Domino Book With Stitched Binding

These instructions make a domino book with 5 signatures. Each signature has 3 pages. That ends up giving you a book with 58 sides to fill! It's not 60, because the front and back sides are adhered to the domino covers.

Mini books bring several of my favorite things together; tiny detailed work, bookbinding and power tools! Since my friend Terri Sproul loves to work in her art journals and is traveling to Italy and France this fall, I decided to make her a tiny domino book. This way she can capture her thoughts on the trip without carrying a big journal.

What You'll Need

• Two dominoes.
• Anything you would like to decorate the dominoes. You can color them with alcohol ink, paint them, and collage on them. You can use mica, glitter, rhinestones and bits of jewelry. Cover them with ultra thick embossing enamel (UTEE) or a glossy acrylic sealer. Let your creativity take over!
• 2 small brads (to use to form posts to help keep the book closed).
• Paper to use for the signatures. It shouldn't be too thick. Printer paper or lightweight cardstock works well. A single sheet (8.5" x 11") should give you plenty of pages.
• A short piece of 1/4" ribbon (about 2" long) to use in the binding.
• A short piece of string, hemp, ribbon or twine (about 7" long) to use to keep the book closed.
• Beads or charms (optional) to decorate the twine you use to close the book.
• Thread to stitch the binding. Embroidery thread works well.
• Needle to sew the binding.
• Scissors.
• Good quality paper glue, like Alene's Tacky Glue.
• Scrap paper to glue on.
• Toothpick. 
• 1/4" Bulldog clips.
• Scrap of wood about 1/4" thick. I used a scrap of 1/4" square balsa wood.
• Bone folder (optional).
• Small scrap of wood to use under the book when using the rotary tool.
• Proxxon rotary tool, like the Model Building and Engraving Set
• 1/16" Drill Bit (one comes with the Model Building and Engraving Set)
• 3/32" Drill Bit
• Small vise, like the Proxxon Machine Vise MS 4

Steps To Follow 

1) Make a template for your pages. Start by putting your dominoes side by side (tight) and measuring them. Your pages should be slightly smaller than the two dominoes together. I left about 1/16" around the outer edges. Place the 1/4" ribbon in the center of the page. Mark a dot on either side of the ribbon. That gives you two holes. Then mark a dot between the top dot and the top of the page. Do the same with the bottom dot and the bottom of the page. Here's what my template looked like. The yellow box in the center represents the 1/4" ribbon. The black area is the outline of the two dominoes.

 

2) Drill a small hole in the side of each domino that fits your brads. You want some of the brad post to stick out, so it's important to not drill the hole too deep. You also want both brads to stick out the same amount. Here's a tip - wrap a tiny piece of masking tape around your drill bit just at the length you want to drill. That way, you can drill down and stop when you hit the tape! Here's how I measured where to mark my drill bit.

The Proxxon Machine Vise MS 4 was the perfect tool to hold a domino in place while I drilled the hole with the rotary tool that comes with the Model Building and Engraving Set.

3) Decorate your dominoes. I covered these with black alcohol ink. Then I glued a small image on the front (St. Peter's Basilica in Rome) and on the back (Eiffel Tower). I covered the images with Glossy Accents, sprinkled a little Crystal Effectz from USArtQuest to give it some sparkle and let them dry.

4) Glue the brad to each domino. I used Glossy Accents. Let it dry completely. While your dominoes are drying you can work on the pages.

5) Cut out 15 pages the size of the template you made in Step 1. I was able to get all 15 out of a single sheet of letter-size paper.

6) Stack the sheets together with your template on top. Hold the stack in place with bulldog clips. To prepare to drill, I put a small piece of 1/4" balsa wood under the stack. It gives some support to the stack while drilling. The bulldog clips prevent the stack from resting right on surface, so this extra support does the trick.

7) Carefully drill a 1/16" hole in each of your 4 marks. Be careful to not go through the balsa wood and in to your work surface!

8) Fold each page in half, being careful to keep them oriented the same way (so you're sure your holes line up). Stack three pages together per signature and make 5 signatures.

9) Stitch the signatures together to form a book block. Here's how:

Thread your need with the embroidery thread.

