What Is In A Signature?

I found my new favorite store. It's called Paper Plus. The store is full of reams of paper in every imaginable color and weight. The store also has boxes, bags, and envelopes for packaging. I spent about 45 minutes looking around, this past Friday evening, and brought home some great paper to make journals. And so, my weekend project begins....

I remember when I first wanted to make a journal. I spent most of my time on the Internet researching the process. As with any new process, there is verbiage to learn. My first new word is signature. Signature is a group of folded paper sewn together.


I place four sheets of folded paper together and then hand sew them to bind the loose pages.


Most of the step by step directions call for a awl to poke holes in the folded paper to make it easier to inset the needle and thread. I found that I could use a sewing machine needle, and forgo the purchase of an awl.



The use of a heavy grade cotton thread assists in adding strength to the signature and durability to the finished journal. Here is where I struggle with my handmade paper.



The handmade paper is so fragile that the needle makes too big of a hole and the thread tears the paper. Instead of sewing my handmade journals, I've tried using wood glue to hold the pages together.

Six signature gathered together with a gauze binding and glue finish the internal body of the journal. But, we'll leave that for tomorrow's project.