Tools of the Trade

Here's a peek into the craft of DIY bookmaking. This is an art that had been disappearing or relegated to specialty craft status, but scrapbookers have revitalized the artform, though in a way that I suspect makes some book artists a little queasy. You can now find bookmaking tools in most craft stores in the scrapbook aisles, and of course your better art supply stores will have some tools and supplies as well.

In the photo above you see (clockwise from upper right corner) a saddle-stitch stapler, a binder's needle with thread, an awl, and the white thing on the cover is called a bone folder. Binder's needles have blunt tips to keep from snagging on the paper (thus the need for the awl), and the thread I'm using for the limited edition of Electric Bathtub Psalms is acid-free linen. Some crafters use embroidery floss that they've pulled through beeswax, which I may experiment with later.

Coming soon: a step-by-step sewing demo!