Take the first signature with the crease facing you, so it looks like a little mountain (mountain fold up). For the stitching, let's number each hole 1-2-3-4, with 1 being at the top and 4 at the bottom.

Put your needle in to hole #1 and leave about a 1" tail. Do not tie a knot in your thread.

Now come back up through hole #2 (so your thread is in the valley of the fold), come across the short piece of ribbon, go down in to hole #3 and then come back up hole #4.

Take your second signature and place it next to the first signature. In these pictures, I worked right to left. So, my second signature was up against the left side of the first signature.

Working in the second signature, take your thread down in to hole #4, up hole #3, across the ribbon, down in to hole #2 and then up hole #1.

Tie a knot using the tail of the thread (from when you started) and the thread your stitching with. This ties the first and second signatures together. Don't clip the tail yet - we will do that later.

Place the third signature up against the second signature. Again, I placed mine on the left.

Working in the third signature, take your thread down in to hole #1, up hole #2, across the ribbon, down in to hole #3 and then up hole #4. See the pattern? It's just like the stitching you did in the first signature!

Tie the third signature to the second signature using a kettle stitch. It's very easy. Just take your needle and come up under the stitch that goes between the 1st and 2nd signatures. Pull the thread until you have a small loop. Put the needle through the loop and gently pull tight. That's a kettle stitch! And now you're third signature is firmly tied to the rest of the signatures.

Place the fourth signature up against the third signature. Again, I placed mine on the left.

Working in the fourth signature, take your thread down in to hole #4, up hole #3, across the ribbon, down in to hole #2 and then up hole #1. See the pattern? It's just like the stitching you did in the second signature!

Tie the fourth signature to the third signature using a kettle stitch. This time the stitch will be at the top of the page.

Place the fifth signature up against the fourth signature. Again, I placed mine on the left.

Working in the fifth signature, take your thread down in to hole #1, up hole #2, across the ribbon, down in to hole #3 and then up hole #4. By now I'm sure you have the pattern down pat.

Tie the fifth signature to the fourth signature using two kettle stitches. This time the stitch will be at the bottom of the page. Leave the tail.

10) Trim the two tails and ribbon so they aren't quite as wide as the side of the book block. Glue them down to the sides and let it dry completely.

11) With the BACK domino facing down (good side down, dot side facing up), and the brad sticking out to the RIGHT, glue the 7" length of string across the center of the domino, from left to right, with about 6.5" sticking out to the right. Let it dry completely. This length will be used later to wrap around the side, back and front of the book to keep the book closed (by wrapping the end around the brads). I tied a string of charms, including a good luck horseshoe (for safe travels) to the thread.

12). Glue the back page of the book block to the back domino. If you left it "as is" from Step 11, you're all set. Just put adhesive on the book block and center it on the domino (covering up the string you glued in Step 11.) Let it dry completely.

13) Glue the front page of the book block to the front domino. Let it dry completely.

Your little domino book is complete! It's a great size to take on the road and could even be worn on a necklace! There are so many ways to decorate the dominoes - let your creativity go crazy!

I hope Terri enjoys using the tiny book to help capture her thoughts while on her dream trip!

Happy Crafting!
Joe Rotella
www.createNcraft.com

Tiny Birds on Tiny Canvases

These little canvases work great individually in a small space - like a cubicle or camper. Make a group of them, and a "flock" makes a great statement on any wall! I used birds, but you could easily use any images you like, for example butterflies, fish, sea horses, cats and dogs.

What You'll Need

• 3" x 3" Canvas
• About 6.5" of non-ferrous wire that looks "shabby chic" - I used 3/32" diameter wire I got at a yard sale - I tested it with a small magnet to confirm it was non-ferrous
• Small screw eye - about 1/8" in diameter
• Bits and bobbles of old jewelry, charms, etc.
• White tissue paper
• Stamps
• Black archival ink (NOT dye ink)
• Toner-based printout of a bird that will fit on the canvas. An inkjet printout isn't ideal because the ink could run if it gets wet.(from the adhesive)
• Acrylic glaze, like Perfect Glaze from USArtQuest
• Acrylic medium, like Perfect Paper Adhesive from USArtQuest
• Pop dots
• Thumbtack
• Detail scissors or a craft knife (and mat to cut on)
• Drill bit guage
• Brushes, like these from USArtQuest
• Proxxon Chop and Miter Saw KGS 80
• Proxxon Synthetic Resin Bonded Cut-Off Wheel for the Chop and Miter Saw
• Proxxon Bench Drill Press TBM 115
• Small Drill Bit (size depends on the size of the wire you're cutting - I used 3/32")
• Small needle nose pliers

Steps To Follow 

1) Carefully cut out (i.e., fussy cut) the bird you'll use on top of your canvas and set it aside.

