Workshops › Bookbinding

Bookbinding for beginners

The pamphlet stitch is the oldest and simplest way to hold folded pages together. In an afternoon you can make a notebook that opens flat.

You will need

• Six to eight sheets of plain paper
• One sheet of heavier paper or thin card for the cover
• Strong thread, ideally waxed, about three times the height of the book
• A large needle with a blunt tip
• An awl or a thick pin, and a folded towel to work on
• A ruler and a pencil

Steps

1. Fold. Fold each sheet in half and press the crease with the edge of a spoon or a bone folder. Nest them one inside another, and wrap the cover around the outside.
2. Mark. Open the bundle at the centre fold. Mark three points on the crease: one in the middle and one about two centimetres from each end.
3. Pierce. With the bundle open over the towel, push the awl through each mark from the inside out.
4. Sew. Starting inside at the middle hole, push the needle out and leave a short tail. On the outside, go into the top hole, travel along the inside to the bottom hole, and come out. Then go back into the middle hole from the outside, so both thread ends are inside, one on each side of the long stitch.
5. Tie. Tie the two ends in a square knot around the long stitch, and trim to a neat length.

Troubleshooting

If the pages gape, your stitches are loose: pull the thread gently after every hole. If the paper tears, the holes are too close to the edge or the needle is too thick.