“Albuquerque”…28 holes, beginning bind. Super easy, actually.
Tag Archives: binding
japanese stab binding tutorial: hearts
This is a beginning bind, with an intermediate level of holes (40). If you don’t want the gaps between the hearts, then repeat the steps marked in orange until you have the desired number. When you have reached the end of your line of hearts, wrap the left edge, then work your way back to the beginning through the middle of the hearts repeating the steps in blue. Be aware though, you will have to adjust the hole pattern. If you get completely lost, leave a comment with your question and I will try to answer it.
**click on an image to enlarge**
hole pattern
sewing pattern
EXIT = needle pointed DOWN and ENTER = needle pointed UP
=====
enter 1 (leave a tail but don’t knot it), wrap around right edge,
enter 1 again
exit 2
enter 3
exit 4
enter 5
exit 6
enter 7
exit 6
enter 5
exit 4
enter 3
exit 2
enter 1, wrap around spine at angle to below 9,
enter 1 again
exit 8
enter 9
exit 10
enter 7, wrap around spine, thread needle through loop from 1, point right,
enter 7 again
exit 11
enter 12
exit 13
enter 14
exit 15
enter 16
exit 17
enter 16
exit 15
enter 14
exit 13
enter 12
exit 11, wrap around spine at angle to below 19,
exit 11 again
enter 18
exit 19
enter 20
exit 17, wrap around spine, thread needle through loop from 11, point right,
exit 17
enter 21
exit 22
enter 23
exit 24
enter 25
exit 26
enter 27
exit 26
enter 25
exit 24
enter 23
exit 22
enter 21, wrap around spine at angle to below 29,
enter 21 again
exit 28
enter 29
exit 30
enter 27, wrap around spice, thread needle through loop from 21, point right,
enter 27 again
exit 31
enter 32
exit 33
enter 34
exit 35
enter 36
exit 37
enter 36
exit 35
enter 34
exit 33
enter 32
exit 31, wrap around spine at angle to below 39,
exit 31 again
enter 38
exit 39
enter 40
exit 37, wrap around spine, thread needle through loop from 31, point right,
exit 37 again
wrap around left edge, exit 37 again
enter 40
exit 39
enter 38
exit 31
enter 27
exit 30
enter 29
exit 28
enter 21
exit 17
enter 20
exit 19
enter 18
exit 11
enter 7
exit 10
enter 9
exit 8, tie off
tutorial poll #1
I’m way behind in providing binding tutorials here, and I apologize if you asked me for one and I didn’t come through. It has been so long I can’t remember which design I was asked for last…so here is a poll with some of the most recently popular designs. Cast your vote and let me know which pattern needs a tutorial!
**update** Wow, thanks for the great response, everyone! Next tutorial up: maple leaves!
japanese stab binding #37: sushi
I’ve been on a spiral kick lately. I was going for cinnamon rolls with this design, but was informed that it looked more like sushi. Later I might try a vertical, ‘stacked’ version so the sushi pattern is more obvious when the book is displayed correctly. But here you go! Advanced beginner, just because of the number of holes. Very easy to sew.
58 holes, 6″(15.24cm) wide, .25″(.64cm) thick. I wrapped the spine about 9 times to get thread length.
japanese stab binding #36: zebra stripes
An accidental animal print. 74 holes on this one. I suppose that a real animal print wouldn’t have repeats, but…oh well. The sides on this design are a bit tricky, as are the Vs on the spine. I wrapped the spine 8 times to get the thread length. 6″(15.24cm) wide, .25″(.64cm) thick.
japanese stab binding #35: dancing snowflakes
I have been reunited with my bookbinding tools! Also I have some free time to do more experiments now.
This bind has 84 holes. 84! It’s a bit ridiculous. But other than the prep taking forever, the actual sewing is straightforward. I wrapped the spine about 10.5 times to get the length of the string. 5.75″(14.6cm) wide, .25″(.64cm) thick.
japanese stab binding #34: cobwebs
This is from a super-old sketch that I never actually sewed. But I got a new toy (picture below) and I wanted to try it out on a simple test before using it on a real project. The design has only 9 holes, and they’re in a straight line! That almost never happens anymore, haha.
