Coptic Stitch Bookbinding

Supplies
White paper - 11.5" x 17.5", 40 sheets
Black paper - 11.5" x 17.5", 10 sheets
Heavy cardboard, daveyboard, or bookboard - 9" x 12"
Fabric or collage materials
Decorative paper
Waxed thread - 60
Large needle
Scissors
Glue (PVA)
Glue brush
Bone folder or popsicle stick
Needle tool
Punching cradle (phone book)
Pencil
Ruler
Clothespins or binder clips
Scissors
Additional decorative paper (optional)
Definitions - Parts of a Handmade Book
Cover - the hard, exterior sections of a
book. Our book covers will be made of stiff
cardboard covered in fabric or collaged
paper.
Endpaper - The first and last pages of a
book, often decorative, that are generally
both sewn into the text block and pasted to
the inside of the cover. End papers that are
not attached to the text block but glued to
the cover (such as the ones we will be
making) are usually called paste downs.
Pages - the inner part of the book, meant
for reading or writing on.
Leaf - A piece of paper folded in half is called a leaf.
Signatures - folded sections of paper or leaves (see above). We will be creating five
signatures of ten pieces of paper each, making twenty pages per signature and 100
total pages. (Shown in the image above)
Text Block - all the collected signatures together, without a cover or endpapers.
Fore End - The open end of the a signature or book.
Spine - This refers to the folded edge of a signature, or the bound edge of a book.

Instructions
1. We will begin by making the cover. Assemble your supplies cardboard/bookboard, fabric, glue, glue brush or plastic card, ruler, scissors,
pencil, endpapers.
a. Lay your cardboard pieces on the wrong side of the fabric (the side
without print), leaving plenty of room around each piece.
b. Trace around the edges of your cardboard. Measure and mark 1 inch out
from each edge of the cardboard.
c. Cut out the two fabric rectangles along the outer markings.
d. Using your glue brush, spread a very thin layer of PVA glue onto the
cardboard. If the glue is thick, spread it thinner with a plastic card.
e. Carefully lay the glued side of the cardboard down onto the fabric, lining it
up with the outlines you traced in step 1b.
f. Fold over each corner and glue them down.
g. Fold over each edge and glue it down.
h. Alternately, if you are not using fabric, cut out images from sources such
as old books and magazines. Attach these to the outside of your cover,
using a light layer of glue. Cover the corners, edges, and at least 1 inch
into the interior side of the cover. When the glue is dry, paint the cover
with a layer of mod podge and set aside to dry.
i. On your endpapers, draw two rectangles measuring precisely 8.75 inches
by 11.75 inches. Cut these rectangles out. With a thin layer of glue,
attach them to the inside of your covers.
j. Wrap your covers in waxed paper and place them underneath a stack of
heavy books, to press over the weekend.
2. While our covers are being pressed, we will make our text block. For this, you
will need your paper (black and white) and your bone folder/popsicle stick.
a. Work one sheet of paper at a time. Fold the paper precisely in half,
creating a 8.75 inch by 11.75 inch rectangle. Use the bone folder or
popsicle stick to make a sharp crease at the fold. Repeat this for ten
sheets of paper, then nest the papers into each other, creating a signature.
b. Repeat step 2a until you have five signatures. Four should be made of
white paper, and one of black paper.
c. Optional - if you would like to, you may create signature covers by
folding sheets of decorative paper and placing them over your signatures.
These pieces of paper can be the same size as the signature, or can be
smaller.
3. Next, we will punch the sewing holes in our signatures and covers. You will need
your signatures and covers close at hand, as well as a needle tool, a pencil, a
ruler, a piece of paper cut to 12 inches by at least 2 inches, and a punching
cradle (we will be using old phone books).
a. Collect all your signatures together, neatly stacked. With your pencil, draw
a line across the tops of the spines (folded edges) of the signatures. This
line will help you keep your signatures from getting turned around.

b. On your small piece of paper, line up your ruler at one end. Measure and
mark at 0.5, 3, 6, 9, and 11.5.
c. Align the piece of paper with each signature spine and copy the markings.
d. Place a signature into the cradle. Using your needle tool, punch a hole at
each mark, precisely on the crease. Do Not punch a hole in your first
mark at the top of the signatures this is to line up your signatures, not to
sew. Repeat this for all signatures.
e. On your covers, use your marked piece of paper and make the same
series of marks 1 to 1.5 from the edge of each cover, on the outside
surface. Make your marks lightly, in case you need to correct them. Once
your marks are made, Ms. Pierce or Mrs. Compton will use the Japanese
punch to make your cover sewing holes.
4. To sew your signatures and cover together, see the instructions in the video
above or on the linked website.
a. The video does not mention this, but to make the sewing easier, you can
clip the bottom half of each signature to the bottom cover or previous
signatures. This will stop your pages from moving around and help you
make your stitches good and secure.
5. When your book is totally done and sewn together, place it under heavy books to
press overnight.