By Tiffany Eng

For those interested in making books, Japanese stab bindings are an ideal place to start. They are simple, don’t require many tools, and are endlessly customizable. Today we’ll be starting with the easiest of the stab bindings, a simple three-hole binding. By using a flexible material as the front and back cover, no special cover construction is required, and punching the holes can be done easily.

Tools:

• Ruler
• X-acto® knife or craft knife with a sharp blade
• Scissors
• Cutting mat, or surface to cut on
• Awl, or nail and hammer for punching holes in your book
• Large needle
• Bulldog® clip, to hold pages together while sewing [optional]
• Metal square, to ensure straight cuts [optional]

Materials:

• 2 pieces heavyweight material for the front and back covers of the book
• 5-10 sheets of lightweight material for the textblock
• Binding thread, yarn, ribbon, or any long material to stitch…