Been a while, hasn’t it? But I was missing it, so I thought I’d get a textblock ready. More to come later!
ETA: And now we have the completed text block, and the cover! Now I
just need the cover to dry so I can put them together and put in the end
pages. ^_^
Been a while, hasn’t it? But I was missing it, so I thought I’d get a textblock ready. More to come later!
make an aesthetic for yourself from photos you have on your phone
I haven’t done one of these in a while and I saw @takethewatch do it a few days ago and thought I’d jump on the bandwagon. ^_^ She did 9, but I was having trouble even narrowing it to 10, so I stopped trying. As a side note, it amuses me to no end how many of these are from my favorite arboretum. *snerts*
(Also, if you look closely, I snuck the scarf in there that I just finished. ^_~ It’s being washed at the moment and once it’s done blocking/drying, I’ll post real pictures. So, sometime tomorrow, maybe?)
Anyone who would like to do it, too, feel free to @ me so I can see yours! ^_^)
AW. ^____^ *blush* Thank you! But, nope! Strictly Youtube videos and perseverance. ^_^ I would actually someday like to do a real bookbinding course, but that will have to wait until I have more time and money. ^_^
2nd of the 11 journals from that large order. I’m pretty pleased with how this one came out, especially with how quickly it came together. Maybe 2 hours total not counting printing the paper?
~5 1/2″ wide x 8 1/2″ long x 1/2″ thick; quarter cloth case binding; heavy-weight bookboard; 128 pages, lined; 64 lb. (95 g/sq.m.) charcoal paper; inner cover pages of 65# cardstock; cover of hand made
100% cotton bookcloth and ribbon in a quarter cloth style with ribbon bookmark and appliqued logo printed on 100% cotton; hand-sewn; bound by handThis one’s not for sale as it was a custom order, but there are a couple in my Etsy shop all set and ready to go for anyone who’s interested. ^_~ (Also, a reminder that any journal covered in bookcloth can be customized with an appliqued logo.)
(…ok, I will answer this before shutting down the computer. ^_~)
My pleasure! And YES, a book press makes life SO MUCH EASIER. And if you have access to a drill, I would definitely make one instead of buying one. You can make one for $30 or less, but buying them costs like… ridiculously a lot more. 😛 Here’s the video I used to make mine. I found cutting boards that already had the bumpers on them, so I didn’t need to do that step.
As for how I decide on fabrics… I’m not sure? I mainly use quilting cottons (100% cotton calico) and just… whatever fabric strikes my fancy? I’ve always enjoyed playing with prints and seeing what fabrics go well together, and it’s not so different from picking fabrics for patchwork, which I’ve experimented with for years, so I just kind of play with that for the quarter cloth covers. If you have a Joann’s near you, they organize all their fabrics by color, so fabrics that go together all live in the same general shelf area. Also, most fabric stores sell little bundles of fabrics that kind of match like this and that can make it easier to find fabrics that go well together. You can also combine fabric on the spine with fine paper on the cover. The paper is a lot easier to work with than fabric, since you don’t need to make bookcloth out of it and it’s easier to handle, but that’s a personal preference thing. ^_^
Does that help?
Ah, yes thank you! I took a look at the additional videos Crystal Shaulis has done, I really like how it’s done with the different spine color but I have a feeling I’m going to have to watch it several times to get it all figured out.
Went ahead and bought my cutting boards and bumpers to make my book press today. Luckily I already have access to a drill! I think mine is going to be a bit under $30 dollars as well. Just need carriage bolts, wing nuts, and washers. My boards are 12×15 though and I’m wondering if I can get away with just two carriage bolts or if I should go with with four. Eh, I figure it out I suppose.
You’re welcome! ^_^ And oh GOSH, I love her videos. I wish she had more about case binding, but I picked up so many good tricks from her. As for the quarter cloth binding (different color on the spine), I practiced with a solid piece cover for a while before moving up to that, but I love the effect so much I never went back. ^_^ And actually, on one of Crystal Shaulis’ videos, I left a comment asking for measuring advice, because that was something I was still struggling with, and she had some really good pointers. So, that may help you, too.
As for the book press, if I were you, I’d do 4 carriage screws on that size board. The boards I got were a little bigger than 9 x 12, too, and since the books I make are significantly smaller than that (and I only did two carriage screws; you live you learn, right? :P), I end up having to put another book in on the other side of my book press to help balance out the one I’m actually pressing when I’m putting the book in there to glue the spine. It’s not THAT big a deal, but I think having four screws might have helped me there. 😛
But, yeah, it’s so much cheaper to make your own, it’s ridiculous. They go for $150-$300+ on Amazon. O_o;;; Seriously. Yikes. -.-;;; Anyway, good luck making yours!
(…ok, I will answer this before shutting down the computer. ^_~)
My pleasure! And YES, a book press makes life SO MUCH EASIER. And if you have access to a drill, I would definitely make one instead of buying one. You can make one for $30 or less, but buying them costs like… ridiculously a lot more. 😛 Here’s the video I used to make mine. I found cutting boards that already had the bumpers on them, so I didn’t need to do that step.
As for how I decide on fabrics… I’m not sure? I mainly use quilting cottons (100% cotton calico) and just… whatever fabric strikes my fancy? I’ve always enjoyed playing with prints and seeing what fabrics go well together, and it’s not so different from picking fabrics for patchwork, which I’ve experimented with for years, so I just kind of play with that for the quarter cloth covers. If you have a Joann’s near you, they organize all their fabrics by color, so fabrics that go together all live in the same general shelf area. Also, most fabric stores sell little bundles of fabrics that kind of match like this and that can make it easier to find fabrics that go well together. You can also combine fabric on the spine with fine paper on the cover. The paper is a lot easier to work with than fabric, since you don’t need to make bookcloth out of it and it’s easier to handle, but that’s a personal preference thing. ^_^
Does that help?
replied to your
:
Just took a break to sew up a text block. Guess…
Wow, you’ve gotten pretty fast at that. I’m still super slow with them.
My secret? Practice, practice, practice! (I’ve been making a lot of journals lately.) Also, I found a faster stitch. ^_~
But, yeah, I have a much easier time with case bindings, because the thread is MUCH smaller and thus easier for me to handle. Coptic stitch used to take me FOREVER.
That reminds me. The cover is dry and the case block is dry and I should cut my end pages down and actually put the book together, shouldn’t I? ^_~
Just took a break to sew up a text block. Guess I’m making a journal later. ;D
(Trying to time these things, too, and it took me somewhere under an hour to fold and sew the actual text block, but I don’t know when I started, so that’s a rough estimate. :P)
BUT NOW BACK TO WORKING.
So, in honor of the fact that another of the journals on my Etsy page sold (YAY!! :D), here are some pictures of the first of the set of 11 journals that my therapist commissioned from me. ^_^ This one is 160 pages instead of the usual 128, lined, and I printed and appliqued her logo onto the front.
(Sorry this one’s not for sale, but there are others available in my shop that are! ^_^)
eirenical17 