a much quicker process. You can also dry the paper in a low temp oven but you have to really keep an eye on the paper using the oven as it can scorch or catch fire. However with all that said, it is more than possible to stain your pages once your book is completely made. You simply protect your covers and spray each page and dry, then move on. But this method can cause the pages to become uneven with the wetting and drying and may cause your pages to become wrinkled, uneven and a bit bulky at the page edges, so just keep that in mind as it can cause your page ends to expand making that section of the book sit open wider than the spine section (I hope that makes sense, lol). I hope I was able to help you out and if you have any further questions, please do ask. I am more than happy to help. Thanks for watching and commenting. Lee xx
Crafty Loops Thank you so much for your quick reply. I use a spray botyle and heat tool and love the results. I sometimes run a wet teabag around the edges too to make it a bit darker. Thanks for the tips, and for your wonderful videos. You explain everything so thoroughly and clearly, they are a joy to watch. :)x
I'm confused! When you measured the width of the spine for the cardstock you squeezed the spine together yet when you actually attached the spine after gluing it fitted perfectly. Did the fairies squeeze the signatures together whilst I wasn't watching lol, or perhaps it was the glue that tightened it? Can you advise please? Thank you, Milly :-)
Hi there Milly. Sorry if I confused you. I think I did say in the video that you had to squeeze the spine, as when its glued and the ribbons are attached and clamped the spine gets smaller. Particularly when the spine is glued and clamped. You can use the clamps like I used or put it in between 2 heavy books or a book press. I now have a book press for this. So the spine does in fact get thinner, once its all glued and squashed together. The reason the spine is bigger before gluing is because the pages have been folded and allowed to expand and get air between then as such. So squeezing, gluing and clamping the spine whilst the glue dries helps remove the air and makes the spine its proper size. It also means there will be no gaps or spaces between your pages and signatures and also stops glue seeping down between the pages. Does that make sense, lol? I hope it does. I wish it was the fairies that helped make the spines, teehee. That would make bookmaking a much faster task, lol. Give me a shout back if I haven't made an ounce of sense......it does happen quite frequently, lol. Thanks for watching. Lee xx
I'll re-watch :-) love your videos, friendly and approachable, thank you
Emilia Norris Awww thank you Milly. I just checked there, I explain it in the first minute or so of the video. Hopefully that helps you out. But by all means come back and ask me as many questions as you like. I am more than willing to help in any way I can. And if there is a particular process you'd like me to go over more or a type of book or anything crafty you'd like a tutorial on, please do ask me. Thank you for watching and your for lovely comment. Lee xx
Lol, I'm so glad you are enjoying these tutorials. Do you make videos yourself? If so, are you planning on showing your handmade book? No pressure or anything of course. But if you do make a video on it, could you let me know? I'd love to see it. Thanks again for watching. I'm so happy you are making your own book. Big hugs,Lee x
Would this be where you have updated and use cheesecloth , instead of card stock on the spine!? Thankyou 😄
Hi Anna. Yes, absolutely. I'd use cheesecloth here instead of the card stock. The cardstock still works a treat. But I do prefer to use cheesecloth when I have it. Thanks so much for watching along. I hope you enjoy making your own book. Let me know if you have any further questions. Lee :)
Great news! I hope you enjoy making your book. You'll be delighted when you hold your very own handmade book in your hands. Thanks for watching and commenting. Lee :)
At what time in this process if you were using Tyvek would you add it to signatures? Would use it over the narrow piece of cardstock or instead of cardstock? Or would you use it when you were ready to attach to covers? I feel like this is an answer to a quest I've been on ha! Thank you so much. I just want flat pages I hope this makes sense. I read your conversation with MrZaZa I have Tyvek and kraftex(which is thick!) I also will be using a mix of papers Again thank you. You have a lovely accent, I'll be in Dublin for about 4 days in Sept. Then on to Edinburgh and Inverness Take care Jeanne
+Jeanne Corsby-Hale Hi Jeanne, lovely to hear from you. OK, as regards to using Tyvek, its all down to you how you would like to use it. If you are worried about the stability of your spine, add the cardstock first and then the tyvek. I tend to leave wee wings of tyvek on either side and you can either glue them down on each side, or glue them to the inside of your cover. Or you can just use tyvek if you don't want to use cardstock down the spine. I personally don't stick to any particular way if Im honest. If I happen to have tyvek on my desk, I'll use it. Also, instead of using the cardstock down the spine, I've started to use cheesecloth. It is a fantastic way to keep your spine strong. Your book will definitely be flat if you use this sewing technique. Just make sure you dont glue your spine down to the inside spine of your cover or you'll have no hope of your book lying flat, lol. I hope that has helped you out. Let me know if I can help in any other way. Lee :)
Thank you Lee! Now to the work room to try out my new found knowledge!
