Book #317

Coiled Line

I have a couple more 3-section sewings to show you before I move onto some different bindings. Today's is a coil stitch, also learned from Smith's text. If you wrapped it a bit more tightly it could be called a packed coil.

Book #316

Tractate Binding

I did it again, just changed the name of the sewing pattern. If you're looking for the instructions, Keith Smith named this binding open book. I enjoy this renaming process, I almost want to go back and rename all the previous ones with, what I think are, unsatisfactory names.

Book #315

Knell Binding

Today's binding is another 3-section sewing that I learned from Smith's book (1, 2 & 3-section sewings). The thing I like least about this one, and some of the others, is the name he has given it. So I changed it, to make it more intriguing. If you are looking for his instructions, though, you will find it listed as Alternating Looped Bars.

Book #314

Rocket

Today's binding is a 3-section sewing called 'rocket'. I like this much more than yesterday's book.

Book #313

Descending Xs

Today's binding is a 2-section sewing from Smith's book; I think this is the last of the 2-section techniques that I will be doing. This is not among my favorites, although it functions fine and it is easy to do.

Book #312

Origami Wrapper

Today I have another bookish origami creation. I have printed a Chinese proverb on it that can be seen when it is opened. I found this structure in "Japanese Papercrafts," which also has several other wrapper, box, and envelope structures handy in the book arts.

Book #311

Single-Section Album

This binding is meant to be used as an album or scrapbook where photos or other items are attached to the pages after the book is bound. In Cockerell's bookbinding manual, he calls this a scrapbook binding. Essentailly, the pages and the spacers are all bound together like a single signature.

Book #310

Assembly Line

One more of these 3-section sewings for now.

Book #309

Isolated Diamonds

A three-section binding again today.

Book #308

Tire Tracks

Another 3-section binding from Smith's book.

Book #307

Pisces

I have a few more bindings from Smith's book (1,2 & 3 Section Sewings) this week. Today's is a 3-section binding called Pisces.

Book #306

Spring Action Binding

This little book is bound using the spring action binding that Smith describes in his book (Non Adhesive Binding vol 1). As he says, it doesn't stay closed so maybe it is really a very poor structure for a book, but in fact the spring action can be used to advantage when you want to display book content.

Book #305

Drum Leaf Binding

I have been hearing about the drum leaf binding for a long time although I never attempted to make one until now. For this book, I bound a set of monoprints that I had done a while ago. The advantages of this binding are specific to a binding situation where you desire your page spreads to be a continuous sheet with no stitching in the fold.

Book #304

Expandable Pocket Binding

Today's book is a mixture of envelope, book, and box. The pages are little pockets and they are secured inside a little box structure. I made the little pockets individually, although the tutorial that I saw for this idea was done with coin envelopes.

Book #303

Hourglass Binding

Today's binding is another one that I learned from Alisa Golden's blog. I tweaked it a tiny bit to have individual sewing holes on the spine, rather than sewing through a slot, it is an attractive spine pattern either way.

Book #302

Folded Multi-page Book

The little book I made for today is based on the folded multi-page book that Alisa Golden devised and presented on her blog. It is a handy structure made from one sheet of paper and you can print your content all on one side of the paper then with a bit of folding and cutting - you get a booklet with seven page-spreads.

Book #301

Hidden Stab Binding

This binding is another way to use a basic stab binding. The main different here is the cover attachment, of course, but allows you the simplicity of the stab binding without having stitches on the cover.

Book #300

Checkerboard Album Binding

I have reached 300! And it is another album binding. This one is a little extra cool, though. It is an early 20th Century photo album structure that was researched and examined by Betsy Palmer Eldridge. I made my model using some information that I got from her at PBI in 2012.

Book #299

Sewn Album

The binding I made for today is a sewn album binding. This is another one that Zeier includes in "Books, Boxes and Portfolios".

Book #298

Flower Book

Today's book is a variant of the star book that I showed yesterday. The construction is rather reversed in this version, so the expanded book forms a flower rather than a star. This is one of the many book structures that we are going to explore in the Alternative Bookbinding course that I'm teaching next month. (Visit NS Centre for Craft and Design for more info about that.)

Book #297

Star Book

Today's binding is the Star Book which is fancy accordion really. So it closes up like an accordion, but when open fully, it looks like a star. This structure has become very popular as a memory album since it can be attractively displayed. There are some good instructions and inspiration in the book "Outstanding Mini Albums".

Book #296

Another Origami Structure

Today's book is a simple one. I modified an origami kimono fold to make it look more like a sweater vest. The innermost layer (or, the shirt) can be pulled out and it bears the text of a little poem about a sweater vest.

Book #295

Adhesive-bound Album

This is another book structure that Zeier includes in "Books, Boxes and Portfolios". Although traditional photo albums are not used much anymore, there are still times when a book requires those features to allow for inclusions. This structure is made by folding the edge of each sheet along the spine edge and then pasting them all together, then backing and casing in as usual.

Book #294

Brochure Binding

This is a soft cover book, which might have a number of names. In "Books, Boxes and Portfolios," Zeier calls it a brochure binding. It could also be called a paperback binding or something similar. For my example, the textblock consists of signatures sewn with a simple abbreviated stitching; however, the textblock could be prepared a number of ways. The key element is that the paper cover is glued directly to a flat spine.

Book #293

Rubow Binding

Happy 2016! So, obviously I did not finish my 365 bindings in 2015. After today, there are still 72 more! I still intend to finish them within a reasonable period of time.

Today's book is the Rubow binding, which is constructed much the same as the millimeter binding that I presented yesterday. This version, though, has the 1mm strip of leather all along the head and tail of the book. I really like this style. The rather awesome marbling on this book was done by Nancy Morains of Colophon Book Arts.