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Cutting the quires down to size.
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Full, half, quarter of modern 8 1/2 x 11 stock.
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Cords will support the quires in this binding. Here they are strung up in the sewing frame so that the quires may be sewn onto them.
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Another view of the sewing frame
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Yet another view.
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Held in the lying press for sewing the headband.
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The headband protects the inner spine from debris and is sewn onto the head and tail of the text block at the spine.
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Headband sewn on and now the book is ready to be cased.
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Giving a little shape to the headband so that it can slip into the boards as it should go.
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My antique book press, shaping the text block for the case.
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Old but good! A closeup of the press boards.
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This is a super important step. I return text blocks to the press often during the binding process to keep things in shape.
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The text block is bound, banded, pressed and ready to have the covers added.
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Boards are cut to size and ready for prep - sanding and drilling.
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Drilling holes in the boards to receive the cords of the text block.
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My hand drill, because a medieval book should have as little electricity in it as possible!
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The holes are drilled, the covers sanded, and now it's time to thread the text block into the covers.
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It closes! Always a key test!
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Yes, I sort of missed getting pics of the process of getting the leather on! Sticky hands.
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Corner furniture added to protect those points.
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Spine of finished book
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Another view of the finished book
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Closeup of headband and spine
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Closeup of edge
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Rory’s Vigil Book
A good friend and member of my household was elevated to the Chivalry at Ducal Challenge in September 2017. He is a simple man and so I made a simple hardcover book. Vegetable dyed Hudson deer hide over oak boards with corners, linen thread binding 80# text weight quires. The quires are bound onto cords which create the raised decoration on the spine.