2) Cut a length of wire about 6.5" long using the Proxxon Chop and Miter Saw KGS 80 fitted with the Cut-Off Wheel. The cut-off wheel is perfect for cutting non-ferrous metals, like aluminum, copper and brass. A non-ferrous metal does not contain iron, is not magnetic and is resistant to corrosion.

3) Measure the diameter of the wire. I used a metal drill bit gauge. It's one of my favorite tools!

4) Select the appropriate drill bit based on your measurement and make two holes in the top of the canvas. This is where the wire will go to make a hanger for your finished piece. I drilled the two holes while the canvas was still wrapped in plastic to protect the canvas from any tool marks (like from the vise).

5) Stamp images on the white tissue using the archival ink. Be sure you put something under the tissue while you stamp, just in case the ink goes through the thin tissue. You don't want to stain your work surface! Let these dry completely.

6) Collage the stamped tissue on to the canvas using the acrylic medium. Be sure you're collaging so the holes are on the top of your piece! Check out this YouTube video to see how you collage tissue thin materials (like napkins or tissue paper) using Perfect Paper Adhesive (PPA) from USArtQuest. The process is the same for this canvas as it is for the wood frame used in the video. Allow the collage to dry well. You can speed up the process with a heat gun.

7) Glaze the collage using the acrylic glaze. Let it dry completely. You can speed up the process with a heat gun. My favorite is the 360 watt gun made by Milwaukee.

8) Use a thumb-tack to pierce the canvas at the bottom of the frame. Insert the screw eye. You might need to use the pliers to twist it in, but you shouldn't need to drill a pilot hole. Attach charms, trinkets, beads, etc. to the screw eye.

9) Bend the wire in half around a cylinder (like the barrel of a flashlight) to get a smooth curve. Then insert the wire in to the two holes at the top of the canvas. Use the pliers to bend over a small bit of the wire in the back so the wire can't pull out of the top.

10) Attach the bird to the canvas with a pop-dot so it's raised above the canvas

Proxxon bench tools make it easy to create several of these at once so you can have a flock of birds on your wall!

Happy Crafting!
Joe

Japanese 4 Hole Stab Binding Book

Books in Japan date back to as late as the 8th century AD. Traditionally, books were made of washi (Japanese paper). Because washi doesn't easy yellow or become brittle with age, ancient Japanese books are remarkably preserved, with some dating back to the 11th century!

Fukuro toji (袋綴じ), or "bound-pocket books“ were created using stacks of double-wide paper, individually folder and sew on the loose edge - the edge opposite the crease. This increased the strength of each page and allowed for the use of very thin papers. Stab binding is a type of Fukuro toji. Traditionally, the holes for sewing were made with a book awl. Using a Proxxon Bench Drill Press TBM 115 simplifies the process and makes it quick and easy to create a wonderful little book.

These instructions make a 6" x 4" book that has 16 pages (32 sides).

Create N Craft has two Japanese book binding kits available. One makes the 6" x 4" book shown here. The other makes 3 books and has instructions for three types of bindings; four hole, noble and turquoise shell.

Both kits include everything you need, including pre-cut decorative and text weight papers, thread, thread, instructions with illustrations and a needle! All you need to supply is scissors, glue and bulldog clips and a way to make the holes.

