Medieval limp binding
Feb. 28th, 2019 09:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
antuhsaI realised that I've spent a lot of time here talking about bookbinding, but haven't yet shared any of my work. High time to rectify that! Here are some pictures of a book I finished recently and that I'm quite proud of.
This project started with a scrap piece of leather that I found at the fabric market. I took it to bookbinding class and played around with it until I ended up with this book. That's pretty much what the process was like :p.
The binding method used for this is called longstitch binding or Medieval limp binding (though my book doesn't look Medieval in any way, nor did I intend it to). I had never done this binding before, so I thought it would be fun. The leather was a little too thin to be used on its own, so I lined it with this bright green bookbinder's linen to make it stronger. I think the linen goes with the leather beautifully and I love the pop of colour you get when you open the book.
The green line on the front of the book happened almost by accident. I was cutting off small strips of the lined leather to make it fit the pages better, when I suddenly had the idea to turn one of those strips around and glue it back on. I have to say, I love the effect! It's very minimalistic, but it makes the book look so much more visually interesting. I'm very happy with my well-timed moment of inspiration!
There are a couple of things I'd do differenty next time, but all in all I'm happy with how the book turned out. The project as a whole is not yet finished though, since I'm currently making a slip case for it to give it a bit of extra protection when stored or carried around. The book was intended as a birthday gift for someone, but that particular birthday has already come and gone... So it will be a belated gift once the slip case is done.
So there's a bookbinding project I've been working on recently. I've absolutely no idea how detailed I should be when talking about making books, but I hope it's enjoyable to see some images of my work at least ^^
This project started with a scrap piece of leather that I found at the fabric market. I took it to bookbinding class and played around with it until I ended up with this book. That's pretty much what the process was like :p.
The binding method used for this is called longstitch binding or Medieval limp binding (though my book doesn't look Medieval in any way, nor did I intend it to). I had never done this binding before, so I thought it would be fun. The leather was a little too thin to be used on its own, so I lined it with this bright green bookbinder's linen to make it stronger. I think the linen goes with the leather beautifully and I love the pop of colour you get when you open the book.
The green line on the front of the book happened almost by accident. I was cutting off small strips of the lined leather to make it fit the pages better, when I suddenly had the idea to turn one of those strips around and glue it back on. I have to say, I love the effect! It's very minimalistic, but it makes the book look so much more visually interesting. I'm very happy with my well-timed moment of inspiration!
There are a couple of things I'd do differenty next time, but all in all I'm happy with how the book turned out. The project as a whole is not yet finished though, since I'm currently making a slip case for it to give it a bit of extra protection when stored or carried around. The book was intended as a birthday gift for someone, but that particular birthday has already come and gone... So it will be a belated gift once the slip case is done.
So there's a bookbinding project I've been working on recently. I've absolutely no idea how detailed I should be when talking about making books, but I hope it's enjoyable to see some images of my work at least ^^
no subject
Date: 2019-03-01 03:24 pm (UTC)I'm quite excited about the slip case myself. It's the first time I'm making one, but it's turning out great. And it certainly adds just that extra touch that makes the gift more special.
no subject
Date: 2019-03-02 07:14 pm (UTC)Thank you for posting pics. The process is fascinating, and a beautiful book is always a pleasure.
no subject
Date: 2019-03-05 08:36 pm (UTC)Likewise; leather is fantastic! I love the smell and texture. And there's just something about leatherbound books that makes my bibliophilic heart sing.