Creating a stab bound bookbinding.......

Creating a stab bound book is one of the easiest ways to create a book, at least for me. It is actually an easy book for a beginning bookbinder to learn, although it maybe not the most simplest. {The simplest is probably a single pamphlet folded and bound, but I'll provide you a link to one of those later --- compliments to my dear friend, Suzanne.} but for now, let's discuss some stab bound books.

Stab-bound books are also known as Japanese Stab Bindings. If you do a google search for them, you'll discover an array of examples created with various binding styles. Experimentation is one of the main keys to them. First and foremost, I think I should mention that a Stab-bound books size is one of the most important factor in the pre-determining process, as a variety of sizes can be created, almost with any book really once you learn the basics of bookbinding.

Anyways, I tend to start by creating mini-books while learning then moving on to creating bigger ones after I have mastered the skills. Doing this saves me both time and effort and each are just as precious as the next once completed.

Okay, have you chosen a size of one you'd like to create? Or do you want me to suggest one? LOL! I know some paper artists desire specifics so I'll suggest one here in the event that someone desires to use this as a tutorial to create their first one. Let's make a 3" length x 5" width one.

As with any bookbinding project you'll ever begin, you'll first determine the type of binding, then the size, and then the amount of pages you desire. Some books will include the front and back covers while others will not, but it is really up to you. For those who desire to use my suggestions, let's not include the front or back covers. You will need to cut 2 extra 3"x 5" sheets later for them.

First, I try to determine the purpose of the book.... Do I want to include a poem or illustrate one? If so, I try to break the poem down into smaller more manageable sections or paragraphs. Then, I count so that I will know how many paragraphs will I need? For those of you, my readers who desire a straight tutorial, I'll suggest using this poem. I used it myself in a tag style book I created years ago, and still to day enjoy reading it. Here it is:

As the dawn of each morning peers into your life, there lies a path to follow.

Delicate whispers can be heard if you listen to the sound of your soul.

If you listen closely to your soul, you will become aware of your dreams that are yet to unfold.

You will discover that there lies within you a voice of confidence and strength

that will prompt you to seek and live a dream.

Within the depths of your mind, the purpose and direction of your life

can be determined by listening intently to the knowledge that you already possess.

your heart, mind, and soul are the foundation of your success and happiness.

In the still of each passing moment may you come to understand that you are capable of reaching a higher destiny.

When you come to believe in all that you are and all that you can become there is no cause for doubt.

Believe in you heart, for it offers hope.

Believe in your mind, for it offers direction.

Believe in your soul, for it offers strength.

But, above all else, believe in yourself and your dreams.

The poem is written by Leslie Neilson, and is one of my favorite affirmations. I hope you will find it useful in your life as well as I have in mine. Okay, do you see all the double spacing {or breaks in the poem? I hope it will publish correctly.... anyways, each line should end with either a comma or a period, if that helps, or be separated by a single line.} Next, you'll need to determine if you desire it to be one sided or double-sided. For the tutorial, let's use double sided, since that is the way I designed my tag book and I can more easily follow along with it. By seeing the poem broken down, I can determine that I'll need 8 pages, using one for the artist's credit. If you desire single sided, you'll need 16. Everyone will need two additional sheets of 3"x 5" sheets for the front and back covers, for a total of 10 pages if double-sided and 18 if single sided. Can you envision how I determined that?

Next, you need cut all the desired number of pages and the two covers. You can make your covers using colored cardstock or whatever you desire to use or make the covers and pages the same. For my tag book, I simply used tags and colored papers for my covers but it is really up to you.

Now, we need to determine the actual binding side. Stab bound books can be created with the binding along the left side or along the top. For the tutorial, let's use the left side and make a margin of 3/4" of an inch. You can either score this margin in or lightly draw it in with pencil. It is important to keep this marginal space clean and free from any artwork or 3D embellishments or they will interfere with binding later. Draw another line lightly in pencil 1/4" to the right of the margin line, you can erase it later, and use this line as a guide for the actual writing of the poem. Your writing should begin along this second line as we'll later bind the book using the 3/4" one. Got it?

Once all your pages are cut to the 3"x5" size, your margins are mark, and your handwriting line is established on each page, begin to write out the poem if you desire to use your handwriting, or copy and past the text into a Word document, arranging it to fit on the pages and print it out. If you print it, you'll need to trim and then paste each line onto each page in the fashion you chose previously {single sided or double-sided} utilizing the number of pages you decided upon. For those following the tutorial, let's write it so I won't waste time with the process of setting up the word document and such. You'll put one line on one side if doing double sided the next line will be on the backside of one page. If doing it singularly, you'll have one line per page. Clear as mud? LOL!

Okay, once the poem is written out, stack the pages beginning from the first line of the poem to the last page which should be the artist, Leslie Neilson. Add your front cover to the stack, then pick the entire stack up and lay it on the back cover and set it aside.

