ture. Tighten your stitch. Do this
for the remaining three holes.
When you get to the last one,
stitch into the middle of the
signature and make a knot.
Trim the excess thread and rub
the knot with your bone fold.
The wax will keep the knot from
coming undone.
Step 11: Tie Square Knots
on the Long Stitches
I like to add a little something
special to my binding called
the square knot or reef knot.
This knot is used for sailing and
jewellery, but I think it looks great on a book. Here’s how you
do it: Cut two pieces of thread
about 15cm long. Slide the
needle under all of the long stitches. This will make it easier to
do your knotting. Pull one piece of thread through until you
have equal lengths of thread
on each side. Tie a single knot.
Move the right end over so that
it lays on top of the left end.
Lead the left end over the right
end, under all the long stitches
and over the right loop on the
other side. Pull tightly. For the
next knot, do these same steps
but switch it around so that the
right end goes under the long
stitches. Alternate left and right
until you’ve made six knots. Tie
a simple knot by sliding both
ends under the long stitches.
Trim the ends of the thread.
Reposition the needle under
the last square knot you
made. Repeat the whole
process again to make
a second row of square
knots.
Pat yourself on the back!
Congratulations on making your own Coptic longstitch combo book!
What Is Short Grain?
A paper is labeled short
grain when the grain moves parallel to its short
side. It is very important
to have the paper grain
move parallel to the spine of the book so that it
opens flat.
To test the grain direction, take a piece of paper
and gently begin to bend
it one way. Then turn it
and try to bend it in the
other direction.
When you fold parallel to
the grain, it will be easier.
When you fold against
the grain, you will feel
more resistance. For this
tutorial, you will want the
grain moving in the direction of the shorter side
of both your paper and
book board.
Always determine the
grain of your materials
before cutting.