Millimeter Binding Experiments and the Birth of the Linen Collection

The extraordinary spring of 2020 and the hovering uncertainty over these few months led me to a very appropriate type of binding for this period. The millimeter binding originated in the uncertain times of the past, in times of war, when leather stocks were even more valuable and it was necessary to ration wisely with them. The binding is characterized by the strengthening of the book with leather, but only in the most vulnerable places such as the corners, the upper and lower sides of the covers, as well as the part of the spine above the endbands. For the rest, paper or textiles are used as cover material.
In this Linen Collection yellow goatskin was used to cover the upper and lower covers, as well as over the endbands with a continuous strip. The rest is covered with blue-green linen fabric, reinforced at the bottom with paper, and decoratied with a printed linocut - with yellow relief ink.
Finally, the decoration is enriched with silver decorative fittings, made and assembled by my father Ivo Daskalov.
You can find our work in the shops here:
www.iostopan.com/shop
www.etsy.com/shop/HouseOfStopan
If you wish to support my work and help me produce more content for aspiring bookbinders please consider contributing to my Patreon page:
/ stopan
I've also opened commissions for the months ahead. Check out my custom order form on my website here: www.iostopan.com/custom-order...
Be up-to-date with upcoming projects, commission availability and when new collections go live for sale. Subscribe to the mailing list:
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Clean Soul - Calming by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com/
#Bookbinding #Linen #Linoprint

[@alisonmartin5933]

I have enjoyed this so much...There is a reverence in your workmanship which is indeed holy. Blessings. I started my bookbinding journey this week and find your work an inspiration. Thank you

[@Stopan]

Thank you very much for the kind words! Best of luck with your journey!

[@susannelson1279]

Your craftsmanship, the tools, the results - I love it all.

[@Kaalokalawaia]

Oh wow! I love the silver additions. So talented.

[@Stopan]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@ramtinheraklion2856]

Hello, would you like to learn this?

[@ozvucinik8591]

When I watch these kind of videos it reminds me that only if you make something by yourself you'll value this. Only knowing how much efort you put in a book you'll write only what's truly valuable. It's like this with almost everything, like only when you start to earn money you understand how to spend, and you'll buy only the things that you need. I think if every child in school makes his own book or notebook he surely will be more respectful and will try to write as beautiful as possible.

[@TmdXD]

i find amazing you work synergy with you father. You are inspiring, thank you for sharing your work. If possible, i would love to watch your father making those silver pieces!

[@Stopan]

Thank you! We didn't film them nicely and decided not to put the process in the video. Next time we'll do a better job! You can see him working on his silver fittings on the past videos though!

[@rondumontier1187]

Beautiful and amazing workmanship. I appreciate the work u put into your passion. I,m a leathercrafter who personalizes my work rather than cookie cutter projects. So I know how hard u work at this. Thank you for sharing

[@Stopan]

Thank you very much! Very glad to hear fellow craftsmen watching!

[@williamkimmel6487]

I absolutely love his work. Every journal is handcrafted to perfect! Kim

[@halsti99]

the voiceover is really nice. i picked up bookbinding when i was bored with bad internet on a weekend trip and whenever i see you upload, i kinda feel like getting back into it. Thanks dude! :)

[@Stopan]

That's great, thank you!

[@myrh502]

beautiful! love watching..

[@PanginooTV]

Have been waiting for you to upload! This is like a treat! Cant wait to watch this!

[@skeletonkeybindery3936]

I appreciate you stepping out of your comfort zone and experimenting with a material that you may not have much experience in using in binding. It when we try these now things, see and feel how they work, is when we grow the most as artists; and those results show.

[@iollankmurphy4496]

these are gorgeous !

[@mathieuvart]

Stopan, you work is very beaufitul. Thank you for sharing your journey of book binding. The work of your father is very beautiful also. Working with him must make you happy. Stay safe.

[@Rociolovatto]

So beautifull! Love it!

[@ClaudioOliveira-ep1ux]

So, so, so beautiful!

[@VGForg]

Very nice! Good job.

[@aspektx]

Thank you.

[@parisajovaini561]

your work is sooo calm and lovely you are so inspiring

[@rlturnerdesigns]

They are beautiful

[@fludrbywest3886]

🤩 they turned out very exquisite 💖❣️✨💫❣️

[@lkmayhew9390]

All three are beautiful. I would use any one of them with pride. Well done.

[@bbq-blues8664]

Amazing work as always! Thank you for doing these videos 👍🏻

[@Stopan]

My pleasure, Eric!

[@elnurpashayev5734]

Thank you for the video. I enjoyed it. That is the real art. 👍❤️🤝

[@starcovegoods]

These are so beautiful!!! I just found your channel yesterday and it makes me so happy! I love the silver accents your dad made, especially the moving one. Amazing!

[@Stopan]

Thank you so much!

[@nigelwylie01]

Lovely video Stopan. Thank you. I so love the prototype.

[@Stopan]

Glad you like it!

[@ticatacatic]

This collection looks amazing. Thank you so much for documenting your process!! It was both informative and very enjoyeable to watch. The blue linen is such a lovely colour! Thank you again.

[@Stopan]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@MariaPNW]

I'm in awe!!!! Awesome, just awesome! I'm a beginner book maker and alterer (saving deteriorating books and making them into sketch journals). I will watch this video over and over... thank you for sharing your talent and ideas!!

