Bookbinding 101 Sewing Headbands Session 1

This is a tutorial demonstration of sewn headbands which features "one core with beads in two colors". It's one of the most basic & the easiest, yet pretty style of headbanding. As I had to work very slowly and tried not to cover the work with my hands or fingers for the camera, shooting this video was a bit more tedious than I thought it would be. No wonder there aren't many tutorial videos on sewing headbands on KZbin. Anyway, the speed can be a crucial aspect of how well the end product turns out (consistent speedy motions are important). The core can be unstable especially at the beginning, so don't get frustrated if you don't get a satisfying result the first time. Once you get to the first tagging, you don't even have to hold the core with your hands. Have fun, and thanks for your interest. ~ MHR
P.S. ...Damn it! I did it again.. I misspelled "stabilize" on this video. I'll make sure to check my English more carefully in the future.. (English is my second language..) I'm sorry...
NOTE: As my purpose of creating these tutorial videos is to encourage general population to start getting involved in the bookbinding trade, I always try to demonstrate things with ordinary items as much as possible, so that it doesn't discourage viewers from trying it just because they don't have the particular equipment to do the job. The methods featured on my tutorial videos are very basic and often I have to change a little in order to make it more feasible to the beginners. So it should not reflect the real trade of bookbinding. Yet my instructions are thought through so that the end result will be perfectly decent if you follow them.

[@BookbindersChronicle]

Thank you for your compliment. As I'm making these videos just for fun, I have no intention of becoming too serious, let alone publishing a dvd... :-)

[@pnumenwiese]

Eleven years and still the best tutorial for sewing the headband. This is so helpful. Mercí and Merry Christmas!

[@meganhitchens106]

This is the best and most clear video of headband sewing on the internet. Thank you for the time and care that you took. Would love to see this wonderful series completed with videos on case making and a leather cover for the medieval style binding. But in the meantime, thanks again.

[@carolblue9945]

Can´t agree more. Well spoken.

[@nesrynaref]

I totally agree... awesome

[@Icingusing]

100% I finally understand! Thank you!!!

[@marie-josedubost4737]

Merci pour ce beau travail Marie José

[@ShirleiBarnes]

I keep coming back to your channel. It’s been years since I subscribed and is the most helpful ever. Thank you 😊

[@deborahbarlow4309]

THANK YOU!!!! I've been avoid headbands because I couldn't figure out what they were doing. Videos and pictures wheren't working. I completely forgot I saved your video on my bookbinding playlist. AND IT HELPED! I could follow easily!

[@jonathanstanley1342]

I can only echo what everyone else has said. Just wonderful! Thank you.

[@marywaight413]

Such a clear presentation of what I had thought to be a difficult process...look forward to viewing your other videos.

[@elliewellable00]

Thank you for the clearest and cleanest tutorial for sewing headbands I have found!

[@johnmorrison8577]

One of the best set of Bookbinding tutorials I have watched. You can easily see what is going on and they take their time doing it so you are not rewinding and watching to try to see the process. It is wonderful, thank you!

[@88stoneangel]

Love your videos. The lack of sound makes it so much easier to focus on what's being done. Great move. It really gave me a clear understanding on how to do headbanding. Thanks.

[@moliere9677]

Beautiful and clear tutorial. Subscribed! 👌

[@ryanallthewiser]

Thank you for the detail and clarity in your instructions. Great work and great tutorial

[@textileheaven2K]

What a great tutorial and a beautiful finished product. Quite inspiring! Thanks so much!

[@youngincho9500]

Wow, I can see how much time and effort to create just a one book in past. Thank you for great video.

[@vickiefowler1429]

Finally! I get it now! Thanks for such a clear, precise and instructive video!

[@49lucky]

This is wonderful thank you so much for no background noise. Plus I'm learning.

[@Sadieat1]

This is an amazing video! You have given me the courage to try this! THANK YOU.

[@MrFrancoisbonnefoy]

Thank you so much for this. This is really good instruction. I've always wanted to learn how to bookbind the traditional way. Hope to make my own set of journals with these instructions.

[@suave-alpaca8412]

Thank you so much! I just start book binding last week and this is exactly what I'm looking for!

[@Baelfyr]

I'm so glad i found this channel. OMG the level of detail you put into this is amazing, I've learnt so much already. Thank you for the kind of video that should be an example for everyone else. No shitty music, just clear instruction. Ive started on the journey of book binding and i love it, and this channel will help me take it to the next level!

