Book Binding - Blog Posts
What people think why i became a bookbinder: Oh she wants to explore her artistic horizon with those pretty leather bound books of hers. She even gives them out as gifts to her friends. It most likely helps her with anxiety or maybe she just wanted a more special costume made notebook.
Why I actually became a bookbinder: I just illegally downloaded and printed out several of my favourite fanfics and books and started binding them into books cuz I love reading them but looking at screens for too long gives me headaches.
10 in-progress books. Finished book pictures may be coming in the future but only with the author's permission.
Cross stitch at work, book binding at home. Got some great pieces in progress at the moment
tried some new techniques out, and while there are some things to fix, i learned alot. =D story printed with permission: http://hells-half-acre.livejournal.com/190948.html
Sundial linocut centrepiece for a little bookbinding project :)
My personal goal is to try and make fanfic binding as accessible to everyone as possible, so here are some resources on how to make a fanfic hardcover for under $25.
This is a barebones bind for the broke college students and such. Happy to field questions, too!
Here's a proposed budget breakdown:
Loosely organized thoughts:
Fanfic bookbinders often share typesets amongst each other. Never pay for a typeset for a fanfic.
You'll hear a lot about grain direction for your printer paper, but as a newbie on a budget without your own printer, settle for some nice 92 bright paper. If you like the hobby, splurge after but expect to pay at least 2-3x more for short grain paper.
Printing is a pain because some copy shops won't let you print intellectual property smut, and it's very expensive. You are better off bartering instead or looking for a free printer on Buy Nothing.
You know the thick paper wrapping that comes with online orders? It's a good weight for endpapers if you need to scrounge. Paper grocery bags or gift bags (birthday presents) might work, too.
Ask your local library to give you covers from books they are throwing out. Ask for outdated textbooks (those covers are built like tanks) or three-ring binders that are too busted to be binders anymore.
Obtain a used book that was mass produced (so your destruction of it does not impede anyone's access) and maybe even become a little vindictive with it.
If you can afford it, I recommend the Olfa SVR knife (~$10)
If you can afford it, upgrade your ruler to a t-square.
I really hope this resource is helpful! I want to stress how possible this is and encourage people to cherish what they love through art.
If you are interested in fanfic binding and have a little more disposable income, I have an affordable Fan Fiction Bookbinding Starter Pack that I carry on my site. I pack them myself and drop them 1x/month on the 15th.
What people think why i became a bookbinder: Oh she wants to explore her artistic horizon with those pretty leather bound books of hers. She even gives them out as gifts to her friends. It most likely helps her with anxiety or maybe she just wanted a more special costume made notebook.
Why I actually became a bookbinder: I just illegally downloaded and printed out several of my favourite fanfics and books and started binding them into books cuz I love reading them but looking at screens for too long gives me headaches.
Random Motivation of the Day:
I have been hit with the blinding motivation to bind @frostbitebakery’s I Got My Head Checked because it is one of my favorite fics ever and I’ve been meaning to do a close read of it and then i was thinking about how I can’t annotate it and then my brain was like “hmm… but what about make book?” and now this thought is stuck in my head.
do I know how to bind books? no
do I have the materials to bind books? no
do i desperately want to do this anyway? YES
That time I made a book out of an old pair of shoes, about an old pair of shoes, and a friend I don't talk to anymore.
Here is the text, since I know its difficult to read: "I used to have a pair of shoes I liked,
but they started falling apart after a few months.
I wasn't ready to let them go.
So I fixed them again,
and again,
and again,
until there was nothing left to fix
until my feet got soaked in damp grass.
That's what it was like,
being friends with you."
(I also tried doing alt text for the first time, let me know if I can do anything to improve it.)
Time to make some bookssssss
Btw never saw MDF as a book cover material in any tutorial. But right now thin MDF is my favorite material ever... It probably has acid in it or something and I'll find out in 5 years when all my books start yellowing and falling apart, and I will be like "ahhh that's why nobody uses it"
It has some other flaws, like I can't use my favorite method of adding an elastic band. But otherwise love it
Little notebooks
The design on the covers is delivery bag paper
FINALLY AFTER WHO KNOWS HOW LONG
