Bookbinding - I Am The Sewing In A Well Bound Book
You cannot see me, yet I am the single most important element in quality bookbinding.
There are several ways to sew a book; the best is only an option when the pages of the book come as folded sections.
The method is known as all along sewing, perhaps because the sewing thread travels almost all along the inside of the folded sections.
Prior to sewing in this style, the block of loose sections is knocked up square and placed in a bookbinding finishing press. The back of the sections is then marked as to where the needle will pass through, and a gentle saw cut is made in the backs of the sections, just enough to make a hole for the needle to pass through the section.
It is advisable to sew the book on a bookbinding sewing frame, you can make your own, I have free plans if you need them. The sewing frame is just a means of holding the sections of the book in position as it is sewn. Hand sewing a book can be time consuming, but if you want your book to lie open perfectly flat, the all along method of sewing a book is peerless.
After sewing the first section onto the frame, another is placed on top and immediately linked to the one below it. When completed every section will be securely linked to each other. When the book is being sewn, it is customary to knock down the sections, this involves gently beating the sections with a weighted wooden stick, so as to remove air and prevent the sewing from being slack.
In bookbinding the all along method of sewing takes a lot to beat. This method of sewing does have refinements, for example French sewing involves further linking of the sections together as the book is being sewn, this results in an arguably stronger sewing structure.
But in bookbinding you may often be faced with a situation where compromise is forced upon you.
Not every book in bookbinding comes as folded sections, sometimes one is faced with a pile of single pages.
In this situation you can adopt one of two sewing styles.
The first is profoundly simple and involves nothing more than stabbing holes through the side of the block of pages, about inch in from the edge, and adopting a figure of eight sewing style, you weave the thread through the holes and finish off with a tight knot.
This is known as stab sewing and while very easy to execute, it does make it impossible for the pages to open flat. This simple style of sewing is often encountered in bookbinding when binding theses.
In bookbinding, the other method of sewing is called overcast sewing. In this instance the block of single pages is glued up along the spine, this is done because later, using a sharp knife, the block of pages can be broken up into sections between 2 & 3mm thick, depending on the size of the book.
When the block of pages has been reduced to a pile of sections, holes are punched along the edges of the sections, and the book is then sewn on the sewing frame, once again linking all the sections together.
Though not every page can open flat, nonetheless this method of sewing can ensure at least partial opening of each page.
These then are the styles of sewing used in bookbinding.
By Richard Norman
Eden Workshops At the Eden Workshops we are devoted to craft bookbinding. Here you will find free bookbinding tutorials, learn at home DVD's and equipment and materials.
by: Richard Norman
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