[@BookbindersChronicle]

For binding, we mainly use a glue called PVA, (Polyvinyl acetate) which I'm sure is commercially available at any art supply store. It's non acidic, flexible, and has a great integrity. Most bookbinders use this glue now a days. For your information, PVA should be used only for binding books, NEVER for tasks like paper mending. Torn paper can be mended by using a substance called methylcellulose, or wheatpast. If pages of your book get torn, you mustn't use PVA.

[@pauletier62]

I'm just binding my first small book and this was so freaking helpful! Thank you a LOT! 🖤

[@KEEpiiTSiMpLEE]

First off i wanna thank you for taking time to make these videos for people interested on bookbinding , this is like precious information its so accurate and it explains everything without you even saying 1 word, an the best part the video is High quality thanx alot for the video :)

[@sandraderegilroa8593]

Hola ojalá puedan leer mi mensaje, es una lástima que no siguieran sacado más vídeos, son de los mejores de KZbin. Con una gran paciencia para explicar que no es necesariamente tienes dominar el idioma para entender, los felicito por un trabajo de primera calidad... les mando un saludo muy cordial y ojalá los volvamos a ver pronto... Desde México.

[@BookbindersChronicle]

@Ootrid I’m glad to hear that my video was of help to you. Tagging more than necessary could be bad in terms of the integrity of headbands - if one tagged thread gets broken, everything falls apart. If every signature has tagged threads exposed, possibility of thread being torn increases. The sewn headbands are uusually backed w/something on the spine, so it’s really unnecessary (& time consuming) to tag in every signature, unless you want to make it as part of a design or something. :-)

[@chupachupslolli]

Thank you SO much for these precious videos!

[@lotharvoeller]

Good Video. The best: no jingle, no honk, no "musik" !

[@kahether]

THANK YOU for this fabulous video. I just, successfully, completed my first headbands :)

[@kleerude]

This is just what I was looking for. Thank you so much!

[@IoannisKazlaris]

Excellent tutorial, thanks!

[@Elasterid]

This was so helpful, thank you!

[@nesrynaref]

awesome crystal clear tutorial thnx and looking forward for more amazing videos as such

[@danieljones9463]

Your presentations are very valuable.

[@mmeanabarbosa]

No words. The "zoom" is amazing.

[@johannaaalberts-henderson4312]

Just subscribed and really enjoy watching and learning. Thank you so much

[@matildefg3694]

Me encanta. Genial. Estupendos videos con técnica muy depurada. En España no he encontrado nada igual. Wonderfull. Congratulations. Thanks a lot

[@vebepena]

Muy bello trabajo, muy bien filmado. Gracias por tu trabajo!

[@BookbindersChronicle]

2. If the cover is in perfect condition without any broken parts, yet was simply separated from the book block due to broken endsheet hinges inside, you can put a new hinge to connect the broken endsheet hinges, or replace the endsheets all together, then re-case it in. (attaching/glueing the cover to the book block is called "case in".) >>Continues>>

[@normabeatrizmerlo2509]

Les agradezco sus tutoriales; estaba buscando algún curso, de este tipo de encuadernados y creo haber visto y aprendido gracias a sus tutoriales. por favor manténganme al tanto de sus vídeos Gracias

[@BookbindersChronicle]

1. Reattaching the separated boards (broken hinges) is called a "Re-hinge". The basic process of re-hinging is to lift up the original material on the boards and insert a new material underneath to reconnect the spine, to which the original spine is glued back. For leather re-hinge, the edges of the leather must be finely pared, so you must learn how to pare leather first. >>Continues>>

[@diam8749]

I should be sleep but yet I’m up on KZbin watching videos of one of newfound passions book binding... thank you

[@408Magenta]

I imagine this done by some monks by candle light. Painstaking work. Good video. I appreciate your step-by-step and camera angle. Very useful and a very well done video. Congrats.

[@jettheret7800]

This video is exactly what I have been looking for. New subby here :)

[@sxq108]

thank you so much for this content!

[@kamille7403]

Thanks, this video Help me a lot ❤️

[@BookbindersChronicle]

Start with "Bookbinding, it's background and technique" by Edith Diehl. Good luck. :-)

[@johnacsyen]

Good use of the lazy susan to stablise the book and make the instruction much clearer and easy to follow.

