#bookbinding advice

[valentinerose529]

Looking for advice on restorative bookbinding!

I recently learned about fanbinding and custom bookbinding, and I've decided it would be a super neat thing to learn how to do. Since i've never done anything like it before besides like, those little books we'd make in elementary school with folded printer paper and a staple gun, I'm looking for outside advice!

I got a very nice sci-fi book from my dad, but calling it well-loved is an understatement.

It's torn completely in half, but in my (limited) experience it's still salvageable. Like, as a book, it's still usable, i can and do read it i'm just careful with the outermost pages of each chunk.

I'd like to try my hand at rebinding this book, just as a beginner side project, since it's here and I already own it and nobody will read it except me, so who cares if the binding job is sloppy or crooked?

Each half is mostly solid, although the cover pieces and outer pages are only hanging on by threads.

The paper of the spine is pretty cracked, but the two cover pieces are in pretty good condition except for nicks and fraying around the edges.

the second chunk has a hole in the top page, but it only takes out like two words and i'm ninety percent sure i can extrapolate the blanks from the context if/when i patch that page.

It's about 860 pages long not counting the non-story ones like title pages, about the author, etc. I know there's a limit for how many pages certain binding styles can handle.

it's also printed on like, i don't know the name for it but it's that really thin yellowish paper that a ton of those old paperbacks are printed in (is pulp fiction the right word?)

Since it's a paperback, it doesn't have endpapers per se. Whatever cover I made and attached, would I need endpapers to glue to the inner cover? Would it be better to sacrifice the existing first and last pages to be endpapers (which i don't mind doing since the first has a story snippet and the last is blank), or better to glue dedicated endpapers to the text block at the same time I glue the two chunks together?

I don't really have a preference on hardback or paperback cover, I think hardbacks are easier for beginners to make?

I'd like to preserve the cover or at least the design of it somehow, so one of my ideas is to scan the cover and spine and print them out bigger onto a larger piece of paper if I decide to go with a hardback cover.

The second chunk has the paper of the spine on it (also hanging on by a thread). I'm not sure if I should scrape off the leftover spine paper/glue that's on the spines of the text blocks before I glue on a cover, or if it'll be fine to glue a fresh cover on top of it (after separating the graphic paper of the spine).

In terms of materials, I actually own a bottle of acid free archival quality book glue (I bought it ages ago in hopes of patching another book that tore in half from use), I have plenty of scrapbooking paper and cotton fabric left over from other projects, and I think my local makerspace has a dedicated bookbinding press!

It's a neat story, but the physical book itself has no sentimental value to me or my dad, so if I can't fix it I'll just buy a fresh copy and sacrifice this one as material for other paper crafts. I just thought it'd be a fun place to start learning how to bookbind, rather than trying to format and print and shape a fresh text block from scratch.

If you need more info about this project, please ask and I'm happy to share it. Any advice is appreciated, and thank you in advance!

[that-butch-archivist]

"The New York Femmes, 1991" by Morgan Gwenwald

source: The Persistent Desire: A Femme-Butch Reader, edited by Joan Nestle

[altruistic-meme]

currently sending buckets of love to my father 🧡💚

[drangercore]

Hii, I’m so impressed with your work! If I may ask, what advice would you give to someone who wants to learn how to bookbind but has NO idea where to start?

Hello!

Thank you so much! Tbh I suck at giving advice, but here goes nothing:

As a hobby collector myself, I understand getting into a hobby/ craft especially without prior knowledge and experience can seem overwhelming, and so I think my only advice (if you could call it that lol) is to research and arm yourself with as much info as you can! The Internet is a vast space and you’re bound to find almost anything. My first instinct is to always go to YouTube (because I learn best by watching others do it), and I was not let down. I spent a lot of my time watching bitter melon bindery, then I discovered DAS bookbinding, which is a treasure trove!!

I also believe in the importance of learning the nitty-grittys and history of the craft I’m getting into. If you have a good foundation, you gain the confidence to branch out and attempt other skills and techniques.

Now, this is my nerdy, research-obsessed self talking 😂. Thankfully, there are very kind folks in the community who have made beginner guides that would save you a lot of time (and money), that I personally wish have known of sooner when I got started.