Now, we'll determine the placement of the holes that will be placed on the 3/4" line. In this step, I want to use a scrap piece of paper, any will do, text weight or whatever you have handy. Cut it to a 3" x 1 1/2" size. The 3" should run vertically and the 1 1/2" horizontally across. Use your pencil and determine the 3/4" placement across the top of the 1 1/2" side and make a light mark. Now, fold this in half lengthwise to end up with a 3" x 3/4" sheet. Still with me?

Now we will determine the placement of the holes for the actual binding by unfolding the sheet and re-folding top to bottom on the 3 inches. The first hole will be the middle hole you'll create. Open the fold back up, and pay special attention here. I want you to re-fold the paper first from the top to the line created in the center by the previous fold. Unfold this and repeat this step using the bottom of the paper, bringing it up to the center fold again. Open it up.

At this point, you should have a 3" by 1 1/2" piece of paper with a long vertical fold at the 1" mark on the 3/4" side of the paper. There should be 3 creases in the 3" side of the paper, the first 1/4th of the length, the second at the halfway mark, and the third at the 3/4 section. If you didn't achieve this, start over using another piece of paper. This step is important for the hole placement for binding. Are you ready to move on?

Okay, if did the steps above correctly, I want you to use a hole punch and punch holes where the vertical line of the fold on the 1 1/2" side intersects each of the folds you created in along the 3" side.

You should end up with a piece of paper that contains 3 holes down the center of it at the 3/4" margin we pre-established for the binding with the same positions noted above for the 3" side only centered in the 3/4" trough. If you made it this far, congratulations! Give yourself a pat on the back! We're almost ready for binding.

Now, I want you to use this as a hole placement guide on your actual book pages. You can do this one of two ways, either by individual pages or by the entire project. Let's act professionally and do the entire thing, it is quicker and easier actually. Pick up the book in the same fashion that it was set aside, front cover, all the papes, and lastly the back cover. Tap it on the table along the left side of the 3" side to jig all the pages together. You can place a binding clip on the right side so the pages won't slip while you work to create the holes for the binding process, if you desire. I tend to do this still!

Once you jigged your pages together, knowing that both covers and pages are straight, have your binder clip in place, I want you to use the paper with the hole placement in it as a guide and line it up top and bottom over the left edge of the book structure. In the 3/4' trough that runs from the top of the book to the bottom, I want you to punch a hole all the way through the book in all the preset holes we previously created. Important note: If you used a ruler at this point the holes would be lined up 3/4" in from the left margin of the book from top to bottom at the 3/4" spot, the 1 1/2" and 2 1/4".

Now, we are ready to begin the actual binding process! Many things can be used to bind the book, embroidery floss, ribbon, jute, string, fun stronger fibers.

Before you begin binding any sewn book, you need to determine the length of the binding used. A general rule of thumb to use is.....{drumroll, please.......LOL!} to count the height of the book in inches + the number of holes +1. In our tutorial, we have 3" height + 3 holes +1 which = 7" as you can see, if you've seen a stab bound book, that isn't going to work. Why? that process will only work with a book with two holes!

Another way to be certain you have enough of a binding material, is to wrap the book's length wise 4 times. Well, if our book is 3" it would take 6" to wrap it once. 6" x 4 times = 24" of binding material. Since we've 3 holes the two hole method won't work, so cut your binding material of choice to 24".

Beginning from the back of the book, working with the top hole, thread your binding material up through to the front cover. Be sure to leave about a 3" tail to tie off to at the end of the binding process. Do not knot it now. Bring the binding material up over the front cover towards to top edge of the book cover and back up through the top hole. Your binding material should be on the top of the book coming out of the 3/4" hole. Now, take it off to the left side of the same hole and wrap it down underneath the back cover and bring it up one last time through the same 3/4" hole. Again, you should have your binding material coming up through the top of the book's cover and through the top hole, you should also have at this point a snug loop over the top of the book and over the spine of the book in the top hole. Now, go down the 1 1/2" center hole from the top of the book working towards the bottom and wrapped around the spine, bring the binding material up through this hole from the back of the book to the front once again. You should see two spine wrapped hole at this point, the top and the center. Now, take your binding material down to the bottom and final hole. Go down through it front to back. Once on the back side, bring it back up to the front side of the book and down through the bottom hole again. You should have added a loop over the bottom of the book and are coming out of the 1 1/2" bottom hole. Now, take the binding material once again and bring it out to the left side of the book, up over the front cover and back down through this hole once again coming out the back. You may struggle a bit to get the binding down through the hole again but keep working it. Now, take the binding material you end up with and tie it off centering it with the tail in step one on the backside of the cover. Congratulations! You've just created your first Japanese Stab bound book!!!!

Now, are you ready to experiment with a bigger book? Go right ahead, you know the basics. Feel free to add more holes as long as you create an odd number of them you can use the same binding as above. All the center holes will bind the spine while the top and bottom binds both the top and bottom of the book as well as the spine. Happy creating and bookbinding!