Coptic Binding
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Background
The Coptic binding or Coptic sewing is a bookbinding method used by the early Christians in Egypt, the Copts, and used as early as the 2nd century AD to the 11th century. They were the first true codices. There are many variations on the stitched patterns, and it is a useful binding if you need to lay your book completely flat on a table. Daniel Essig (NC) is a book artist who creates elaborately gilded and tooled historic book structures with a personal, narrative twist. Examples in ASU Rare Books & Collections |
Kit Materials
Your Supplies You will need to supply your own end sheet paper, and any wrappings for decorating the signatures. |
Historic and Contemporary Artists' Examples
Single-Needle Coptic with a Flexible Hard Cover
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Guidelines
1. Prepare your signatures. We are creating 12 sets of signatures of 5 sheets using 90 lb. paper. Remember that the more sheets per signature, the fatter the signature will be and the wider your coptic stitch will be. If you want a tighter, finer stitch, create thinner signatures. You might consider covering each signature with decorative paper or alternating colored sheets to give your spine more interest. 2. Design your stitch pattern on your spine. If you’re creating straight stitch lines, you can punch the holes for your sewing stations using a paper jig as usual, but if you would like to create diagonal or zig-zag patterns, it’s helpful to lightly draw using a ruler on the spine itself. Remember to include a straight line about 1/2” on the top and the bottom regardless of design. Be sure to jog the book block and weight it down using a brick or weight of some kind. You can also tighten it in the book press in the book studio. If your design is straight across in one direction, you can use a coping saw or knife blade to ever so lightly cut across the tips of the signatures. If your stitch pattern changes direction, like a chevron, for example, you will need to use a paper jig to line up the sewing stations on each signature. 3. Cut two pieces of board about 1/16” wider than your signatures. Using a pencil, design your flexible joints on the front cover. Make sure to make the first one a straight line, no closer than 3/4 of an inch from the spine edge. Number each of the cut pieces and cut them apart. Then use PVA to glue them onto a piece of tarlatan cloth, leaving a board’s width or 1/8" between each piece. Make sure to line the top edges against a straight edge as you glue them to keep them even. Trim the length of the hinged cover to match that of the back cover. 4. Use a book cloth with strong thread grain to cover the boards. When gluing the flexible cover, lightly place the book board side face down on the cloth, then flip it over and quickly work from left to right, articulating each joint by burnishing into the groove with your bone folder. Then finish the trimming and gluing corners as usual. 5. Cut two pieces of paper for the end sheets, approx. one 16th of an inch shorter than your covered boards on all sides. Glue them down using PVA. |
6. Poke holes in the covers to correspond with the holes in the signatures. If your holes are straight across horizontally, each board will have holes in the same place. But if you’ve created an asymmetrical design, be particular about measuring the holes to correspond to the first and last signature. The holes should be approx. 1/4” in from the spine edge. 7. After all your holes are pokes and drilled, measure your thread using the following formula: measure the height of the book by the number of signature, plus two for the covers, and add a comfort zone. Do not double the length, this is a single-needle stitch. 8. Thread your needle and start on the inside of the first signature. Sew out of the first hole. Sew into the first hole in the cover. Sew around it twice, continually adjusting the cover’s position so that its edge is even with the signature’s spine. Work until you think it’s perfect. Snug up the tension. 9. Sew back into the first hole of the signature. Tie a knot with the loose end. 10. Sew into the next hole in the signature. Repeat the process of sewing twice through the cover and back into the signature, and snug up the tension. 11. Continue until the sewing is finished at the last hole in the cover. Rather than return to the first signature, add in a new one into the corresponding hole for that signature 12. Sew up through the next hole in the signature and start the link or chain part of the Coptic stitch. Skip the stitch between the cover and the second signatures, and sew under the stitch between the cover and first signature. 13. Continue until all the holes are sewn. At the end of a signature, add a new signature, and continue sewing, repeating the process. Continually snug up the tension. Smooth and even is the desired tension. 14. To add the back cover, sew it on just like the front cover. Lay it next to the last signature, and sew through the corresponding hole twice. Rather than sewing back into the signature, do the link or chain part of the Coptic stitch. Sew under not your last stitch, but the one before it, and back into the last signature. Repeat until you’ve sewn through all the holes in the back cover. Sew into the last signature one more time, and tie a knot. Now trim the ends. |
Class Demo