Leather Journal with Cross Stitch

I met up with a friend and fellow bookbinder, Suzette Durso, last weekend and she showed me some of the beautiful leather journals she’s been creating. One included some cross stitching and I was inspired to add some to the cover flap of this long-stitch book.

The binding is a form of long stitch with packing – thread tightly wrapped around a long stitch.

The book measures 5″ x 7″ and the cover is a rustic calf leather. The pages are made from Mohawk Superfine paper and the thread is a 4-ply linen thread.  Normally I use an awl to create stitching holes, but for this book I used a Japanese Screw Punch with a 1mm bit. I like the clean holes it makes and because there were so many holes, it’s much easier on the hands than an awl.

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