To practice your folding, hole punching, and sewing skills, try The Accordion Book with Signatures

The Chain Stitch Book has a Kraft-tex cover and will challenge you to punch multiple sewing holes and work on that sewing tension.

For more information on Kraft-tex, read these blog posts:

Tips for Using Kraft-tex

Creative Ways to Use Kraft-tex

The Washi Tape Journal  is a community favorite.

Turn simple materials into a colorful handmade journal with pockets, stitching, and a custom wrap-around cover. 

Book cloth refers to a specially treated and durable fabric used in bookbinding to cover the exterior of books, providing protection and aesthetic appeal.

It's often backed with paper and can be purchased pre-made from a bookbinding supply store, or you can make your own.

Book Cloth Made with Wheat Paste

Book Cloth Made with Fusible Webbing

Linen is the best thread to use for creating handmade books because of its strength and longevity. But you can also use pearl cotton or embroidery floss that you've added a layer of beeswax to.

Size of Thread

Linen thread comes in different thicknesses and is designated by 2 numbers. The first number refers to the thickness of thread. The higher the number, the thinner the thread. The second number refers to the number of threads that are twisted together. For example, 18/3 is 3 strands of #18 thread and this is thicker than 35/3, which is 3 strands of #35 thread.

Some bookmakers use basketweaving thread which is labelled as 2-, 3- and 4-ply thread. This is pretty self explanatory: 2-ply is 2 threads, 3-ply is 3 threads, etc. This type of thread is often thicker and used for exposed bindings.

Waxed or Unwaxed

Waxing the thread prior to sewing reduces friction and allows it to glide through the sewing holes more easily, and it stops it from fraying. You can buy your thread pre-waxed or un-waxed.  

If you buy plain thread, use a block of beeswax to add just the right amount of wax. A popular brand of unwaxed thread is Londonderry Thread.

Irish linen thread often comes pre-waxed. When the wax is added during the spinning process, it is referred to as polished. If the thread is waxed after spinning, it can become sticky in climates with hot weather. A popular brand of waxed thread is Crawford Linen Thread.

Alternatives to Linen Thread

Although linen is the most common choice for making books, you could use cotton or silk. When creating stab bindings, ribbon is a popular choice. If you're creating one-of-a-kind artist books, consider unconventional materials, such as wire. 

Quick Tip

Linen thread is expensive so in the beginning of your bookmaking adventures, buy just one spool in a neutral color, such as white, cream, beige or black. Alternatively, there are several Etsy sellers who offer smaller quantities of linen thread, so you can have a variety of colors for your projects.

Here are some tips for getting neater rows of stitching:

• Sew on your work table - pick up your book as little as possible when sewing.
• When making your sewing holes, use a template, a punching cradle and an awl that's a similar size to your needle.
• Wax your thread well so stitching stays in place.
• To get even tension, complete each stitch before you move onto the next and if possible, sew your book in one session.
• You might find it helpful to use a curved needle.
• Slow down and practice.

My four favorite materials for soft covers are 140lb/300gsm watercolor paper, Kraft-tex, leather and duck cotton.

My favorite resource for leather is Springfield Leather's mid weight chap leather.

To learn more about Kraft-tex, check out this video or this blog post.

You can join the Handmade Book Club. If we're currently closed, feel free to join our waitlist.

1. Make sure your paper is square before you begin. 
2. Determine and lightly mark the grain direction on the paper.
3. Decide whether you wish to cut or tear the paper. If cutting, use a sharp blade and metal ruler. If tearing, a paper knife is a helpful tool.
4. Sketch out on a piece of scrap paper your page size and how many you will get from the sheet.
5. If the paper is to too large to handle, then fold in half by carefully aligning the edges, press the create firmly in both directions and tear into two pieces.
6. Use a pencil and long metal ruler to carefully mark your pages sizes. You can draw small pencil marks or full lines. 
7. Cut or tear your pages on a large, hard work surface.