Hymn Book - Binding

Due to careful project management, I was able to have everything ready for a bookbinding workshop at Dartmouth Avenue. I wasn't too confident with the process, I had only done a blank sketchbook before, so I figured I would really benefit from the advice of a professional. Kate Holland gave us a lecture the day before the workshop and it was clear that she was the right person to help me get my book bound to a high standard.

With her expert guidance, I made holes in each of my sections and set to work on the sewing. It actually went really well; I took my time and made sure that I pulled the thread good and tight at the end of every section. Once all the sections were in place I placed the book block under a heavy weight and applied PVA glue liberally to the spine:



After the glue had dried, Kate and I went over and trimmed the excess on the guillotine. The edge wasn't perfect, due to the bulge at the spine because I had so many sections and therefore so much thread. I will have to sand this down in woodworking at some point to get it really flat and smooth. For now it was time to get on with the hardback cover. I selected a nice green bookbinding cloth and trimmed some board down to the exact proportions of my book block and spine. The pieces of board were then glued onto the back of the cloth and the edges were creased and folded over, glued neatly in place and rubbed down with a bone folder. I made two covers and have the knowledge and materials to make more, just in case anything goes wrong with the printing.