Kit and Coptic Binding

New skill is go!

After a trial run with a card stock cover and ordinary type paper, I've created my first hard cover journal/sketchbook!


It measures in at approximately 4 1/2 x 6", with 120 pages. I used one of my favorite pics, Terry in Flight, for the main image on the cover. Yeah, it's a little old (it was done in '06), but it's still one of my favorites. Behind that, the top image is an old map found in the Wikimedia Commons. Seeing as it was an OLD map, it was in the public domain, and thus free to be used as a backdrop. Below that, I simply gathered together a bunch of quotes that relate to creativity, imagination, and whatnot. They create a sort of visual white noise, set the mood for the journal, and are ones the resonate personally with me. Rather than assemble it collage-style, I went ahead and put it together in Photoshop and printed out the final product.

In almost all the Coptic-bound books I've seen, the spine is open. Either this is to show off the artistry of the stitch, or it's really difficult to do a cover over the spine. In my trial run, I used three rows of stitches, which worked fine, but I wanted something a little more... secure-feeling, so this one's got five. For the cover, I hunted down the backing from an old calendar - you know, the cardboard inserts the manufacturer sticks in to keep it from horribly deforming during the shrink wrap process? Well, not all of them are normal cardboard. Some of them are a really rather nice variety. I snagged some of that (See? Never know what you'll need later!), and with the reinforcement of the Mod Podge, it's turned into a really nice hard cover.

For the paper, I pillaged an old, mostly unused sketchbook for some 50lb sketch paper. Now, the really nice thing about Coptic binding is that it has the ability to lay flat on just about any page without needing a wire spiraling through it. I wouldn't suggest pinching the covers together and waving it like a fan or anything, but the binding does seem to be pretty secure, even if there is a little more movement than I'm used to in a journal.

For the thread, I used embroidery floss, whittled down to three strands and then braided. I haven't done any strength tests on embroidery floss lately, so braiding it together gives it a little more strength and security. Color-wise, the top contenders were blue and brown. Blue won out - it picks up the color in his hat and the text better.

About the only problem I'm having so far is that the first and last rows - the rows where one signature of paper is attached to the next - don't quite look right. I'm using a "one needle" technique, so maybe that's it. That, or I'm not doing something right. If any of you have any idea what I'm doing wrong there, please do let me know!

Overall, I'm pretty happy with my little journal/sketchbook! I'll be keeping this one.