Booky: Signature Stitch with Book Cloth
19 Sep
I am going to go out on a limb and write about the recent book I made last week at my friend’s house. See, the risk here is that my friend will read this post before she opens her mailbox. But I’m feeling confident in the power of the Postal Service. (KELLY: If you have not received a package from me and want to be surprised, stop reading now!)
I made one of my most favorite books last weekend at Jenny‘s house. There was something about being outside of my own workspace that made me feel more creative and more inspired. I actually took my time, didn’t rush through a project and just decided to go with the flow.
I knew I was making a book for my friend Kelly, who’s written a guest post for my blog before. I’ve had the paper picked out for a while now. I knew I wanted to make Kelly a hardcover book, simply because I thought she might carry the book around and it would need stability.
This book is called a signature stitch. This means that there are several signatures (which are basically sheets of paper folded together) that are weaved together. Most books are made this way – take a look at some of your old novels. You can see that I used six signatures for Kelly’s book.
Because I was at Jenny’s and had access to different book materials, I decided to use some book cloth on the spine. You can see it on the picture above and on the picture below. This is the first time I’ve done anything different with the spine, and I think it proved to be pretty successful. It also feels sturdier.
On the inside, I used some plum-colored paper to accent the hints of purple on the outside of the book.
You probably won’t notice my mistake, and neither will Kelly – but I will admit it here anyway. See the space between the purple paper, the spine and the first page? That shouldn’t be there. What you should do is let the purple paper also serve as the first page, but I didn’t do that correctly and so you can see some of my super-glue mess. Nevertheless, I believe there are no mistakes in bookmaking. Whatever happens, happens. It’s art!
Here’s the back of the book:
The shape of this book surprised me. I had something very different in mind, but as I started cutting the paper for the inside, I thought this might be fun. Jenny asked me, “Does your friend want to put this book on a shelf?” and when I thought of Kelly – I thought no way. Kelly would have this anywhere and not necessarily only on a bookcase. Jenny’s answer certainly motivated me to try something new, and so I did.
I hope Kelly likes it. I also hope she gets it before she reads this post 
Rose, what a beautiful book AND gift for your friend! I love the perfectly precise signature stitch you did. The marbled paper is unique, as well. You are so talented and creative. Not to mention a great friend. I really love this.
<3
adorable!
Rose, that is simply gorgeous! I’m so impressed with your work
Go with the flow/vibe/and your gut + great talent… you have amazing creative mojo. Beautiful.
I’ve always wanted to take a book making class. That is SO beautiful and the perfect gift
You’re so talented!
A beautiful work of art. I especially like the book cloth on the spine. It looks really sturdy. She’ll love it!
That’s beautiful. I love the cover.
Also, re: your tuna casserole post – my mother used to cook tuna casserole. I hated it beyond words. The only good part was she would also make fried potatoes as a side dish. A consolation prize.
THANK YOU ROSE!!!
I LOVE IT!!!
Also, I’ve decided to use it to record my thoughts, notes, experiences, etc. on mindfulness. I’ve been wanting to start a notebook specifically for that anyhow since my real work is starting now… this was the perfect fit!
I LOVE YOU!!
Oh wow, what a gorgeous book! The cover is absolutely beautiful
Beautiful book, Rose!! I am in awe of your skillz