Hi Adham. Thank you for your comment. To answer your question, you need to start your sewing from the outside of your spine. So when you get to sewing through the 6th hole, your needle and thread will end up on the outside again. That way you can knot the threads. For this type of binding, always start with sewing from the outside. Does that make sense? If you have any problems, let me know and I'll do my best to help. I'm glad my tutorials have helped. Have a great week. Lee x
The spine works better and holds stronger if you put mesh on it instead of cardstock. Instead of using that one strip of ribbon, put thick cardstock or mesh all the way up and down the spine (prior to the final mesh glue) and make sure it extends 1.5-2 inches wide on each side.
Yep, i tend to do that now. This was just my quick way of showing my friends how I made a book. But its a pretty old video now....and my techniques have gotten better, lol.
@@CraftyLoops Yes. But the videos are good and your kind to put them up...I watched it remember....saw nothing wrong, just updating...its good for all of us...:)
Hello
Could you tell me what company you use for your boards, and other book items? Hugs
chris
Hi Chris. I dont use any particularly bookbinding items that you cant find anywhere really. I buy my board on Ebay.....or wherever is the cheapest. My paper is usually printer paper or water colour paper which again, you can buy anywhere. But you can just use items you have around your home, so for the boards....try a cereal box. Just glue 2 bits together to make it a bit thicker. The glue I used is just white pva glue from a hardware store. Everything I use can be found around your home or easily purchased locally or on Ebay or Amazon. But please don't spend a fortune. The point of my tutorials was to show you that you don't need expensive tools and items to make a beautiful book. I hope this helps you out. Let me know if you have any other questions. Lee :)
daaamn.. instead of adding clips and getting a curved and lumpy spine, get two lengths of wood, one either side, and clamp them with the clips, then your spine will be evenly compressed..
hopefully you've learned that in the 10 years since you posted this ;)
I have a book press, but when I was doing these tutorials I wanted to show that you could make a book with practically anything you have at home. I didn't want to make it about buying tonnes of equipment, especially if it was just something you were wanting to make only a few times. But yes, my book press does a great job. Lee :)
Ok so we did two signatures I’m now stuck as my third signature is loose help how do I attach all five together
Hopefully my other comment reply will help you out Jenn.
oh i found it.... never mind. thank you again!!!!
Help!! I can't find video 2B.
Hey there. I actually mentioned what type of paper it is.....somewhere in these tutorials, lol. Its just plain old copier paper. You can use whatever type of paper you want for bookbinding. But for this tutorial I just bought some cheap copier paper. I hope this helps. Lee x
on average how long to you let the glue dry for?
+starwolf539 You could probably getting away with leaving it for 30 mins or so. Hope that helps. Lee :)
You're a goodin' Tricia.....still going strong and watching these videos. You are either a gluten for punishment Or actually enjoying them, lol. Hmmmmmm.....don't answer that one, lol. Lee x
What kind of glue can u use???
+Angelina Han Hi Angelina. I thought I said in the video what glue I used but if not in this video, its definitely in the description box below the video. Sorry if I didn't mention it in this particular video. Because this is a series of videos, I'm never sure which one it is that I mention each product in, it was probably the one before or after this one, lol. I definitely spoke about the glue in detail somewhere in this group of video, teehee. In any case, most of the products needed are listed in the description box. But for easiness sake, the glue I'm using is PVA glue or a simple white school glue is good too. Nothing fancy. I just buy cheap PVA glue from my local hardware shop. The reason PVA is ideal is because its water based and flexible. So it dries quickly and is flexible enough to suit books that will be opened and closed a lot. It's not like a stiff drying glue that would crack over time. So try and get PVA if you can, but as I said, it doesn't need to be an expensive, fancy glue. Just get whatever one you can find at a cheap price. PVA isn't an expensive glue in any case. Hope that helps and these videos are useful. If you have any more questions, please do ask me, I'm more than happy to help. Lee :)
+Crafty Loops I didn't see part 3(a) so I didn't see what was written there but I've finally found part a but thank you for yelling at soon as possible
+Angelina Han Oh my word Angelina, I hope you didn't think I was yelling? Sorry if you got that impression. I was merely trying to explain where you'd find most of the information needed. No yelling intended at all. Lee :)
Lol, if you go back to Part 2 A, Part B is linked in the description box. It will take you straight to part B. And each video following will have the subsequent videos in the description box so they are easy to get to. Give me a shout if you need any more help. Im more than happy to help. Lee xx
hey as i was watching ur vid i thought of something to hold ur book a napkin holder or napkin holders.... hmmmmm
part Three B - Gluing your signatures continued (not sewing!)
lsbrother Opps, good call. I actually got it right at the start of this video with the title, just not in the actual video name. You must have eagles eyes for catching mistakes but I hope you also enjoyed these videos too, lol. Thanks for catching this.