What You'll Need

• Two pieces of 7" x 5" decorative paper (front and back covers) 
• Two pieces of 6" x 4" text weight paper (the "end papers") 
• One piece of chipboard 6" x 4" to use as a template - cereal box will work 
• 16 pieces of 12" x 4" text weight paper (the "book block" or body of the book) 
• A 2" square piece of bookcloth to make the protective corners 
• 40" of decorative thread (like embroidery floss) 
• 12" of linen thread (to sew the inside binding) 
• Scissors 
• Good quality paper glue, like Alene's Tacky Glue 
• Scrap paper to glue on 
• Toothpick 
• Needle 
• 1/4" Bulldog clips 
• Bone folder (optional) 
• Small scrap of wood to use under the book when using the drill press 
• Proxxon Bench Drill Press TBM 115
• Proxxon Original German Chuck for the TBM115
• 1/16" Drill Bit 
• 3/32" Drill Bit

Steps To Follow 

1) Fold the sixteen 12" x 4" papers in half along the short dimension. Burnish each fold well so you have a nice, sharp crease. A bone folder works great for this, but you can also use your fingers or the edge of a ruler.

2) Stack the 16 pages together. Add an end paper to the top and the bottom of the stack. Carefully line up the stack and secure it with bulldog clips. Mark 4 holes to be used to sew the book block together. Each pair of holes is 1" from the top/bottom of the book and are 1/2" apart. Be sure your marks are on the spine edge (the loose edge) of the book. Remember, in a traditional Japanese book, the folded edges are opposite the spine.

3) Use the Proxxon Bench Drill Press TBM 115 fitted with the Original German Chuck for the TBM115 and the 1/16" drill bit to drill the four holes. Put a small scrap of wood under the book block to reinforce where you're drilling.

4) With the linen thread, sew the bookblock together. Sew each pair of holes individually and tie the thread ends tightly with a square knot. I like to hold the first half of the knot down with a toothpick while tying the second half. Having a friend help hold the toothpick in place makes this much easier! Trim the ends to about 1/2" I like to put a very tiny bit of glue on each knot and tiny dots to glue the tails in place. You only need a very small amount of glue!

5) Cut the bookcloth in to a "butterfly" shape measuring 1" wide and 3/4" tall. Start with a rectangle 1" x 3/4". Then cut out two darts. The dart measures 1/2" wide along the edge and 1/4" tall. That leaves 1/4" in the center of the butterfly, which is the same as the thickness of our book block.

6) Put some glue on the paper side of each butterfly and place each one on the spine edge of the book block. Wrap the edges tightly around the block. The results are nicely mitered corners. Put the book block aside.

7) Use the chipboard template to fold the decorative papers to make the 4" x 6" covers. Place the chipboard in the center of the 7" x 5" piece of decorative paper. Trace around it with a pencil. Fold the edges up around the chipboard to make crease lines. Remove the chipboard. Draw diagonal lines across each corner. Cut away the corners. Fold each of the 4 sides down on to the back of the paper. Put a very small amount of glue under the fold to hold it in place. The resulting piece of paper should be 6" x 4" with a nicely folded edge and mitered corners. DO NOT glue the chipboard to the paper! It is only a template used for folding and should not become part of your finished book.

8) Adhere the front and back covers to the book block using a very thin layer of glue. Be careful to check that the papers are facing the right direction when you're holding the book. Mark 4 holes for the stab binding along the spine. Japanese stab bindings traditionally have the holes equally spaced. In this example the holes are 1" apart and start 1/2" from the top and bottom of the spine.

10) Use the Proxxon Bench Drill Press TBM 115 fitted with the Original German Chuck for the TBM115 and the 3/32" drill bit to drill the four holes. Put a small scrap of wood under the book to reinforce where you're drilling.

11) Sew the binding. Double thread a needle and knot it twice, leaving a 1" tail. Open the book to the third page. Sew from the inside through the 2nd hole from the bottom. Pull the thread through. This buries the knot inside the book. You can trim the tail later (and even add a little drop of glue to really secure the knot inside the book.

13) Continue sewing. Wikibooks has great illustrations, like the one below, that shows step by step how to sew this binding.

14) I like to finish the binding by sewing up through the last hole, then back down in to the same hole but coming out an interior page of the book. Pull the thread almost all the way through, leaving a small look. Then put a drop of glue where the thread is, push the needle out through the spine and trim the edge. This pulls the thread through the drop of glue, permanently adhering in to the inside of the binding.

Happy Crafting!
Joe
www.createNcraft.com