Oh, and don’t hesitate to ask! There’s no such thing as a stupid question and many of us are also still learning and growing, just as you are! I know most if not all of us are happy to help anyone out :)

With all that said, I’m gonna leave here resources that I have found incredibly helpful! Good luck on your bookbinding journey 🤍

@renegadepublishing ! They have a great community on discord where we chat all things fanbindibg! It’s got plenty of free guides and resources. Honestly a one-stop-shop.

@/hana_bob does quick comprehensive videos on tiktok on fanbinding.

(I also made my own guide based on info I found from research. If you’re from the Philippines, all the product links are PH based.)

[bearclubbooks]

hey! your books are beautiful! could you share a bit of your process on binding? how do you decide which fic to bind? how do you plan your cover and typeset design etc. thank you

heck yeah i can!! i'm putting this under a readmore because it's so long haha

**this may go without saying but this is just how i personally choose works to bind - i'm sure everyone's process is different.

I only bind fics that like. REALLY stand out to me. I have read an uncountable number of works in my life but my to-bind list only has 5 things on it. It's a combination of: 1) It has to be a really good quality work - characterization I agree with, an interesting plot or insightful observations of character, and I love most of all when I haven't read anything like it before. 2) If it hits all those criteria AND I have a strong idea for a book design while I'm reading it or thinking about it later then it's a good candidate for binding!

For me, the choosing of a fic and the design of the finished book (90% of the time) go completely hand-in-hand - I'll be reading a fic and imagining it as a book at the same time. What design motifs occur through the story that could translate to a physical object? What's the vibe of the work? Is it a dark brooding emotional story or is it a fun happy rock climbing AU? Even before you start typesetting or designing the cover, these questions will inform the final design.

To give you a more specific example, I'll step through the design of one of my books so the whole process is outlined!

Even though No Fixed Ropes was only the second book I ever bound, the design is still one of my favorites! It's a rock climbing AU set in Yosemite in the 1970s... and already you can see that summary could inform a host of design decisions!

The vibe of the story is pretty fun - a little sad (times and people change over the years) but mostly happy (sometimes that's a good thing). The vibe of the story is the thing that informs my typesetting the most!! I set this work in Crimson Text, which to me is a font that has the same vibe as the story. It's a really nice serif font so you can take it seriously (because the POV character is very serious) but it's also a little round and soft and cute (because this story is about finding new friends and coming to terms with change in a soft and understanding way.)

This way of choosing a font will almost certainly be different for everyone! Some people might only use their favorite single font for every work they typeset; some people might say Crimson Text is inappropriate for use in a printed book since it was designed for the web - everyone has a different way of approaching typesetting, and this is mine! But every way is valid, especially if you're the only one reading your books.

For No Fixed Ropes, I wanted the book to have some 70s flair! I spent a lot of time on the website fontsinuse.com looking at book covers printed in the 70s. That's how I landed on Monoton as a secondary font, which I use for chapter headings and the title page. I found an old picture online of rocks in Yosemite, and that became my title page!

I also choose the cover paper based on the story! For No Fixed Ropes, I chose a paper that reminded me of the rocks in national parks. The paper is also made from recycled ropes, which was too perfect to pass up! The spine is covered in leather paper - this wasn't based on the story necessarily, but I needed a spine reinforcement and the black paper brought out the black lines in the cover paper and had a nice feel to it.

Another aspect to ficbinding is deciding what information you want to include in your bind. Since the works exist originally on the internet, there's a lot of info you can choose to include or not - there's the AO3 metadata (publication date, URL, ratings, warnings, etc); there's any information the author might have shared on social media (epilogues written as threadfics, a playlist they made for the character, etc); there's any number of things that are very easy to include on the internet that may not translate so well to a physical book.

Personally I don't find it necessary to include most of this stuff - I'm printing the work for myself and maybe the author and I don't like to clutter it with info I don't need. That being said, the one exception I will always make is for a playlist - I love to include the playlist link in a fun and thematic way!! For No Fixed Ropes, I put the Spotify link on a vintage Yosemite postcard, imagining an ending where the characters stay in touch with each other even though they're not together anymore.

From there it's just a matter of proofreading your text and putting it all together!