This bind is a blend of Marionette and Woven.
Exciting experiments and shenanigans are coming…
japanese ledger binding: a tutorial
Not that it’s much of a tutorial. I drew these instructions a couple of years ago, fully intending to post them…and then forgot. Or was distracted by other things. Not very hard to believe, if you know me! I was asked for more information about a ledger bind I previously posted, so here is what I know.
This is about as simple of a bind as you can get…it just looks complicated. The most difficult part is gluing it all together and keeping it aligned. This bind should be landscape, or wider than it is tall.
Start with a book block made of single sheets. You’ll need to drill three evenly spaced holes at least half an inch in from the spine edge, though ultimately where you place your holes depends on how wide your book is.
I generally cut a thicker piece of paper to wrap around the book block, like below. It isn’t necessary, but it makes the spine look much cleaner and if the paper of your book block is thin, the thicker paper is more durable.
Sew the block together by starting in the middle hole, and making a figure eight. Tie off. Cut the ends of your thread short, but they don’t have to be tucked in or hidden.
The boards for the front cover should leave a gap that is twice the thickness of the board. If you skimp on the gap, your book will not open all the way. Don’t go overboard with the gap though, because the section of the cover with board #2 will flop too much and be more likely to eventually rip off. Board #3 should be wide enough to cover the stitching.
Glue the boards to the book block. I generally glue them in the order they are numbered below.
A look at the finished product:
A blank journal for a friend
An art history paper for grad school. I had to make four copies of this book.
Hope that helps! If something doesn’t make sense, leave me a comment and I’ll try to clarify.
japanese stab binding tutorial: woven
I’ll be honest, I’ve been working on this tutorial for days. It might be the most convoluted one. I’ve checked and double-checked for errors. If you find one, leave a comment and I’ll fix it as soon as I can.
But ‘woven’ is not that difficult to sew once you understand the technique. If you’ve tried the marionette tutorial, then you could sew this bind with that method. However…if you can figure this technique out, it will give you more options! The ‘woven’ part will actually be partially over the spine edge – though the diagram doesn’t show it well. I rate this pattern somewhere in the intermediate range, with beginning holes.
A few things to remember: when you are making the first diagonal Xs, do not make the knot too tight. Also, leave a bit of slack in the first three Xs. Your fingers will thank you when you try to thread the needle under the massive knot to make the last X between holes 16 and 20. If when you first read the pattern and can’t visualize what to do, just think how an X is written… you sew the first diagonal from the beginning hole to the matching hole on the opposite side of the pattern, and then complete the X on the way back to the original hole. Clear as mud? Well – jump in and try it and hopefully it will make sense!
sewing pattern
EXIT = needle pointed DOWN and ENTER = needle pointed UP
=====
enter 1, (leave a tail but don’t knot it) wrap around right side, enter 1 again
exit 2, wrap around spine, exit 2 again
enter 3, wrap around spine, enter 3 again
exit 4, wrap around spine, exit 4 again
enter 5, wrap around spine, enter 5 again
exit 6, wrap around spine, exit 6 again
enter 7, wrap around spine, enter 7 again
exit 8, wrap around spine, exit 8 again
enter 9, wrap around spine, enter 9 again
exit 10, wrap around spine, exit 10 again
enter 11, wrap around spine, enter 11 again
exit 12, wrap around left side, exit 12 again
enter 13, wrap around left side, enter 13 again
exit 14, wrap around left side, exit 14 again
enter 15, wrap around left side, enter 15 again
exit 16, wrap around left side, exit 16 again
wrap around spine, exit 16 again
enter 15
exit 14
enter 13
exit 12