[@teachami7396]

The lack of music let's me have my own while watching. Thanks. Mozart anyone?

[@BookbindersChronicle]

Me!

[@innercitydaydreamer1124]

Loved the vid but I thought my audio was malfunctioning again LOL Thanks for confirming that its supposed to be this way.

[@marianye8434]

U could just put this vid on mute btw (unleas u mean that they arnt explaining anything, then don't mind what I just said lol)

[@AtelierVOLUTE]

Merci beaucoup! On apprécie les gestes lents pour bien comprendre.

[@johnlbales2773]

Really, really great tutorial. Thank you. 👍👍👍👍👍

[@ppurslow6539]

Thank you for your very fine videos. They are helping me tremendously. What thickness silk thread do you use or would recommend for the headbands?

[@CrisRuGar]

Maravilloso. Gracias

[@user-lo7jz8rp8h]

awesome!)

[@johnacsyen]

Thanks for sharing.

[@BookbindersChronicle]

Yes. They are on my channel.

[@BookbindersChronicle]

3. Binding new books and restoring books are two different animals. As a conservation bookbinder, I personally cannot recommend you to attempt restoration if you haven't been trained in the field. I'd humbly suggest you to consult with a local bookbinder, whose reputation is solid, about your books first. ~MHR~

[@aryesegal1988]

Thanks for all the videos, absolutely amazing! Could you recommend any books or DVDs that teach the subject? Thanks!

[@BookbindersChronicle]

@johnacsyen Since one of my master’s apprentices has asked me to make a tutorial video of sewn headbands a month ago, I'd been thinking about a solution to how to film the process smoothly on both front & back side of the headband, w/o moving the camera or the book around. I thought of getting a second camera set up, but then I sew the kitchen turn table at a store! Ta ta~! It worked, didn’t it? The turn table had this non-slip surface, so that helped to “stablize” the book also! :-p

[@BookbindersChronicle]

I've never heard that reasoning. Where did you hear that? Anyway, one practical reason for headband is to prevent dust and dirt from entering into the signatures,and overtime the binders made them to be a part of the binding design by making them more ornate and colorful. So if you see older, medieval binding from, lets say, 18th century or earlier, the headband is simpler and a mere part of practical construction.

[@BookbindersChronicle]

@patricmanuel This was just a tutorial for headbands, so I didn't want to go into detail about what happens after the headbands are sewn. The reason why I added the brief information at the end was to show that the headbands are secured in the latter process, so you needn't to tag numerous times. I'll make a detailed tutorial about the latter process in the future.

[@Engelhafen]

Do you have a video about the precedent steps? I would be interested in how you got such a fine looking book sew etc.

[@scotishcovenanters]

I couldn't find the thread information. What thickness? I saw the brand, but is there a particular thickness? You make a perfect video!

[@zimgeo]

I have found your videos to be of a very high calibre. Very precise without being tedious or fussy. I hope that more will follow. Do you also restore books or your work focused on new binding?

[@MariBSampaio]

Sorry, I was meant to ask this earlier, but what kind of glue do you use? Thanks. (I'm sorry if someone already asked this before)

[@BookbindersChronicle]

@mmeanabarbosa Thanks for subscribing to my channel. My inexpensive digital camera works miracles when it comes to the details, doesn't it?! The thing people don't know is that the camera's masking-taped at an acute angle on top of a high block which is stationed in front of my chest and chin! As it's sort of blocking the view of my work, it sometimes gets hard to work smoothly.. Anyway, masking-tape is an amazing product! haha,,,

[@diam8749]

On yeah STOPAN brought me here 😍

[@BookbindersChronicle]

humm, I'm not familiar with his name. (if he was actually a binder.) But what Mr. Battershall must have meant was the fact the headbands eliminate the gaps on the top & bottom of the spine created due to the height differences of the cover boards and the book block, thus the finished book becomes more "solid". Anyway, double cords can make the hinges stronger for sure, and sewing the mull along with the signatures for cloth tape binding can make the binding to have more integrity on the spine.

[@Ootrid]

very nicely done. I have taught myself bookbinding to make books for myself. Sewing headbands has always been a mystery to me. I developed my own way of doing it but learned a lot from this video. I have always tagged the band in every signature thinking it would prevent signatures from separating after lots of use. Does this help or not? Thank you again, your videos are excellent.

[@7andearth76]

💕💕💕

[@edheene]

your videos are amazing! What type of glue do you use?

