How to Bind a Book

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By Ursula Anderson
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Bookbinding: a fun and useful craft.

This is a fairly simple project for making a hardcover book from easily accessible materials. It can make a very impressive presentation for a school project, a special gift, or just to use as a journal or collection of personal poetry. You can write or draw anything you want in it once it's done, or leave it blank and just have it standing on your bookshelf. This is for anyone who wants to know how to make a handmade book from scratch.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Paper (at least 4 sheets)
Two sheets of contrasting paper for the endpapers.
A sharp, strong needle
Strong thread, such as button thread or waxed linen thread
2 pieces of Cardboard
Sharp scissors
White glue
Wide tape (cloth tape or "book tape" works best for this.)
A large piece of wallpaper or sturdy fabric

Step 1

Fold the paper neatly.

Fold four or more sheets of paper in half together. Do it as neatly and evenly as you possibly can. It will make the job easier for you later.
Step 2

Poke 5 holes with the sharp needle.

Use the sharp needle to poke five holes right through all four thicknesses of the folded sheets of paper, at the crease. Again, do it as neatly and evenly as you can.
Step 3

Sew the pages together.

Thread your needle with the strong thread. Be sure to use plenty of extra so you can tie it off easily at the end. Starting at the outside, go down through the first hole, closest to the edge of the paper, and come up through the second hole; go in the third hole and back up through the fourth hole in the same manner. When you get to the fifth hole, put the needle down through it the same as with holes one and three, and come up in hole four. Go down through hole three, then up through hole two.
Step 4

Using more than one signature: see the last step.

Your two thread ends should meet there right around the first hole. Tie them together so the knot is in the back where it won't show, and cut off the loose ends. You call these sewn sheets a "signature," and you can make a whole bunch of them and bind them all together. Old books are always sewn together in groups of these "signatures."
Step 5

Cardboard for the front and back covers.

Cut two pieces of cardboard that are 1 1/2 inches bigger on 3 sides than the pages you have just made. The sewn side of the signature, which will be the at the spine side of the finished book, should be right up against the edge of the cardboard, with a 1 1/2 inch margin around the other three sides. Set the signature aside while you prepare the book covers.
Step 6

Glue the cardboard to the fabric.

Cut two pieces of your fabric or wallpaper 1 inch larger on the same three sides as the larger sides of the cardboard. Glue the cardboards onto the wrong side (the part that isn't printed or decorative) of the fabric or wallpaper, being careful to leave the 1 inch margins even on the three sides.
Step 7

Leaving the corners of the short side untouched, fold the outside, larger corners of the fabric or wallpaper like dog-ears and glue them down to the cardboard. Then neatly fold the edges on the three larger sides down and glue them to the cardboard.
Step 8

Taping the two sides of the cover together.

Cut a strip of your wide tape 3 inches longer than the length of the covered cardboards. Lay the tape down, sticky side up, on a flat surface, and lay the cardboards on it, 1/4 inch apart from each other, with the wallpaper or fabric side stuck to the tape. Stick the bottom and top excess tape over the middle of the boards, and place a strip of paper over the tape that shows between the cardboards.
Step 9

Glue the first page and the last page into the book's cover.

Set the "signature" inside the cardboards, leaving even space all around the outside margin. Hold the cardboards at a right angle, i.e., with one lying on the flat surface, and the other one standing upright, so it looks like a half-open book. Glue the first page of the signature down to the cardboard. Do the same with the last page on the other cardboard.
Step 10

Cut the endpapers to cover the signature pages you just glued down to the cardboards, and glue them over the pages, to the inside front and back covers of your finished book. Let all the glue dry and you're done!
Step 11

Slip the tape under the stitches on the back of the signatures.

If you want to make a thicker book, with more signatures in it, make several signatures, then slip strips of tape under the loops of the stitches on the outside of all the signatures. Stick the pieces of tape down securely, then glue the first page of the first signature to the cardboard, and the last page of the last signature to the other cardboard. You will have to set the cardboards a little farther apart on the tape in order to accommodate the extra thickness. Continue and finish the book the same way as with a single signature.