Longstitch and Tyvek

When I first dove into bookmaking, my intention was to use handwoven fabric for the covers. I kind of got sidetracked and have enjoyed doing Coptic sewings with paper-covered boards. I'll probably continue to do these Coptic books, as they are really fun and totally addictive. But today I returned to the original plan of soft handwoven covers and longstitch bindings. 

I sandwiched two handwoven fabrics with Tyvek in the middle of the stack, and quilted them together with straight and zigzag stitches. The outer fabric is a jacquard scrap, and the inner fabric is from a dobby piece. The Tyvek came from a recycled mailing envelope. This stuff is tough! It's impossible to tear it. Then I glued an additional strip of Tyvek inside the spine area to prevent stitch blowouts.

Here's a view of the spine; the longstitches are hard to see because the linen cord is light brown, but they are good and straight. Click to enlarge. For you who care about these things: notice the kettle stitches at the head and tail.

Here's a view inside the book, showing the Tyvek reinforcement strip in the spine area.

All the fabric edges are left unfinished except for a line of zigzag around the perimeter; it's a slightly shaggy aesthetic. No doubt that this is a textile! The button is imitation ivory from my stash. All the cords are waxed linen.

Future books: I'd like to investigate black Tyvek; since the Tyvek shows a bit at the edges, I think I'd like the black better.