Stab binding is exactly what it sounds like – you use a sharp object to stab the holes in your book to sew pages together. This method of binding has been around for over 2000 years and was used in Japan, China as well as Korea. The Japanese version of stab binding is called ‘Yotsume Toji’, which roughly translates to ‘four holes’. The Korean version uses five holes (a favourable number in Korean culture). All these style were used during the Edo period in Japan and the Qing Dynasty in China. There are various examples of these bindings available in our Digital Library.
Shokugen Shō (FJ.172.1-2): https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/PR-FJ-00172-00001-00002/1
Wamyō Ruiju Shō (FJ.467.5): https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/PR-FJ-00467-00005/1
Shibai setsuyō shū (FJ.693.1): https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/PR-FJ-00693-00001/1
In this video we’re going to experiment with a three hole version of the basic Japanese stab stitch. You can even experiment with more than three holes for your project.
Suitable for ages 6-15 years (with supervision for younger kids)
What you need:
4 sheets of lightweight printer paper for your text sheets
2 pieces of decorative paper for your cover
A pair of scissors
A ruler (or a bone folder)
A large needle
Embroidery thread
An awl (optional)
Binder clips (to hold pages together while sewing)
Step-by-step instructions:
- Gather sheets for your text block. Fold the printer paper sheets lengthways. Using scissors cut these sheets on the fold. Fold the sheets in half horizontally.
- Cut your cover paper to size.
- Sandwich the folded sheets in between your cover pieces, open ends on the left and folds on the right.
- Using the binder clips, clip the pile on the top and bottom. Protect your cover with extra paper to prevent bruises from the clips.
- You’ll be sewing around the folded edges of your text block. Score a line on the sewing edge of the cover - ½ inch from the edge.
- Use your needle or awl to punch three holes on the score line: One in the middle, one ½ an inch from the top and ½ an inch from the bottom. You can punch into a thick magazine or a cork board to protect your table.
- Cut a length of your thread, you’ll need a length of thread that is four times the height of your book.
Thread your needle:
● Enter the first hole from the front of the book and pull the thread through, leaving a few inches of the thread in the front.
● Take the thread over the edge of the book and enter the first hole through the front of the book again. Pull the thread firmly to tighten. The thread is now at the back of the book.
● Take the thread from the back of the book, over the top edge of the book and back into the first hole through to the back of the book.
● Then follow by taking the thread through the second hole, this time entering from the back of the book. The thread is now at the front of the book, at the second hole.
● Wrap the thread around the edge of the book and back up through the second hole. Take the thread from the second hole, through the third hole from the front to the back.
● Wrap the thread around the right edge of the book and through the third hole again from front to back. Take the thread from the back of the book around the bottom edge of the book, and enter the third hole again from front to back.
● Take the thread from the third hole and up through the back of the second hole.
- To finish, tie the threads together tightly in a square knot (left over right, right over left), and cut the loose ends.
Things to think about when making your book:
- Four to eight sheets of folded paper makes a typical gathering for lightweight paper. The thicker your paper, the less pages your gathering should hold.
- You can add decorative paper as end sheets. They should be the same size as your text sheets. If you choose to do this add it to the outside of your text sheets before you add the cover.
- If using binder clips, use extra paper to protect your cover from bruises.
Date: Wednesday, 19 August , 2020 to Monday, 31 August, 2020