For my third experiment I tried a very commonly used bookbinding method: the French link stitch. I had my first encounter with this technique during my first experiment, but this time I put it in the focus by using a bold blue yarn, which really pops when put against the grey cardboard.
For this notebook I decided to use 14 signatures, each made up of 4 sheets of paper, which were folded in half. I then decided on the number and spacing of the holes and marked them on a piece of cardboard – this was then used as a guide, so the spacing would be the same on all of the signatures. I then used a needle to poke the holes into each signature separately. During the process I noticed how hard it was, to make the holes exactly in the crease of the paper and not a little to one or the other side.
The binding process itself was quite simple and straightforward, you just had to make sure to always go through the loop of the previous signature, to create this sort of crossover look, which is the signature of the French link stitch and gives it its name. In the last hole of each signature you would make a coptic stitch, to secure the signatures and give it more stability. When I was finished with binding, I glued another sheet of paper onto the top and bottom of my stack of my notebook, which would later serve as the endpaper, where the grey cardboard would be glued on. Then I put glue on the whole back of the book, to seal in the binding and make the final product more sturdy.
When everything was dried, I added a hot foil stamping to the cover, in the same color as the yarn. The final step was to glue the cardboard onto the front and back of my book and then all sides except for the back of the notebook were cut in a machine, to create this clean finish.
The whole project was a great success and I’m very content with the final outcome. What I really love about this binding method, is how sturdy it is and the pages lie completely flat. Having the edges cut with a professional machine also made a huge difference, in how polished the final product looks.
