First Time Using A French Link Stitch To Sew The Signatures Together. I Really Like How Secure It Makes

First time using a French link stitch to sew the signatures together. I really like how secure it makes it all feel, especially since I didn't use tapes.

I used Sealemon's tutorial:

I didn't think to do this until after I'd punched the holes, otherwise I would have spaced them out more.

Hopefully I can get this glued together tonight, but as you can sort of see on my table, I'm working on a (garment) sewing project right now that's pretty thorny, so I may not get to it. It's okay. I'm happy as long as I'm making something.

Want to fanbind? Need davy boards/book boards and low on funds? I have an excellent hack for you:

Repurpose shitty books

"But!!!" You may say, "no book is shitty! All human experiences are worth putting to paper!"

You're right! But, also, Counterpoint:

I went to my local thrift shop and got these for the low price of $5 for all 10. ("Getting into politics?" The lovely ladies behind the counter asked me. "In a manner of speaking," I replied.)

Once I got home, it was easy to turn them into this, their component parts:

("Please stop saying you're skinning them," my partner begged. Too late!)

[EDIT TO ADD: Here's a guide! Also on my tumblr. Also - when thrifting, bring a piece of paper folded or cut into the minimum size you need for boards: this way you can make sure you're getting big enough material!]

While these are just book boards, diligent deconstruction can even yield headbands, I'm pretty sure - I'll report back on my next trial run. [EDIT TO ADD: yup, you can!]

I cannot overstate the delight I have in giving these covers new life for binding fanfiction, particularly the queer kind.

Happy binding!

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Bookbinding resources masterpost!

Although I've only made one casebound so far, I've recieved multiple requests to make a tutorial. And well, I'm not that good. But I can share some of the online resources that have helped me.

• Youtube

DAS bookbinding - lots of bookmaking methods, explained in detail.

Annesi Bindings - mostly casebinding, and other useful things.

Dan Siebel's kettle stitch tutorial -short video on how to do a kettle stitch. Filmed up-close.

• Tumblr

Renegade Publishing - a group of independent fanbinders. They have a discord (though it's 18+) and answer binding related questions on the blog.

Armoredsuperheavy - founder of renegade publishing. Maintains multiple docs about the full process of making a book.

Hedgehog-moss's post about bookbinding - beginner information, links to resources

•Reddit

r/bookbinding - a large community of people. You can share your progress, ask questions. You may get criticism though. Expect brutal honesty.

•Other

Alternative bookbinding supplies - We don't all have the correct supplies lying around. It's fine.

How to: Headbands - article about sewing headbands.

Don't forget to use acid free materials! Acidic paper/glue decays with time, causing your book to turn yellow and fall apart. PVA and weath paste are commonly used adhesives.

I will update this as I find more sources! I'm still learning.

"he's a hot gay old man who would give me painkillers. smash"

I know it’s really petty but if someone is doing a tiktok bit where they’re portraying multiple characters and they break the 180 rule I go absolutely feral