Two new long stitch patterns

I took the opportunity to go with new friend Susie to purchase leather sides from a local Tandy store during their once-a-year sale.  Based on what I found at the store, leather only comes in giant and double giant size.  Now that I have enough leather to make books for several years, I can put what I learned in Hollis Fouts classes to use.  I designed two long stitch patterns and got to work binding.

The first black leather journal was another variation using stitch length, with a slight twist.  The pattern required four signature templates, and I used Crawford red 4 thread cord for the binding.  The central diamond shape of the pattern was made by passing the red cord through a small loop of black cord (as seen at right).  The black cord loop was stitched to the leather cover before the signatures.

The closure for this book is a red button with a red and black twisted cord loop.  The corners of the leather were rounded to match the button's shape.  I also added a red and black twisted cord  bookmark to the middle of the book.  The bookmark ends with a red teardrop bead that matches the red button.

The second black leather wrap journal was my first try at adding two signatures per sewing station.  The stitch patten has a diamond at each end of the spine with a wide space in the middle for the leather strap to wrap around the book.  This pattern required only three signature templates for the 10 signatures.

I used Crawford tan 4 thread cord for the binding on the second book.  Working with two signatures at the same time was difficult at first, but became easier with each pair I added.  It is important when adding a second signature through the same holes not to split the cord of the first signature.  This required more attention and made the binding go slower.

Below is a photo showing the spines of the two finished black leather books. I was happy with how my first two patterns turned out.