Cord Bound Books

I love cordbound books! This style is the traditional rounded spine leather book. They date back to the 5th century and were introduced when Byzantium monks established their first scriptorium, Byblos, in modern Lebanon. The Arabs were the ones to bring this style to life with all sorts of decorative work, gorgeous gold embossing and clasp closures. They still make the most wonderful cordbound books in the world.


This style of book is made with a sewing frame but it can also be done with simple tools and anyone can make one from home.


I do classes on how to make these lovely cordbound books. In the class we learn traditional and modern methods of cord binding.


I made this cordbound book last week. I actually made two and one book was used for a sign-in book and the other for a photo album:

Cordbound Sign-in book for my sister's wedding. Traditional cord bindings have straight cords on the spine which I teach in the class but this variation is easily done.

The top view of the book which has the Even Star from Lord of the Rings embossed on it.

You can see how well the cordbound books stay open. They open almost completely flat so they're great for sign-in books, photograph albums, sketchbooks and journals.

I'll be teaching this class in two weeks at Provo Art & Frame. Sat, August 28, 2010 from 9:30am – 2:00pm. If you'd like to attend please send me an email and I will add you to the class list and send you needed class information. The class is $55 which includes all the materials you'll need for your book, some tools will need to be brought with you.

Book Arts Classes at Provo Art & Frame

Click on the image to view larger.

Do you dance with flowers in your mouth?

As I was sewing a quilt this evening, Jadon pointed to the fabric and said, "Those are flowers." Which led us to the following conversation.

Me: Yes, those are flowers.
Jadon: Do you like flowers?
Me: I love flowers.
Jadon: Do you dance with flowers in your mouth?
Me: Sometimes. Do you think dad dances with flowers in his mouth?
Jadon: No. He's a natural.

Jadon: "Are we going on a trip?"

When I was teaching a bookbinding class this past Saturday, Jadon and Ethan went to the Farmer's Market with my parents. He got his face painted and they tried out all sorts of food. Jadon even got a carved wooden owl and watched the man make it. He loves things like that so I'm sure he had so much fun!

Whenever he visits my parents house, he also has to take a turn on the truck dolly. My dad always takes a break from working to give him a push. Ethan hasn't quite learned how to stand on it yet but he kept trying. These photos were taken about a half an hour apart. You can see he became messy from the popsicle and had to change his clothes.

Custom Artist Journal for My Grandma

This artist journal is a custom order from my grandma. You can click on the photos to see them larger.

She wanted a book that she could carry around with her so the book is slightly larger than 5" x 7" and it's about 1.25" thick. She requested that the book have an assortment of papers so I included the following paper types: Mohawk Superfine 80lb Smooth soft white, Canson charcoal paper in blues, cream, pale yellow and green.

There's also Lokta heavy weight and light weight papers in red, purple, green, pumpkin, pinto and sand. There are also embossed papers and papers with leaves, flowers, and thread inclusions. Papers are from all around the world (Nepal, Thailand, Japan, Canada and the U.S.)

The paper will be great for all sorts of mediums.

She wanted the book to look used and old so I took a honey colored cowhide and with the help of my dad we antiqued the leather. The pages were deckled to give it a handmade and more used/old feel to it. As she uses it, the page edges will get worn and look older. The cover has a bit of deep red to it and I used maroon linen thread to sew it.

My grandma said I could burn anything I wanted into the cover (a bunny, a flower, her name) and so I put her name on the spine and I put the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland on the front cover. She mentioned "a little rabbit" when we talked on the phone so I'm hoping she's ok with a full cover illustration. I put an old button on the cover and braided linen thread for the closure. I placed a skeleton key on the end of the thread but I'm not sure if that will stay. It's heavy for such a tiny key so I'm not sure I like the feel of it. It's removable so I think I'll let her decide on that one.

The book is sewn in a longstitch style which allows the pages to open flat (and even fold back in half) so it's wonderful for artwork as well as carrying around.

It really is a beautiful book with beautiful paper.