Hopefully that answers your questions! If you want more info or you have more questions, definitely ask me more!! I love to talk about this stuff haha

[mrghostrat]

📌 Current WIPs/AUs

🔗 AO3 • #ART • DISCORD • KO-FI

When is the next ATWS update? i'm currently taking a break from it because i'm not in the mood and writing it isn't enjoyable. maybe a few months at least.

Can I make/do something for one of your AUs/fics? yes please!! you can do ANYTHING with my good omens works as long as there's no profit involved. this includes using art for icons, cosplaying, translating, podfics, inspired works, bookbinding, etc! credit can go to "mrghostrat" or "ghostrat"

What brushes do you use? "Mr Natural" from Kyle's Adobe brush collection, the default Clip Studio "design pencil", and the default "gouache blender", with some slight settings tweaks. (full equipment list) (download my brushes for $1)

How do you outline your fics? check out my writing process tag for all the advice i've shared about fic writing and good omens characterisation

Who the fuck are u you can call me rat or bilvy. i'm australian, ace, nonbinary; they/them (acquaintance) or he/him (familiar). fine with any gendered terms for jokes and shit (queen, dad, sis, etc)

Do you have Twitch/Patreon/Instagram/Twitter/etc? find me here!

I can't afford anything off your wishlist, can I send you a letter or something free? U SURE CAN here's my p.o. box!!!

Wow ur kind of annyoing haha ikr anyway here's all my tags so u can block or stalk to ur hearts content:

WIPs & AUs

#ratwips ideas and snippets

streamer AU: (synopsis) (ao3) (tag)

reversed BNF: (bnf) (reverse bnf)

author/editor: (synopsis) (tag)

rockstar crowley: (synopsis) (tag)

fandoms

#good omens

#ofmd (our flag means death)

#very good sir (jeeves & wooster)

#holmes (sherlock holmes adjacent)

#zelda (the legend of zelda games)

me and stuff

#nsft (nsfw themes)

#ghost scribbles (personal & junk posts)

#ask a rat (answered asks)

#behold the rat (selfies)

#live rat reaction (stream related posts)

#oliver (my dog)

#this kills the bilv (nice things people have said & made for me)

stuff i make

#rat draws (my art)

#rat writes (my fics)

#libratian (book binding)

#oc (original characters)

#mister b (my oc/sona/vtuber)

#live2d (vtuber rigging)

#timelapse (art timelapses) (mostly shared on discord now)

crowley + aziraphale emotes

[oliversrarebooks]

The Rare Bookseller Part 46: Oliver's Ballet

Prev > Masterlist > Next

September 1925

TW: mind control, captivity

Oliver was trying to keep his hands from shaking as he walked up the stairs to the forbidden third floor.

It was the evening of the ballet, and his master had given him his instructions the previous night. He was to wake up before sunset, bathe, don the expertly tailored shirt and pants that had been provided to him, make coffee, and then head to Alexander's room to attend on him. Oliver wasn't entirely sure what that meant, and his nervousness over dispatching his duties warred with his nervousness about being an embarrassment at a fancy performance. He'd slept better the past two days, owning to Katherine's encouragement and his master's feeding, but now he couldn't help being slightly on edge.

Find happiness wherever you can...

He would do his best to follow her advice and enjoy himself tonight. It certainly wasn't every day he got to witness a ballet.

The oil lamp he was holding in his other hand sputtered and flickered as he climbed the stairs and apprehensively knocked on the dark wooden door that guarded his master's private sanctum. The door creaked open, revealing a very tired looking vampire in a fluffy robe. "Come in, Oliver, come in. Ah, you brought coffee. Excellent."

Oliver handed off the mug as he stepped over the threshold into the room, unable to resist sweeping his lamp around to get a better look, as it was currently only lit by a couple of candles.

Alexander's bedroom was furnished much like Oliver's, but larger, and far more cluttered. The window was covered with shutters, and a thick velvet curtain surrounded the enormous bed. The bookshelves were crammed full of books interspersed with rolled scrolls, stacks of papers, and seemingly random trinkets, a far cry from the orderly shelves in the library. The tables and nightstands were covered in stacks of books and hardened candle wax, and there was laundry strewn about the hardwood floor. The bed was unmade and the sheets and blankets were in a tangle, sliding off halfway, with a rubber water bottle lying nearby. The place smelled of bookbindings and floral soap and brine.

