Following two of our most popular ‘Top 10 lists’ posts (Top 10 Japanese Stab Binding Tutorials on the Internet & Top 10 Coptic Stitch Binding Tutorials on the Internet), we’ve been asked to find some resources for the rare, and ever so secret, Secret Belgian Binding technique.
Following one of our most popular posts Top 10 Coptic Stitch Binding Tutorials on the Internet we have decided to do a post on the top 15 of the best Japanese Stab Binding instructions and tutorials we could find on the web (also known as the Traditional Chinese Binding Method though there are noticeable differences between the two). On this page you’ll also find a collection of video tutorials and many Japanese stab binding related resources. We hope it serves as a good resource for some of you out there.
Are you looking for some free books you can download and read offline? If so, look no further. We've put together a complete compilation of scanned PDF bookbinding books which you can download completely free
The collection is composed of 117 different bookbinding books (1.23 GB), with over 19,000 pages of information!
Yes, it took us a long time to compile, but we think your worth it!
Click here for a complete list of all the books included in the collection and download links.
A fantastic short documentary film about the making of books in the 1940’s. Produced by Encyclopedia Britannica Films.
A fantastically filmed short video (3:40) on the methods of making a traditional book from setting the printing plates to adding the leather covering.
One of the best short video documentaries I’ve seen on bookbinding, well worth a watch.
A simple overview of the bookbinding process
Setting the typeset at the printers into words and lines. Plates are inked and prepared for the printing process.
Paper sheets are then pressed on the inked type.
Q&A: What is a Nipping Press?
A nipping press is a small press used by bookbinders for various bookbinding purposes. Originally the nipping press was designed to make the gutters or ‘hinges’ on the covers of hardbound books; the process of which was done in the following way:
Following on from our latest post Guest Posting Opportunity: Share Your Projects, Knowledge or Services we decided also to do a fortnightly ‘featured bookbinder’ series and this week we’d like to introduce you to lovely Kris Steward, founder of ScrollByHand.com who’s going to talk today about her bookbinding passion and give some helpful advice about selling on etsy.com… if you would like to be considered as a future featured bookbinder then please drop us an email!
Thank you Kris for taking the time to introduce the readers of iBookBinding to your life!
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My name is Kris Stewart and I’m a bookbinder working near the city of Seattle in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, USA. I caught the bookbinding bug 16 years ago when my son was a baby. As a way to get out of the house, I signed up for a binding class at a local art shop. Three hours later I was completely hooked. Soon I was selling handmade baby books at local craft fairs, but ultimately found that too difficult with a youngster in the house. I studied up and played around with book arts as a hobbyist until my son started middle school. A friend and fellow maker introduced me to Etsy and voilà! Here I am doing what I love!
I’ve decided to open the gates of iBookBinding to the book arts community and for a limited time, on a trial basis I will be accept guest posts from our readership. If you are a bookbinder, work in the book arts field or simply have a passion or interest for bookbinding and fancy writing a piece for iBookBinding, then this could be a great opportunity for you…
He works in a profession that is more than 1700 years old. A profession that many of us thought to be extinct. This is the story of Per-Anders Hübner and his profession as a hand bookbinder.
Today we will be learning how to make a nice book using Coptic Stitching.This book could be used for anything such as drawings, stories, poems, scrapbook, etc.
Well, the weekend is almost upon us and everybody deserves a little break. So today, inspired by an email I picked up from Peter Verheyen on the Book Arts List, I decided to do a little light-hearted post on Paper Airplanes (or paper aeroplanes for those in the UK)!
The following instructions form the first part of the City & Guilds Level 1 Unit 118 Course in Bookbinding. Reproduced with the consent of Shepherds Bookbinders who own all rights. A downloadable PDF copy of this course can be found here.
Here are a few commonly used bookbinding terms. Learning these basic terms and phrases will help you understand the exercises covered later in this post. Along with the principle of ‘Grain Direction’, and ‘Learning about Paper’ a little time spent reading these simple definitions will help you make informed choices when ordering materials and equipment.
NOTE: You might also want to check out our post ‘The Basics of Bookbinding‘ which gives a comprehensive breakdown of all the tools and equipment you’ll likely need for your journey into bookbinding.
Greek artist Chara creates beautiful hand-made Japanese style embroidered notepads which look incredibly 3D despite being made solely from thread and card.
Featured work includes veins on skulls and human bodies which resemble modern anatomy diagrams, 3-Dimensional mesh fish and insects, scientific worm-holes and numerous floral and oriental inspired designs.
View her gallery below and make sure to check out more of her work on her Facebook page, Pinterest! page and also her dedicated ETSY shop where you can purchase a handmade book of your own.
[support-website] [wysija_foSince I personally use notebooks all the time, and make my own embroidered accessories, I had the idea to combine my two loves and create embroidered notebooks.
It requires dedication and lots of patience to avoid damaging the paper. But the result is worth the pain, I think! – About FabulousCatPapers
Following last weeks popular marbling post (see here), I received a number of emails from visitors about the different types of paper available and their suitability for marbling, calligraphy and use in bookbinding and restoration projects. So, today I decided to put together a post on advanced paper-making techniques as there seems only to be a limited number of resources currently on the internet, much of which is pretty hard to find. I hope it will help a few of you out there.
Note that I am no expert in papermaking but have attended numerous paper-making workshops and have visited a handful of Washi paper making factories in Japan over the years. If you have any questions on the subject, please feel free to ask in the comments section below and I’ll do my best to help where I can.
Find below a complete list of bookbinding courses and workshops in the UK. All courses listed are available to the public, some are day courses, others are multi-day courses and some are full time.
