Talking to a retired binder at a flea market made me rethink my sewing habits

I was at a flea market last Saturday in Portland and an old guy named Frank was selling some really beat up antique books. We got to talking and I mentioned how I always do a full link stitch on every single book I make because I thought it was the strongest method. He laughed and said 'most of my books from the 50s are still holding together with just a simple kettle stitch, because I didn't overdo the glue either.' At first I thought he was just old school and stubborn, but he let me flip through a few of his bindings and they were really clean, no cracking or loose sections after decades. It hit me that I have been using heavy thread and too many stitches as a crutch because I was scared of things falling apart. Now I am trying out a lighter approach on some practice journals and I can already feel the covers move better. Has anyone else had a seasoned binder tell you to simplify your technique and it actually worked out?

2 comments

2 Comments

emma_young25d agoMost Upvoted

Are you really going to overhaul your whole process based on one guy at a flea market? Seems like a lot of hand wringing over something that might not matter that much.

eric_morgan5924d ago

Hey @emma_young, did you ever have a teacher or a family member who showed you something by doing it the hard way first? My grandpa was a mechanic and he always rebuilt carburetors with like ten extra gaskets and thread sealant because he was paranoid about leaks. Then a guy at a swap meet told him the factory spec was just one gasket and a little torque, and after he tried it his cars ran smoother and didn't drip. Same kind of moment - sometimes we overcomplicate things because we're scared, not because we need to.