Book 242 - A Hard-Cover Journal w/ Hidden Long Stitch Binding-Red Fish

I wanted to try this hidden long stitch book structure as soon as I saw it for several reasons.

1) It's fairly easy to make--easy structurally.
2) Since the front and back boards are covered separately, you can use up smaller scraps of decorative paper.
3) The long stitch binding is hidden by the bookcloth covering the spine. That makes for a very neat, clean package.
4) It's sturdy, neat, and looks really good.

Basically, you just cover your front and back boards with the cover paper and paste the leather/bookcloth spine piece in place between the covers. In this case, I chose an Asian-feel paper of black and metallic gold fish on bright red paper. I used a piece of black silk bookcloth with both a sheen to it and a slight slub.

Cut a second strip of the bookcloth and sew the signatures of the book to it. I used a simple butterfly stitch. Then lay the book block in place inside the cover, glue down the "hinge" made by the inside bookcloth, then paste the end papers in place, covering over the "hinge"

Put it under weight for a while and you have a very nice, sturdy little pocket or purse book.

Book 241 - Cased-in Codex Journal/Blank Book w/ Leather Spine

Here's another cased-in codex book, what most people think of when they imagine a proper "book." The fun with these codex journals is in choosing the paper(s) and paying really close attention to the technical details. Not that I get every one of those details right  yet, mind you. In fact, just the other day, I said to my sister, "Just once I'd like to make a book that has absolutely nothing wrong with it." Some day way off in the future, perhaps.

But this is a pretty blank book. The main paper is absolutely gorgeous, a dark green  paper embossed with metallic gold skeleton leaves. The spine is a piece of very soft, supple calfskin leather in a buttery beige color. The pages are 70 lb. felt finish off-white paper. Ten signatures with 120 pages were stitched over linen tapes, glued in the gluing press with mull attached, then trimmed cleanly on the power guillotine. The headbands are dark teal and metallic gold. The end papers don't show well in the photos--they are metallic gold paper.

Really a very pretty, very neat book.

Book 229-Cased-in Codex Blank Book/Journal in Black Satin Bookcloth

I wanted to make another nice cased-in codex book since I have access to all my sister's presses and other equipment, not to mention her incredible stash of gorgeous papers and bookcloth.

The front and back covers of this blank journal are cut from Davey board (bookbinders board). I used a beautiful black slub satin-finish bookcloth and then an amazing paper for the spine and end papers. The full beauty of the paper doesn't really shine in the photos. The interlocking circle pattern is in metallic gold. The pages are folded from a mottled beige text weight paper, sewn over tapes, then cut into a nice clean block on the hydraulic cutter. I then put it in the gluing press. The spine was coated with glue and a piece of mull was glued over the spine as well. That served as a hinge for gluing the book block in place. The headbands are very dark blue--almost black--with gold threads.

After it was completely together, it was wrapped in waxed paper and put into the book press for several hours to ensure it would close nice and flat.

I could have cut the book block just a bit bigger but it doesn't bother me too much. What looks like extra glue on the black bookcloth in the photos is not. It's just in the photo--probably from the flash.

All in all, this is a very clean, well-made book. I really like it. It would make a lovely journal, sketchbook or travel diary.