Making Books in Wroclaw

So since starting the PhD I have challenged myself to make a sketchbook. It’s a way to start a project and frame an idea, and to practice a form of binding. I began with a hardback Japanese stab stitch bound book. There were a few hitches in making this book, such as being an idiot and removing the paper insides – so I couldn’t get the needles through the holes. Breaking a needle. Realising the design was impractical for a notebook. Then my dog chewed it up. So I decided to start again, which felt a bit frustrating but gave me a chance to fix some of these issues.

In the meantime, since this masterpiece of a mess unfolded, a fellow student introduced me to the bookbinding tutor at the university. Together we have been binding a 16 signature, traditional leather book, bound on tapes. I have never used a frame for bookmaking before, so I was really enthused to learn some new skills.