Waxed Irish Linen Thread

This thread is very tough stuff. If you tried to break it with your bare hands, you would end up with blisters and make no progress unless you had a seriously damaged piece. I wouldn't recommend trying to chew through it, either.

My collection has stabilized at thirteen colors, all pictured here. Clockwise, starting at the top left corner and spiraling in: butterscotch, turquoise, robin egg blue, plum, blue, dark red, green, pale green, black, natural (undyed), violet, red, brown.

I use this thread to bind both the leather and link stitch journals. I also use it when sewing designs or clasps or attaching other decorations to the leather journals. At a minimum, the leather journals require three feet, and the link stitch journals require about six.

Endpapers

Decorative papers

Here are a few Chiyogami papers I have in stock as of 1/12/11.

Here's another paper I have in stock as of 1/12/11.

Here are a few examples of my work as a paper marbler. Click to enlarge.

Here are some tools of the trade and examples of materials cut down to size and ready to bind. This is incomplete, but it's a start.

Link stitch — Short Version

Cut cover papers, binders board, and endpapers to size. Glue cover paper and endpaper to boards, dry for 24 hours under weight. Collate and fold interior paper into ten signatures. Punch holes in covers and signatures. Align holes. Sew book. Inspect, sign, and admire.

Link stitch — Detailed Guide

I wrote and illustrated this guide in Fall 2008, and it goes into greater detail about the process of link stitch binding. It isn't exhaustive or even neatly penned, and it should be used as a mere supplement to a class or workshop in link stitch binding. It covers how I make link stitch bindings and a few common mistakes. I provide it with the expectation that it will retain my name, as I am the author, and will never be sold, altered, or redistributed without my permission. However, if you are a teacher and want to provide this guide to a class, feel free to do so. I'd love to hear about it, too!

Leather

I treat most of the leather with a professional non-greasy non-darkening leather conditioner called Lexol Neatsfoot well before I bind. This keeps the leather from drying out, protects it, and gives it a little added luster and suppleness.

I choose a base leather, or in some cases two base leathers, and then I think about design. After I have a rough idea of what I want, I'll measure and cut the leather to size using a utility knife and cork-backed metal ruler. From there I continue refining my design. I'll go through my entire supply of leather, thread, beads, and shells looking for the right combinations, the right pairings. At some point during this process, I find the journal's name, which helps guide any design decisions I make from then on out.

Half the time I torture my poor scissors by cutting the leather by hand to get a certain shape. I save any usable scraps I trim in the process and often reintegrate them into the journal. If they don't fit, I put them in with my other scraps, and they will eventually fall into a completely different journal.

Sometimes I'll think of a design I would like to see and sketch it, then hole punch it directly through the paper into the leather. I save these designs and reuse them because they can have entirely different effects with different thread and leather combinations.

To make the holes, I use a Japanese screw punch, also known as a hand powered drill or push drill. It still takes a great deal of elbow grease to put holes in some of the thicker leathers I work with, but this tool makes it possible to do detailed stitching.

I pay attention to the natural shapes in the leather and try to incorporate them as well. "Unleashed" is a great example of just such a happy accident. I paired the leathers, cut the brown leather down, then saw the dog. So I did a little stitching to bring the pup out and added an offset "leash" for the fun of it. Essentially, I go through the process with an open and playful mind.

Just like the link stitch journals, the binding is non-adhesive, which means that instead of being cut and glued together, the interior pages are hand collated, folded, hole punched, and sewn to the cover. This kind of binding is called longstitch. When I'm finished, I sign the book at the back of the text block along the spine.