The Designs
Workflow /Monday; Printing, Getting Materials for book binding and hard cover making, Book Binding & Sewing
I was so excited to see my designs being printed, and I was so excited to go on to the next stage, which is biding, and hand making the hard cover.
I decided with the printers we should wait with cutting the side edges until the book is sewn (for tomorrow morning), so it will be nice and neat after it’s folded.
In my workflow after printing the designs I was planned to go and get all the materials for the hard cover, so when I get home I can sew the pages, and start making the hard cover on the next morning.
I was doing a massive research (days prior), on where to get the materials and it seemed like there was nowhere in Tel Aviv (where I stay at the moment, as I visit my family in Israel), and I had to go to Jerusalem to a specific shop which sells all materials for book binding. A book binder someone recommended me told me there might be someone in Tel Aviv but when I arrived at his shop he didn’t have anything to sell he was just binding himself.
So I decided to go to Jerusalem. about an hour drive from Tel Aviv.
I arrived at his shop and got everything I needed, he did sell most things in bulks, so he gave me the minimum amount, which I knew might come handy if I need more materials when making mistakes.
I liked his shop, there was a full studio for book binding, even though he told me he is not binding books himself.
I envisioned an olive green book cover, with a simple embossed name of the book and maybe a grey shadow looking print (maybe a coconut tree or shells star fish..). But when I saw his linen selection, there was an ugly green and a beautiful cream looking colour with beautiful veins looking browns and earthy colours. I was in love with this fabric and decided to get it.
I won’t lie going to Jerusalem did end up pushing my schedule a bit, as after the print and checking the shop in Tel Aviv, I only left at around 14:00, it obviously took a while to go there, and back and I got home around 17:30. My father was ready to start the hand making process together.
So we had a coffee, while watching the tutorials, planned our workflow, and started working.
First, I was in charge of folding the pages perfectly, while my father had to cut the A4 pergament papers perfectly (not an easy task!).
When I was done with the folding, I started making the templet for piercing holes for sewing.
I used a cardboard, and a thick needle I got at the book binding shop (as he didn’t have an owl and I didn’t have one either).
Then my father and I together, used the double sided glue very very carefully to place the double sided glue on the edges of the first pages of each country. We were doing a very good job, until I took my phone to document this stage. As I was taking a photo, my father was placing the pergament paper instead of myself, he wasn’t aware he is placing the word Singapore towards the inside of the book, which was a big mistake(!).
I saw this mistake through the lease of the camera and straight away told him to stop sticking! we managed to take the paper out carefully so we didn’t harm the book, but we still had a massive problem. If I wait now until the morning and get the Singapore page printed again, it will push all my workflow in a lot(!) and I wouldn’t be able to finish in time, as I mentioned above, the book had to be sewn by the next morning so i can take it to the print again to cut the side edges and proceed to the hard cover making. We were lucky I had all the extra pergament paper printed (the very light coloured ones), even though it will defiantly not show against such a colourful picture, but show must go on! We put it on and knew we will somehow fix this issue later, at the end.
Next, I had to sew all the pages, and put clips on the sides so the fold part get more and more compressed, but I was extremely tried and I had to go to bed. I didn’t want to work tired and make more mistakes (it was 22:00).
I decided to postpone the sewing and the book cover design to the morning (which gave me time to dream about the cover design, I work great while dreaming).
Workflow/ Tuesday; Sewing, cutting, fabric printing, hard cover making.
I woke up very early as usual, and started working on my sewing, I have realised I made 11 holes the night before. The tutorial guided to make 12 holes, but I assumed as I looked at the ruler, and saw 12 holes wouldn’t be perfectly spaced in my book, that 11 is ok (as it was a better divide of the book). I realised there was a reason for the even number, as if I go in for the outside on the first one, I will end up going out on the last one. So I decided I will go around it by making the middle 2 holes as one stitch, so the middle will have a nice longer stitch (and I was actually happy with this ‘mistake’).