[@Pixelsnprints]

thank you for having such a perfect demonstration for this process. i am working on building a binding station and found a few i like, but going to be adding some additional options to mine based on what i have seen here. the one thing i am having a hard time finding is what kind of wood you are using for the headband itself?

[@danieljones9463]

I think it is Bamboo.

[@zimgeo]

I am interested in learning how to re attach boards that have seperated from the spine. I have some leather books that this has happened to. The spine is complete and in good condition and so are the boards but are detached.

[@crazybeautiful255]

what about the cover how do you put that on?

[@timhyatt9185]

I do have a question and perhaps it's my woodworking side coming thru (i tend to over-build) Would not it be beneficial to tag through each signature to increase the strength and durability of the headband and distribute the load for it's connection to the book itself? From where your commented they are usually only attached at a few points, it would seem those are inherently points of failure....

[@alexeimenschen660]

Why? What does it have in particular? Also, thanks for everything, got a job because of your videos!

[@TheMoinksCollection]

You should charge for this. There is nothing that I have found that compares. The other videos on youtube lag to the point of being no benefit at all. Do you have any dvd's on bookbinding? If so where? Thanks for taking the time to do & share!

[@gemmi1]

Is there a way to stop the bead stitches coming off the ends? Mine unravelled even with glue 😭

[@listen6836]

Do you sew the headband after you glue abs hammer the spine of the textblock?

[@carolinelabbott2451]

Yes.

[@BookbindersChronicle]

Me desculpe de dizer eu não vou fazer um vídeo sobre "Coptic Sewing", porque há muitos vídeos sobre o método de Coptic disponível no Yutube, e mais importante, eu não recomendo-o porque é fraca e não tem nenhuma integridade. Me desculpe pelo meu mau português.

[@persistencia2985]

[@BookbindersChronicle]

The book is straightforward and no nonsense. And, wow.. Congratulations on your new job! I never thought that my videos would help anyone to find a job, so I'm pleasantly in shock!

[@BookbindersChronicle]

Thank you for your compliment. Restoration is primarily what I do at the bindery I work for, but indeed, I do bind new bindings as well, although it's strictly based on the client's inquiry most of the time. (I sometimes feel that I wish I could express my creativity more and freely though. :-)

[@k.antigonetrowbridge9038]

Is there or was there a functional purpose to headbands? If so, what was it and is it still valid or totally decorative?

[@carolinelabbott2451]

Yes was and still is functional. It protects the signatures from wear and tear.

[@carlosrodriguez4214]

Por favor, q clase de hilo es ese?

[@Fedetk]

Ya pasaron cuatro meses de esa pregunta, pero por si alguien más se cuestiona lo mismo... Dice en el video que lo ideal y tradicional es hilo de seda pura, pero puedes usar casi cualquier tipo, en esta demostración usa hilo de algodón con terminación en seda.

[@Yoyo-uc5im]

I had no idea that head banding took a long time to get done...

[@33ttpat10]

Is there sound to this video?

[@carolinelabbott2451]

No.

[@BookbindersChronicle]

Also, just so you know that headbands are needed for leather bindings because of the headcaps. Without headbands, you can't really make headcaps anyway, or even if you force to shape them without headbands, the binding will look strange and the gaps will result in the deterioration of the top and bottom of the spine because there's nothing to support the gaps.

[@markusironwood9736]

This is a good tutorial but the sepia tone and the lack of vocal narration made it a bit difficult to follow. I had to watch it about 7 or 8 times to really get the hang of it.

[@jamieshue6145]

That’s silly why not use a double needle instead of taking the one needle on and off the threads?????

[@paralogia]

I'd like some narration explaining what you are doing and providing some tips. The video in sepia tone is difficult to see and I spent five minutes trying to figure out why there was no sound. Perhaps if you are unwilling to speak, you could include MORE annotation explaining what we are supposed to be doing and watching for. Thanks.

[@Дюбель]

Звука нет, картинка монохромная, лично я ничего не понял. Бесполезная трата времени.

[@CherryBerry48]

i can work better with a voice

[@shayma4275]

Can you hurry a LITTLE ?

[@digitalhands6304]

This is unbelievably slow. Even in 2x speed, I can't stand it.

[@davidmammina1203]

No audio. Very disappointed

[@natalianakoriakova8084]

What is it, silent movie? To hell! Banning it.