His master didn't seem remotely self-conscious about this state of affairs, taking the coffee, picking his way deftly through the mess, and sitting on the side of his bed. "It looks as if the shirt and pants fit without much need for additional tailoring. That's good," he said, looking Oliver up and down through half-closed eyes. "I suppose I ought to get dressed myself, and then you can assist me."

"Yes, sir." He was about to ask what exactly he would be assisting with, but as Alexander shed his robe and reached for his shirt, Oliver's attention was piqued by a strange symbol on his chest. A scar, but an oddly round one, with a faded symbol in the center.

"That doesn't concern you," said Alexander sharply, noticing Oliver's gaze. 

"Sorry, sir," said Oliver, making a point to look away as his master finished dressing.

He took another long look at Oliver as he buttoned all but the top button of his shirt. "...It's no matter. Come with me."

Oliver followed Alexander to a door in the back corner of the room, tripping over a pair of shoes obscured by an old coat on the way. The door opened to an absurdly spacious and opulent bathroom, featuring a marble floor, a porcelain bathtub large enough to fit half a baseball team, and expensive plush bath towels littering the floor in heaps. The smell of floral soap was even stronger here, and the remnants of steam clung to Oliver's glasses, the room oppressively warm.

Alexander sat down in front of a counter with a sink and a mirror, and Oliver's eyes went wide at the odd effect of his master having no reflection. He could see himself perfectly, as though Alexander wasn't even there.

"This is what I need your help with, Oliver. Making my hair look presentable, because I'm not able to do so myself."

That certainly explained why he was so disheveled normally -- although, given the state of his very visible room, it wasn't necessarily the full explanation. "What would you like me to do, sir?"

He gestured to a glass containing combs, long scissors, and a few other odd tools. "Whatever you think is fit. It's not as though I'm going to be able to see it to criticize. I only wish to look neat and presentable."

Oliver had really never paid too much attention to his own appearance, but he had always tried to look neat for customers, so he hoped he would be able to do the job. "Very well, sir," he said, apprehensively picking up a comb and running it through his master's hair.

His hair was soft, surprisingly so, and the scent of floral soap grew even stronger, with undertones of woodsmoke and bookbinding glue and something unidentifiable, a scent which he was quickly learning to associate with his master. Alexander closed his eyes, a faint smile on his face, seemingly enjoying the treatment. 

He must be so lonely. Oliver felt it so keenly the prior night when his master had cornered him in the kitchen and drank deep of his blood. As his master's thoughts pooled into his own, he was overwhelmed with loneliness, solitude, the desire for a warm and caring touch. Oliver couldn't help but work his hands into his master's hair on the pretense of styling it, enjoying the small, contented noise that escaped from his lips.

His master was handsome, wasn't he? Was there any harm in acknowledging that? It wasn't as if he had feelings for the vampire who had purchased him. He was simply accepting a truth, one that he had known even when Alexander was simply a prized customer.

"What is this ballet about, sir?" said Oliver, mostly to distract himself from this train of thought.

"It's an avant garde ballet, very controversial. It was actually choreographed and costumed by a famous Russian vampire who has worked in theater from well before I was born. This production has been mounted by a human company, though. It's a dance I'd been wishing to see for some time." Alexander's gaze traveled to Oliver's reflection in the mirror. "I have you to thank for encouraging me to leave the house more often, otherwise I might have missed this opportunity, instead electing to spend the evening wallowing in the manor's dust."

Oliver's breath hitched at his master's subtle smile. "I'm glad of it, sir."

----

Even though his tuxedo fit perfectly -- thanks to the detailed measurements Miss Florence had taken at the auction house -- Oliver still felt uncomfortable among the crowd dressed to the nines at the theater. He was dazzled by the gilded carvings on the walls, leading to a ceiling decorated with an elaborate fresco, and nearly crashed into a woman in a ball gown as he took in the sights.

His master, on the other hand, glided through the crowd effortlessly, paying them no mind. As Oliver followed, he could feel a sense of flowing waves, Alexander's vampiric aura pushing away everyone but Oliver, who felt compelled to follow his footsteps. It was just as well that his master was guiding him, lest he find himself lost.

