Book Binding – A fun way to make something NEW, the old fashioned way!

How to make a book – two great book binding ideas – saddle stitch and Japanese Stab bookbinding – There are lots of different ways to make books – with or without a needle and thread, but this week the kids wanted to have a go at making these ‘notebooks’ using some old cardboard we’ve had for a while.

And we ALWAYS have reams of paper, A4 copier paper – the kids really love to draw and write and this is a really nice way of combining an ancient craft of book binding, with their own creativity within.

The oldest child is still mad keen on drawing, whilst 12yo is allegedly writing a book – so hopefully he’ll give up writing in his ‘notes’ on his iPhone, and revert back to good old pen and paper when we’ve finished making these books!

So, what you will need…

Paper

Cotton thread

Needle

Ruler

Sharp pencil (for creating the holes in the card if you have no Brindle)

Needle Threader (non-essential, but believe me, this works on both ends of the spectrum – moody kids who struggle to thread a needle simply because they don’t have the patience, and aged parent eyes – believe me, threading a needle really DOESN’T get easier as your eyes get older!)

So – we experimented with two types of book binding:

A) Saddle Stitch Easy Book Binding (see the dark blue book in the photograph)

1. For this book, you need four to six single sheets of paper, and one single sheet of card for the cover.
2. Fold all of the paper in half, so if it’s an A4 sheet, fold down to make A5.
3. Take your first sheet, and mark approximately in the middle of the sheet, on the fold, and then two marks on either side of the centre – equal distance from the centre.
4. Push your bodkin (or sharp pencil) through these three holes.
5. Use this sheet as a template, lay on top of the next sheet, and push through the holes so that all of your sheets have three holes, in the same place.
6. Stitch by pushing your needle through the centre hole, to the back of the book, and back through the top hole, then through the centre hole and back through the lower hole, to the back of the book again.
7. Tie of tightly and you’re finished!

B) Japanese Stab Easy Book Binding (the light blue book in the photograph)

1. For this book, you need six to eight single sheets of paper, and two single sheets of card for the covers.
2. Take a ruler and mark a 15mm margin, on the page. Mark 15mm from the top and bottom of this line. Then divide the distance between the two marks by three, and mark two additional points on the line…
3. Using bodkin (or again, a sharp pencil) push holes through the four points. Take care when you line up your ‘pages’ – again use that top page as a template for the other pages.
4. Hold the book securely as you thread your needle up through from the bottom, up through one of the centre holes. Hold on to the end of the thread.
5. Sew around the spine, and back through the same hole again from the bottom, out and down through the other centre hole. Pull the thread tight.
6. Around the spine again, down through the upper middle hole, and up through the top hole. Pull the thread tight.
7. Around the spine again…
8. Around the top of the spine and up through the top hole again. Pull the thread tight.
9. Keep going, DOWN through the upper middle hole, back UP the next hole and down through the bottom hole. Pull the thread tight.
10. Around the spine again!
11. Then around the bottom of the spine and back through the bottom hole. Pull tight.
12. To finish, pull tightly and double knot the end of the thread to the beginning of the thread, cut the remaining thread, however, leave at least 10mm or risk the knot coming loose…

So, if you are looking for more fun ideas to make and create, you may like to have a look at our air drying clay puppets that we made recently!

And if you are feeling handy with the needle and thread check out the incredibusy salvaged speed loom.

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