My father had 2 nice white threads, both unwaxed, but of course he had wax as well. I tried the thicker one first and waxed it, but it was way to thick. So I waxed the second one and it was a perfect width.
I also started sewing with the big needle and realised it is too big and make the holes too big as the knots were going through, lucky I’ve realised it on the first one and make a triple knot, and lucky we had a middle size needle at home to sew the rest.
I finished sewing and placed the clips to compress the folded side of the book. I also measured the spine side (0.5cm).
I started preparing the book cover for print, and tried to get my head around the numbers and how much safe zone I want to have in order to make it right. I wanted to be at the print shop at 9 am when they open, but of course it didn’t happen as I was still designing the cover. I wanted to come with the laptop and designs ready so they could help me with the numbers as they were really lovely and helpful.
One of the printers had a friend with a fabric printing shop in a near city, and he promised also to contact him and get back to me for Tuesday morning and see if I can go to his shop after coming to the print, to get the cover printed on the linen.
There is a beautiful photo from Bali, Indonesia I lost when creating the inside of the book, as it was in a forgotten folder on my hard drive, and I remembered it after I have already printed it all, so I found it and thought it will be pretty on the cover, I wanted to fix the colours just a bit to give it a bit more pink colours. I also wanted another option, so I've also used one of my favourite images from Sri Lanka which is inside the book.
I wanted to play safe, after making a mistake, and as I have extra fabric, I made 2 cover designs. I made the design and dimensions roughly, so I can then go to a cafe before going to the fabric print place, and rework my cover design.
I packed everything once the cover was printed and went to the print shop, they cropped the edges and helped me with the numbers for the cover, they told me these measurements to work with, so I will also have extras that will wrap around the cover to the inside of the cover (with the printed image).
Cover Size
Hight 33
width (including spine) 48
Each Side (front and back)
Hight 30.5
Width 22.5
Spine
hight 30.5
width 0.5
When I went to the cafe, I contacted the fabric print guy, as the guy from the print shop gave me his contact, but he was away on holidays. I was trying many different business which print on fabric in town but non of them could see me this same day (or they weren’t working with just such small amounts).
Eventually the guy whom was on holidays got back to me with a couple other contacts, the first one was a really nice guy whose really wanted to help and he told me to send him my designs.
It took me another moment to make sure all measurements are correct, I wanted to make sure and know exactly the hinge size and not place elements or text there, and also to make sure the amount of folded print is correct.
I was lucky he could see me as he was also not so far away from my location, and I drove to his shop, he approved he can do the job and squeeze me in even though he had a queue for the printer.
I came to his shop and him and his team were so lovely and helpful, we had nice conversations while the printer was printing my designs on the fabric, I couldn’t believe how beautiful the quality was(!!!!) I was blown away.
Obviously all the above took also longer than expected, so I got back home around 16:30 and again, my father was ready to work. We had a coffee and watched the tutorials again so we can be very efficient.
We worked slowly and efficiently, very focused.
First, we had to glue (PVA glue) the sewn spine, then let it dry.
While it was drying, My father was in charge of cutting the cardboard for the hard cover, he had to do it few times until getting the right technique and making it perfect.
I was in charge of making the measurements of the cover on a paper, and then transferring it onto the back of the cover (the linen), so we know exactly what goes where and everything is very very precise and perfect.
Then, we put the gauze on the spine, and glued it, and added the capitol too on the edge, I felt like the gauze wasn’t long enough so I made a longer thinner piece to go on top and added it too.
Then we had to stick the cardboard onto the linen, I’ve used again my self adhesive double sided sheets, they were A5 so I had to use a couple of them + more stripes my father was cutting while I was placing the rest (and also some stripes for the spine).
I used a paper tape to glue the spine to the front and back to give it more support + allow me to have more stability while sticking to the linen.
Eventually, we cut the remain linen, leaving 2.5 cm outside so it will wrap nicely around. We had to also cut the edges on an angel. We wrapped the linen around and glued it with PVA glue, and placed our hands where we saw the linen needed some more help to stick.