Soon enough, they had both settled in a luxurious balcony box for two, and Oliver was shocked to see an actual look of excitement on Alexander's sleepy face.

"I simply can't wait to see the costumes -- I've heard they're magnificent. And of course, Yelena Pavlova is said to be a master of the dance. They say her striking and dramatic movements place her a cut above the prima ballerinas who only know how to flit prettily about," said Alexander, with enthusiasm. "I do hope you enjoy it."

"I think I will, sir," said Oliver. At the very least, he was sure he could enjoy it vicariously through his master.

The lights dimmed, the dance began, and Oliver soon found his attention riveted to the stage. It truly was an avant-garde sort of ballet, and the costumes were mind-bending. There were dancers wearing disturbingly realistic animal heads, costumes adorned with colored glass that glittered like jewels, massive peacock feather headdresses, ropes of pearls entangling their bodies, and a few in iron chains and shackles. The intricate pattern of their dance was ritualistic, as though Oliver were watching something forbidden that he couldn't take his eyes from.

Among them all, the prima ballerina Alexander had mentioned performed a stunning routine, clad in an outfit that seemed mostly comprised of ribbons in every color of the rainbow. She was striking pose after pose, being lifted and passed among the dancers, twirling faster than Oliver knew was possible. She was endlessly fascinating to watch.

The dance was so fascinating, in fact, that Oliver had forgotten all about his master's reactions. He glanced over, expecting that Alexander was enjoying himself as much as he was, and was shocked to see a look of stress on his master's face.

"Master, what's wrong?" he whispered.

"Nothing. Just watch the dance," he said, in a voice almost too low to hear, and his eyes flicked across the balcony to a different box.

Oliver couldn't help but look, to see what had his master so concerned. The box across the way had only one occupant, an older gentleman in an impeccably styled black suit. His full focus was on the ballet, his gaze holding a kind of judgmental intensity that made Oliver think he must be a professional critic.

Was this man troubling Alexander? It didn't seem like it could be. Perhaps he was worried about something else, and this man just happened to be in his line of sight as he glanced about nervously.

Could he be...?

Oliver tried to put it out of his head, but now he couldn't help but notice every time Alexander's gaze wandered from the stage. The moment intermission was announced, his master turned to him.

"Do you need to stretch your legs? Use the restroom?" his master asked. Before Oliver could even answer, he continued, "Very well, let's leave the box for a moment." He grasped Oliver's arm and practically dragged him from the box. Oliver found himself gently shoved into a secluded nook, away from the other patrons milling about the theater.

"Oliver, listen very carefully," said Alexander, his voice soft but deathly serious. "My sire is attending this performance."

Even though Oliver had been suspecting this the moment he'd seen the strange man, he still felt a spike of panic stab his heart at the confirmation. "Your sire is here?"

"I should have known he'd have interest in this ballet. But he's been so reclusive lately..." Alexander sighed. "But listen. You must follow my instructions exactly. If you do, it's unlikely you'll be harmed."

"I... I understand, master." Oliver's mouth felt dry.

"You must be quiet and obedient. Follow my lead, do not speak unless spoken to, and then, speak with the utmost respect. But you must be honest, even if you think the truth is dangerous. Never lie. He will know. And finally..."

"Finally what, sir?"

"If he takes control of your body, do not resist it."

"Takes control of my body, sir?" Just as Katherine had warned him.

"Do not resist it even slightly. If he seizes control, relax your body and mind and do not fight it. Believe me -- any struggle will only make your lot worse."

He blinked back frightened tears. "I can try, master."

"Good." Alexander put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "While I don't pretend to understand my sire's mind, I do believe no harm will come to you tonight."

"I hope not, master."

"Would you allow me to put your mind at ease so you can enjoy the rest of the performance?"

Oliver couldn't agree fast enough. "Yes, please, sir."

His master leaned over and hummed in his ear, and Oliver could feel his nerves calming, his fears growing foggy and distant.

Prev > Masterlist > Next

Next week, Oliver finally gets to meet his master's sire.