enter 11
exit 10
enter 9
exit 8
enter 7
exit 6
enter 5
exit 4
enter 3
exit 2
enter 1, thread needle under 2, over 3, under 4, over 5, under 6, at angle to between 6 and 7; *opposite side* thread needle under 7, over 8, under 9, over 10, under 11
enter 12, thread needle under 11, over 10, under 9, over 8, under 7; thread needle backward (point left) under loop from 1, pull to the right (knot/twist should be vertical), *opposite side* thread needle under 6, over 5, under 4, over 3, under 2
enter 1
exit 17, thread needle over 2, under 3, over 4, under 5, over 6, thread needle under knot/twist between 6 and 7, point right, *opposite side* thread needle over 7, under 8, over 9, under 10, over 11
exit 13, thread needle over 11, under 10, over 9, under 8, over 7, thread needle under twist between 7 and 6, point left, *opposite side* thread needle over 6, under 5, over 4, under 3, over 2
exit 17
enter 18, thread needle under 2, over 3, under 4, over 5, under 6, thread needle under twist between 6 and 7, point right, *opposite side* thread needle under 7, over 8, under 9, over 10, under 11
enter 14, thread needle under 11, over 10, under 9, over 8, under 7, thread needle under twist between 7 and 6, point left, *opposite side* thread needle under 6, over 5, under 4, over 3, under 2
enter 18
exit 19, thread needle over 2, under 3, over 4, under 5, over 6, thread needle under twist between 6 and 7, point right, *opposite side* thread needle over 7, under 8, over 9, under 10, over 11
exit 15, thread needle over 11, under 10, over 9, under 8, over 7, thread needle under twist between 7 and 6, point left, *opposite side* thread needle over 6, under 5, over 4, under 3, over 2
exit 19
enter 20, thread needle under 2, over 3, under 5, over 5, under 6, **thread needle under twist between 6 and 7, don’t wrap knot,** *opposite side* thread needle under 7, over 8, under 9, over 10, under 11
enter 16, thread needle under 11, over 10, under 9, over 8, under 7, ••thread needle under twist between 7 and 6, don’t wrap knot,** *opposite side* under 6, over 5, under 4, over 3, under 2
enter 20, wrap around spine, enter 20 again,
wrap around right edge, enter 20 again
exit 19, wrap around right edge, exit 19 again,
enter 18, wrap around right edge, enter 18 again
exit 17, wrap around right edge, exit 17 again
tie off
japanese stab binding tutorial: stars
By popular request. Next up, ‘woven’.
An fairly beginner bind and a beginner hole pattern.
**click on an image to enlarge**
hole pattern
sewing pattern
EXIT = needle pointed DOWN and ENTER = needle pointed UP
=====
enter 1, (leave a tail but don’t knot it) wrap around right edge, enter 1 again
exit 4
enter 3, wrap around right edge, enter 3 again
wrap around spine, enter 3 again
exit 4
enter 1, wrap around spine at angle to between 1 and 2, enter 1 again
exit 2
enter 3
exit 2, wrap around spine, thread needle under loop from 1, point right, exit 2 again
enter 5
exit 7
enter 4, wrap around spine, enter 4 again
exit 7
enter 5, wrap around spine at angle to between 5 and 6, enter 5 again
exit 6
enter 4
exit 6, wrap around spine, thread needle under loop from 5, point right, exit 6 again
enter 8
exit 10
enter 7, wrap around spine, enter 7 again
exit 10
enter 8, wrap around spine at angle to between 8 and 9, enter 8 again
exit 9
enter 7
exit 9, wrap around spine, thread needle under loop from 8, point right, exit 9 again
enter 11
exit 13
enter 10, wrap around spine, enter 10 again
exit 13
enter 11, wrap around spine at angle to between 11 and 12, enter 11 again
exit 12
enter 10
exit 12, wrap around spine, thread needle under loop from 11, point right, exit 12 again
enter 14
exit 16
enter 13, wrap around spine, enter 13 again
exit 16, wrap around spine, exit 16 again
wrap around left edge, exit 16 again
enter 14, wrap around spine at angle to between 14 and 15, enter 14 again
exit 15
enter 13
exit 15, wrap around spine, thread needle under loop from 14, point right, exit 15 again
wrap around left edge, exit 15 again
enter 14
exit 12
enter 11
exit 9
enter 8
exit 6
enter 5
exit 2, tie off with tail from 1
becca making faces 