[@toddsheffield4271]

Stopan, they are beautiful. I wish ii had your talent.

[@vanessahonorato6138]

Maravilhoso. Trabalho perfeito 😍😍😍

[@user-es6zy6ri3z]

Thank you for making these excellent videos. I started bookbinding some months ago and your videos are helping me very much. The way that you videotape the process is very helpfull for me as i am able tou understand even the hardest stages. Thank you! Greetings from Athens, Greece.

[@Stopan]

Wonderful! Thank you very much for sharing and best of luck with your bookbinding projects! Be sure to check out Dimitris Koutsipetsidis. He's a wonderful bookbinder from Athens as well!

[@anasofia5166]

Wowww I think I saw this on reddit. excellent work!!! 🤩🤩

[@Stopan]

Oh thank you!

[@paulagomez5641]

You are absolutely awesome

[@Stopan]

You too!

[@ericp7522]

You should make a video on your hemp paper making process! Your journals are always so amazing and creative. I love how you are always experimenting with new materials and different techniques.

[@Stopan]

Thank you so much! I have a bit of shorts on how I made the paper from the video with the Lino prints.

[@danielrowsey7667]

Thank you, I have missed your videos. I have so many questions!

[@Stopan]

Cheers, Daniel! Whatever you need!

[@SamMayna]

Amazing job ❤️❤️😍

[@Stopan]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@danieljamesmead]

This does it for me

[@m.c.5124]

I thought they were wonderful without the silver. The silver enhanced them. I think a little gold gilding on the original would make them glorious. At any rate thank you so much for sharing your talents.

[@icaliver]

Congrats, and great work. Now that you’ve raised your bar of creativity it’s time to move on to a metal bookbinding or Wood and Epoxy cover. 🙏 And keep safe but more importantly keep creating. Now off to next video throwing Ceramics bowls. 👨‍💻

[@Stopan]

Wood is definitely on the list! Horn too.

[@elizabethp.-l.8228]

I love your work so mush, your books are so beautiful i want to buy them all. Also it makes me want to try to make some too. I hope i'll be able one day.

[@Stopan]

Thank you for the appreciation, Elizabeth!

[@teberkarayel2652]

Wery good Work

[@GrandmaGaye]

Loving to see artists at work. Is the bone folder tool actually made of bone or is it silicone?

[@Stopan]

Thank you! It is indeed from bone. I've used a teflon one when I worked in a library but prefer the bone one.

[@LeonardoDeBrida]

You should put a mirror facing you, that way you can see the holes of the book without much trouble on 5:27. Peace, love your work !!

[@Stopan]

Thank you, I've never thought of that. Although I've become quite used to how I do things now, I can try it out sometime.

[@frankgyori2740]

I wonder if you used some sort of natural finishing that was a semi-gloss or gloss over the cover of the book that could possibly brighten the color of the the cloth and the golden printed area.

[@tordek1265]

I only just noticed your Abraxas tattoo.

[@grigoryvorobchenko2844]

Nice work. And what's the soundtrack, please.

[@graciouscompetentdwarfrabbit]

Stopan, might I ask you why you don't use hollow/oxford tubes (maybe you do in some books, but I don't remember?)? Doesn't it (not using the hollow tube) make it harder to keep the book open and, as a result, to write on it? (P.S.: I don't think the tube on the spine in this one really counts as a hollow tube, it's a tube that is hollow, but not THE hollow tube™) Regarding the lino print on the cloth, do you think maybe screenprinting ink would've worked better (if at all)? If not, what about gold pigment on the ink, do you think it would've helped? I mean, once dry it would still look darker than ideal, but maybe because of that gold shine it would seem brighter, at least while not in a dark environment. Anyway, awesome work, as always. I hope to get this good at it one day.

[@Stopan]

In this particular project, it's definitely not a classic hollow tube. I'm not sure if I agree that the hollow tube would benefit the opening more that this particular hollow. Using my method, I've actually reduced the spine linings while not attaching a tube to the spine and benefited to a more free opening. By all standards this is a weaker binding the a leather counterpart. I don't make hollow spines on leather bound books because I like the idea of distributing the forces of opening onto different layers of materials and foundations, thus making the binding durable for a very long time. In this case though, flexibility is surely sacrificed but I don't mind as I give a bit more priority to durability. For the print, I've never really used screen-printing ink, so I'm not sure. It would probably be a lot better but I don't have the equipment or the time/will to learn screenprinting. In the future, if I print on cloth again, I'll probably just make a better choice of colors to make the contrast more proper. Thank you for the great questions!

[@user-zm8zg3lk1e]

Hello Stepan! Have you always wondered what kind of paper you use in your work?

[@user-zm8zg3lk1e]

Степан Я перевожу через переводчик поскольку не очень знаю английский

[@Stopan]

Hello, Roman! I use my own handmade paper as decoration on the back of the covers and I use Clairefontaine paper for the body.

[@Sewswithdolls]

Mix a bit of white to brighten the yellow ink?

[@Stopan]

Maybe next time. I'm not sure if I'll ever use this fabric again for printing, though.

[@Sewswithdolls]

@@Stopan silk is best for bookbinding, or polished cotton. linen eats paints due to the fibers always being thirsty.

[@matticuskare9327]

𝕨𝕠𝕨, 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕤𝕖 𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕒𝕞𝕒𝕫𝕚𝕟𝕘!

[@suthatphatgiao-ngusuvietna7397]

Hello