@d-cs @latenightcupsofcoffee @thecyrulik @dismemberment-on-a-tuesday-night @wanderinggoblin @whumpyourdamnpears @only-shadows-dwell-where-we-are @pressedpenn @pigeonwhumps @amusedmuralist @xx-adam-xx @ivycloak @irregular-book @whumpsoda @mj-or-say10 @pokemaniacgemini @sowhumpshaped @whumpsday @morning-star-whump @shinyotachi @silly-scroimblo-skrunkl @steh-lar-uh-nuhs @pirefyrelight @theauthorintraining @whump-me-all-night-long @anonfromcanada @typewrittenfangs @tessellated-sunl1ght @cleverinsidejoke @abirbable @ichorousambrosia @a-formless-entity @gobbo-king @writinggremlin @the-agency-archives @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @enigmawriteswhump @foresttheblep @bottlecapreader @whump-on-a-string @whumpinthepot @cinnamoncandycanes @avvail-whumps @tauntedoctopuses @secret-vampkissers-soiree @whatamidoingherehelpme @strawbearydreams

[batjokewholaughs]

So I got in to bookbinding a few months ago and finally made a collection of all my batjokes stories. Since money is tight I told myself to stick to only supplies I already owned, so while these wouldn’t be my first choice of endpapers for this material, I still think the skulls are cute. The cover art was hand foiled with a foil quill pen and took a little under 3.5 hours.

Huge shoutout to everyone in the Renegade server for lending me their opinions and advice while I designed this little chonker 🙏🏻💜

[gia-d]

Do you have any recommendations on how to learn bookbinding? It looks super cool, but I don't know where to start.

It depends on the type of bookbinding you want to get into, my focus is primarily on hardcover case bound books, so if that is what you are keen on, here are some resources that I found incredibly useful while learning:

YouTube

DAS bookbinding has a whole bunch of really detailed, professional tutorials that are incredibly useful. He covers multiple types of binds and techniques and they are all very easy to follow. (I always laugh when I watch his videos tho because he’s Aussie like me and he has the EXACT same shitty tiles in his workroom that I have in my house.)

Sea Lemon does bookbinding amongst other crafts, and while her videos are shorter and less in depth, they are very friendly for beginners and offer alternatives if you don’t have all the tools/equipment at home

Omgreylo is great for if you are doing fanbinding, she also has videos on typesetting, which is something you’ll want to learn too if you are planning on fanbinding. Her videos are also very chill and sometimes I’ll just watch them to relax because I’m a nerd.

Ingenious Designs has some really good videos on some more advanced skills like edge gilding and working with leather bound books. He’s also really charismatic so his videos are fun and informative.

I’m probably forgetting a few, but those channels have all been super useful. The other thing that I do and highly recommend is just browsing the bookbinding and fanbinding tags on tumblr, reddit and instagram to see what other people are doing. A lot of people (including myself when I finally remember to actually take pictures and record the process) will post progress photos alongside the finished project and will talk about the process. Most people are quite happy to answer any questions you might have about their projects too so don’t be afraid to ask.

Also the most important piece of advice I can give, if you are serious about bookbinding, GET YOURSELF SOME SHORT-GRAIN PAPER. It makes all the difference in terms of quality, ease of use, and durability.

Anyways if anyone else has any other resources or tips they think are useful, please feel free to add!

[three--rings]

Binderary 2024 wrap-up

When Binderary started, I hadn't touched any bookbinding since August when I broke my foot. Step one was getting my crafting space cleaned up enough to let me walk through it with crutches.

So my original goal was to get one single book done in the month, with a stretch goal of 4 total books, aka peaceful mode of the challenge.

I finished with seven total books, if you include the leather cover I made for my dnd notebook (which I do, it was complicated.)

Here are all my full books from this month on my shelf

I'm obviously most proud of my two large projects: the 999 script and the Planescape: Torment novelization. They were both involved typesets, and Torment was an experiment in binding style.

This month was about learning new techniques. From the entire k118 binding style, which I learned mostly from a couple blog posts, @spockandawe's advice, and at the end from the fantastic Binderary workshop on it. Plus I was using a guillotine for the first time, which I'm still getting used to.

And I very impulsively bought a Cricut Maker which arrived halfway through the month (thanks to enabling from Renegade folks and finding a used one for a good price.) So I had to learn entirely from scratch how to use that. My experiences with HTV Foil were BAD, but regular HTV is much easier. I then started working with stencil vinyl and paint, which was its own learning process, but worked pretty well on my leather books.