Workflow/ Wednesday; Creating end sheets, attaching the cover to the book, writing the process.
The hard cover is ready, and it is so pretty! I am so proud and so happy!
First thing in the morning I wanted to make sure I fix the problem I had with the Singapore pergament paper page. I've used coloured pencils to go over the back of the typography and give it more colour and it worked!
I bought this really beautiful textured white thick paper to use as my end sheets. I've measured the first page measurements as well as the inside cover measurements, to add them together and create as well some marks of where I need to fold it as it won't be exactly the same on both.
I made a plan first, and calculated it and then made the marks with a pencil and cut with a knife.
Then I attached it with glue, first on the front, so the front looks good, and then let it dry with weights and after few hours do the same on the other side.
While the end sheets were drying, I set to start writing this task, which took a long time, and left half of it to the following day (Thursday).
Workflow/ Thursday; Fixing issues, Writing, adding antique map. Submitting.
When I woke up on Thursday I saw there was a small piece of the end sheet which wasn’t glued down properly, probably as I started at this section and by the time I got to the other side it was a bit dry…
So my father and I were thinking how to fix this, we used some threads with glue to slide the glue in.
It worked!
We let it dry for a few hours, while I got back to writing and documenting this task.
I had this vision at night when I was dreaming, that I wanted a folded up antique looking map at the inside of the front cover. I’ve checked some shops but we don’t have many map shops in Israel (or at least from my research I couldn’t find).
It was very last minute so I had to think about something fast - my deadline was coming along but I felt like the book is not complete without it.
I asked my father if he has by any chance an old atlas or map of the world, and he said he thinks he has something up the attic. My father has everything in his attic, it’s a family joke (and it’s true), it took less than 5 minutes and he came downstairs with an old book. Apparently this was a collectors book collected by my grandfather.
The newspaper at 1952, published a weekly part of the Atlas, each time a different country / area, and at the beginning of the year they offered people to buy the book cover which then people could slide each part in and create a full book. My grandfather collected it dedicatedly, you can see on the index he marked pieces he was missing so he would be able to complete it all.
I didn’t want to tear parts of it as it was so special, so I took a photo of Asia map where I can see all my countries. I edited it so it match the colours of my book.
I was running out of time so I tried calling a print shop near my house, they only had a regular printer paper, and I didn’t want this kind of paper in this book.
I decided to drive back to the special print shop I’ve been using all along. They have a special newspaper like paper which will be perfect.
I sent the document and jumped in my car.
They knew me well already so even though there was a line they managed to print my print quickly and send me off.
It took me 2 hours, but I was happy and knew the book will be so beautiful with it, I will drive back home attach it with the self adhesive sheets and start photo-shooting the book as the light was getting good for the afternoon light.
As I stepped into the house, my dad came downstairs and tole me "look what I've found" - it was a similar map to the collection, but probably from a different year or something as it was separately and in a different size, he had few extras which were not inside this book and he was holding an Asia map. I couldn't believe my eyes, it was so beautiful and unique, and it also had a page which was explaining about Asia, in Hebrew.
I thought it was very interesting and special to have this map in Hebrew and explanation in Hebrew at the start. as if I travel so much and change so much according to my travels, but I am always will identify myself as an Israeli, this where I come from and this is how I read the map of the world, this is how I see the world initially.
I attached it in a way I could fold it and open it into the explanation page, and to the map page, leaving the title Asia (in Hebrew) in the front.
Reflection
I really enjoyed doing this task. It was so challenging and I feel so so proud of myself of how it all came together. I think it looks so professional and so neat, and this is why I am almost not believing i made it!
I think this book is stunning and really ready for assessment. I think I really learnt so much about book design through the course but it all came so well together on this assignment. I feel like i know how to design books from the inside, and I would love to do it again!
I actually think to make another book, the same, for my parents, and use my other cover I made as it was so hard to choose from the 2 options.
I really feel content and proud, as well as all of the problem solving as I felt like every step of the way there was an obstacle I overcame.
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