Sewing A Textblock - Part 2

[@rosemarymortonjack9387]

To repeat, this is a brilliant tutorial from a clear and skilled teacher.

[@KathleenRenninger]

Watched part 1 before this video, and really appreciate your no-nonsense, step- by-step approach. You are a real teacher!

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

Thank you! ❤

[@moetrumpet]

Your videos are so helpful! My mom and I are making books and having so much fun learning and doing it together.

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

That's what it's all about! Have fun, make fun things, have some more fun! 😄

[@aileenwinter6505]

You and your videos are honestly the only reason I have not yet gone crazy during lockdown. Thank you so much for that!

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

Thank you so much! What a nice thing to say.

[@scotishcovenanters]

Thank you! Finally I found you on here. There was a good video but with no talking. It was frustrating. Thank you for showing me how to finish off the text block! Really appreciative.

[@rosemarymortonjack9387]

I should just add what I hinted at before, to all those kind tutors giving their time to beginners: your method is exemplary. Speeding up when the task is repeatedly simple, only talking when necessary and totally omitting the personal stuff like “this is my dog..” or my name is and I live in” …or “welcome to my studio…” by which time I’ve already turned off! Don’t mean to sound ungrateful but they could learn from you!

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

Your critique is awesome. Thank you! 🥰

[@rosemarymortonjack9387]

Thank you for responding. I guess the thread you used in the demo was a contrasting colour for clarity but you’d normally choose matching? Gathering tools and raw materials to have EVERY thing to hand at the “off”, essential to start well organised.. (You are my new companion! ). Thanks again.

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

Yes, the thread was a brighter color and maybe a bit heavier than I would normally use so it would show up in the video. But, you might choose to use a brightly colored thread as a design choice. No rules. :)

[@denisem1336]

Thank you so much for your wonderful, concise tutorial and mostly for sharing your knowledge. Much appreciated!

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

Thank you, Denise! I hope it helps. :)

[@Nevereverbored]

Thank you 👍

[@rosemarymortonjack9387]

I’ve watched these over and over and now feel prepared and excited about starting. Thank you! Would you condone thin, waxed dental floss for the thread? I’m only binding one book and don’t want to be extravagant on buying single use materials.

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

I have never tried using dental floss but the idea is an intriguing one. MacGyver would approve. :) I don't see why it wouldn't work. The only real unknown is whether or not it's archival (Ph neutral) but I'd bet that it is. Try it and let us know how it works out. :)

[@sherris6537]

Could your green stitches be easily seen in the middle of the signatures when the book was opened?

[@rosemarymortonjack9387]

If I’m skipping the headband/tailband/marker stages, couldn’t I stick the mull onto the end papers when attaching it to the spine, all in one process?

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

No, I wouldn't. The moisture from the glue will warp the end papers, causing all kinds of issues. That's why you want to do it right before you are attaching the end papers to the covers.

[@michellesmixedmediamadness]

Thank you for a great, informative tutorial. I really want to learn how to make books, not just crafty items, but honest book binding as this 2 part series shows. I'm now a subscriber to your channel and can't wait to learn more. I will look at your website but I wondered what kind of brushes do you use for gluing and how do you care for them? It seems that having the right tools and caring for them is important but no one seems to show that information. Thanks again for a great video.

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad the videos help. :) To be honest, the brushes I use most often are old, beat-up, cheap crap. I have tried to replace them with pretty and expensive brushes, but I always come back to my old ones. lol. If you want good professional brushes (like real paste brushes) my two favorite sources are Talasonline.com and Hollanders.com. (Make sure that someone who cares about you takes your credit cards away before you visit those sites. LOL!) As for caring for brushes, just keep them clean. While you are using PVA glue, in particular, wash your brush off occasionally as you are working so the glue doesn't dry on it, particularly up around the ferrule. It's easy to get busy gluing and you think your brush is fine because you keep dipping it in glue, but the glue around the ferrule will start to dry. Once PVA dries on a brush it's done for. Good luck with your bookmaking, and have fun!

[@rosemarymortonjack9387]

Where did you show us the application of the mull?

[@tammyzitzmann1646]

Took me a bit, but I found it at 6:33. :)

[@lesleydavies39]

I've just discovered your videos and my urge to make books again is strong! Please can you tell me if you trim the foreedge of your text block to make the edges even or do you leave them as they are? Thanks so much for great instructions!

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

Hi Lesley - What I do with the foreedge depends on the paper I'm using. If I'm using a light text-weight paper I will usually trim all three exposed edges. (Be sure to trim the top and bottom before you put on headbands :) But, if I'm using a heavier paper I will usually tear it to size, and in that case I want to keep the uneven deckled edge, so no trimming. :)

[@lesleydavies39]

Thanks so much, Kristi. Yes, I prefer to tear paper to size too. I like the look of deckle edges. My experience of trying to trim lighter weight papers has been pretty disastrous!

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

@@lesleydavies39 I don't do it by hand. (Tedious and almost always an unsatisfying result!) I use my guillotine, which turns it in to a simple, quick job ending with a perfect edge. I also hate cutting bookboard by hand - another awful and tedious job. My cutter makes short work of that, as well. :) This is the guillotine I use for all my bookbinding: amzn.to/39DNUVE

[@lesleydavies39]

Kristi Warren Thanks for that. What a great piece of kit. I don't make enough books to justify getting a guillotine but will certainly bear it in mind. Useful info, thanks.

[@jannelle5635]

What do you do with your brushes in between use to keep them from stiffening? Also, how do you clean them for reuse once done? Thanks

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

Hi Jannelle - If the brushes are going to be sitting for more than a few minutes while I prepare the next step of the book, I just wash them off. All the glue I use, whether it's PVA glue or wheat paste, is water soluble while it's wet. I just use warm water and soap to clean them. Wheat paste is always reversible with water, even once it's dry. Not so with PVA, which is permanent once it dries, so I don't like to leave it on my brushes unattended for very long (no more than 5 minutes.) That's a good way to ruin a brush, which I've done. :-)

[@jannelle5635]

*PVA

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

You don't have to wait for the brush to dry. PVA is water based so it doesn't matter if your brushes are damp when you use them.

[@jannelle5635]

Kristi Warren, thank you! I've learned a lot from you.

[@rosemarymortonjack9387]

Ah got it - sorry.