Meanwhile, I was also going through physical therapy for my foot and went from crutches to being able to walk unsupported in my boot, which is huge progress and made working on books much easier as the month went on. So this Binderary was a big time of growth and progress for me personally.

I also really love that Binderary is February because I get in a real creative slump in winter, and after two months of no creative impulses, Binderary always shocks me into high speed creation in a really nice way.

Thanks and love to everyone involved in planning and running this great event and everyone hanging out in the discord and workshop chats.

[ravenclawcumlaude]

I generated these images in Midjourney tonight in preparation for my first fanbinding. I'm going to bind my latest reason for depression, All The Young Dudes by MsKingBean89. I'm waiting to get the supplies for my birthday in a few weeks but in the meantime I'm researching and preparing my typesets. These images are going on the cover of each volume. I only needed to edit the image for Volume II in Procreate because Remus' hair was too dark and he was missing scars. Super excited! Wish me luck! Accepting all bookbinding advice!

[finalfrontierpublishing]

A Case of You by @epitomereally

Happy (belated) Fanfiction Writers Appreciation Day! For FFWAD, Renegade Bindery runs an event where we bind copies of fics for their authors and I was super excited to be able to bind this for a fellow bookbinder!

I'm rather new to the Drarry fandom but @epitomereally has been absolutely wonderful in providing fic recs and bookbinding advice. She is so so kind and I have enjoyed seeing the lovely books she has created for fellow authors, and somewhere along the way I hatched a sekret plan to bind a copy of her fic for her.

Some stats as usual:

97,262 words || 354 pages

body text: EB Garamond 11 point

accents: Bestaline Sans, Bell MT and Bembo Std

I had really wanted to do a design on the spine (both of us like doing some spine stitching as a design feature), so i really wanted to be able to put it in a bind for her. also my near obsessive fixation with spine stitching worked out in my favour because i settled on a constellation design and ran with it. the design on the spine is stitched with gold linen thread, and accented by some designs done in heat reactive foil.

for bookcloth, I settled fairly quickly on night sky blue so colibri elder made an appearance. I had a little trouble with colour matching for the endpapers with the endbands (i should have probably done pink instead of purple), but I still like the relative cohesiveness of the look of this book. Endpapers are Crepaldi, i am absolutely shameless about my stash.

I also was very excited because I learnt Affinity Publisher for this book!!! Zero regrets, it looks amazing, i am a convert I will never go back to Microsoft Word goddamn. and ME AND SIDE HEADERS - i love them though the book might have benefited from larger margins. THEY'RE SO SEXY MY GOD.

hehe, i may have also sustained a flesh wound while cutting the board for this book but HEY WE ALL EVENTUALLY HAVE ONE OF THESE THINGS (WHERE WE GOTTA GO TO THE A&E BECAUSE OF A BOOKBINDING MISHAP) BEAUTY IS PAIN Y'ALL.

ULTIMATELY I'M SO GLAD THE BOOK ARRIVED SAFELY TODAY AND I'M SO HAPPY SHE LOVED THE BOOK. when you bind for another bookbinder, it's both stressful and extremely endorphin-releasing because the other bookbinder both appreciates all the design choices you make as well as knows exactly where you might have fucked up.

ultimately, making a book is a small small gift for someone who so generously wrote a novel-length epic for free and shared it with the masses for a love of fandom.

anyway, go read this fic, guys, it's so so good, and SHE JUST WROTE A NEW ONE (IT IS ALSO EXCELLENT and i am savouring it WHILE PONDERING DESIGN CHOICES HEHEHEHEH)

Please check out her AO3 page here.

Other things I've been working on:

FOILED EDGES HAVE BECOME MY PASSION I HAVE NO REGRETS. @duran-binding and I have been excitedly getting everyone into sanding and THE LOVE FOR POWER SANDING AND DOING FOILED EDGES. Marissa has even succeeded with hidden fore-edge painting - ALL HAIL OUR EDGELORD who does marbled edges and hidden fore-edge painting and has so kindly shared all her information with others for absolutely free. ❤️‍🔥

[tainbocuailnge]

if there’s one piece of advice i want to give literally anyone ever it’s to get a creative hobby. drawing writing sewing knitting baking singing dancing playing an instrument bullet journaling woodworking photography video editing gardening bookbinding shoemaking blacksmithing romhacking lego building candlemaking it doesn’t fucking matter you need a hobby that lets you have an idea for something to make and then the ability to make that thing. if you don’t occasionally exercise the miraculous human ability to make things your brain and soul will shrivel up and die forreal

[ashmouthbooks]

20 questions about bookbinding

What are you excited about binding right now?

