The cover of this one is from the cardboard packaging that came with a tea towel I plan to make into a pillow. I tried a simple kind of decorative long stitch. It’s very easy and I can see all sorts of possible variations.

I still have one bookbinding project on the go. Otherwise I’ve been in a bit of a self-assessment stage. It’s a bit of a surprise to me that I love the sewing bit of making books. The glueing bit not so much. Partly it’s waiting for it to dry, but mostly it’s the annoyance and disappointment of covers developing a warp weeks after they were glued and dried under a weight.

I’m finding that I really like the feel of flexible covers bound with longstitch. I like the look of leather used with this binding and would like to try making a few books with it, but I’m also really drawn to the pattern and colour in cloth and decorative paper. Which is why, earlier this week, I went into Lincraft to buy some antique/blackened silver chain and came out with a pack of fat quarters instead:

I can see all but the zebra print as bookcovers or book cloth spines. (And I need some red material to make the next book bag out of.) Mostly I’m wondering if there’s a material I could stick cloth to that would stiffen it enough to be a cover, was still flexible enough to wrap around a spine and not spring open again, and can be sewn through. Perhaps some sort of iron-on facing, but I’d like it even better if I can recycling something.

Chain/Coptic stitch bindings are also fun, especially as they’re a great way to turn interesting and unexpected objects into book covers. I want to do more of that. A few years back I was given the yarn stash of a deceased knitter. In it was some silk thread.

I wasn’t sure what to do with it, toyed with the idea of miniature macrame, and nearly gave it to the op shop a few times. I’m so glad I hung onto it now, because it would be lovely as binding thread, especially on chain/coptic stitch binding where the thread is visible.

I’d also like to try Italian style cross structure binding.

Lots of things to try.

Darn it, I can see the zebra print as a book, too.