My first quarter-bound book! (That just means cloth back and paper sides; sounds like something fancier, right?)
I was inspired by a deli wrapper that went very well with a red book cloth I had left over from a rebinding. These materials came together with off-white end paper and brown-and-cream headbands to make a fat n’ juicy little book that I’m so proud of.
My first attempt at anything is never perfect, especially when I’m using slapdash materials like this deli wrapper. I needed to coat the wrapper with Mod Podge, but I found that my glue brush was taking the ink off the paper, so I had to switch to a brayer. Then while letting the glue dry, I noticed that the moisture was causing the paper to separate from its coated backing, so I had to complete the separation with my micro spatula. Act III of the deli wrapper drama was realizing that it was too transparent to overlap the book cloth edge with, so I had to reposition the materials (in the middle of gluing) for the cloth edge to overlap the wrapper instead.
I’m actually surprised that this book turned out as well as it did given the changes I had to make while gluing. Major catastrophes either occur around cutting or gluing—take your pick. One of the best adjustments I’ve made is using a 70/30 PVA/methylcellulose mixture instead of straight PVA glue for making the case and casing in. The methylcellulose adds slip and drying time (forgiveness, basically) that I’ve come to rely upon, and I was certainly thankful for it here.
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