What is your latest binding?

What was your first binding?

What is your favourite binding so far?

When did you get into bookbinding?

What is a binding by another binder you really love?

What’s your favourite type of binding? (coptic, stab, fine, Bradel, etc.)

What’s a binding type you’ve never done but that you’d love to try one day?

How would you describe your binding style?

What’s your favourite bookbinding tool?

Do you have a DIY press/what is your press like?

What is your workspace like?

Do you have a favourite cover material?

Do you have a favourite paper for textblocks?

What are your feelings about headbands?

What type of text do you usually bind?

Do you match the aesthetic of the bind to the text?

Have you ever done a rebind?

Do you have other craft hobbies besides bookbinding?

If you had to give past!you one advice about bookbinding what would it be, and is it the same advice you give newbies?

[hms-tardimpala]

I would love a list of resources on getting started on ficbinding, if you have any? Or recommended tips, or tags to follow? Just anything, really. Obsessed with this.

I started with this video. It teaches you the basics like sewing (the sewing stitch is still the one I use now, despite having learned others since), printing and gluing. You can pretty much do this project with materials and tools you already have.

This video will introduce you to better tools and materials, but I don't believe this is quite accessible to beginners, it's borderline professional. But it's full of good tips!

Sea Lemon's channel, especially her bookbinding playlist. They're recommended very often in bookbinding circles and I've watched one or two tutorials by her for specific stuff and I found them good. So this might be a goldmine for a beginner.

I mostly learned bookbinding from this book, that I still use from A to Z when I make a book. It was expensive when I bought it, but it's invaluable to me.

I have found great advice on r/bookbinding in the past.

And that's it. I'm in that phase where I get better with every book even though all I'm doing is following the same instructions.

I follow the "bookbinding" and "ficbinding" tags here on tumblr, but so far I haven't seen tutorials, I just like seeing the beautiful projects. It's customary to put a list of the materials used in these posts however, so you might learn about materials that way.

Now for general tips, or what I wish I'd've known sooner!

Don't try to trim a text block by hand, or accept that it will look rough. If you insist, you have a big chance of hurting yourself. Wear gloves. Use a safety cutter. I can't stress this enough

Do it on the cheap when you start. I literally bound my first fics with cardboard from amazon boxes. That way you'll learn the techniques and gestures without ruining good materials

Once you've found the right ones, screenshot or note down your printer settings for the love of everything that breathes

That's all I have right now. Thank you for asking, I hope it helps, and good luck!

[nostradamus0]

Ahhhhhhh just finished binding my first quarto! Absolutely in love with how it turned out and the size of it is actually perfect? Next time I think I'll make the margins smaller, but otherwise I'm SO happy with it!! I bound the absolutely phenomenal oneshot His Second Heart by the amazing @naaer which you should all read RIGHT NOW because it's the cutest thing ever and absolutely had to be my first Doctor Who bind, especially considering it brought me back into the fandom a few years ago :)

I bound this one with the sewn board method (shoutout to DAS Bookbinding's super helpful youtube tutorial on that) which I really like and am already itching to do more of. I'm considering doing a series of small tentoorose oneshots like this one to have a little collection because I have. so many that I'd love to bind!!

I spent a silly amount of time (but WORTH IT) making the title design and printing it onto sticker paper so I could have a proper title (thanks very much to the folks in the Renegade Binding discord for all their advice on making proper titles, and for all their help as I was struggling to figure out how to print quartos lmao, y'all saved me), but I'm so pleased with how it turned out.

I love the end papers and the paper I used for the cover, which was originally supposed to be something much more similar to the end papers, but then I messed it up and didn't have any extra so I had to switch gears lmao. But I actually like it better like this, so it was a happy accident I guess!