I said I was going to post on Saturday, but I didn't finish the journal until last night. I think the whole process could be done in about about 8-10 hours. It took me a bit longer, though; I didn't buy enough end paper initially and was trying to teach someone while making my own. It also didn't help that I am more inclined to be thorough, usually at the cost of efficiency. But I digress. Here's an abbreviated walkthrough from start to finish.
The process starts with plenty of cutting: papers and covers. One cuts the papers and folds them in groups to form what are called signatures. My journal had seven signatures of four pages (two sheets), making a total of fifty-six pages. Krystin is cutting her covers in the picture.
So here are all my signatures together. This group of papers together is called the book block. They are ready to be sewn together and glued.
The book block is clamped so that the glue does not seep too far between the signatures; here it is already sewn, and the glue is drying.
Here is a close-up of the now dry spine. You can see the stitching between signatures as well. After the spine is dry, a piece of mull (I used coarse gauze material) is glued to the spine for extra strength and as a way to attach the book block to the covers.
For the cover, one can buy either book cloth (cloth adhered to paper) or ordinary cloth and simply glue thin paper to the fabric. There isn't book cloth in Bangkok; I backed my fabric with paper then trimmed and covered the binder's board. I didn't take pictures--it was around two am. Here is the book block already glued to the finished book cover.
The last step involves putting in the end papers to cover the inside of the cover and the places where the book block is anchored. Here is a picture of both this book and the smaller journal I made the weekend before. Good times.
The next time you finish a journal, think seriously about making one of your own. It does take a bit of time but ends up being quite fun and rewarding. And heck, who doesn't like something they've made with their own hands.
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In other news, I also made some soup that was pretty good on Saturday night. The soup featured carrots, asparagus, baby corn, and mushrooms and was garnished with green onions and cilantro. It was pretty good. No, strike that, it was really good. Too bad I was the only witness. I did however snap a photo. I am looking forward to inviting people over for dinner when I get back to the States--especially in Walla Walla.
Consider having your own weekend of made things. [insert some anti-consumerist war cry] It is totally worthy it.
