Before and AfterThis project is a longer version of an article that appears in heavily edited (in a good way) form in Make magazine, Volume 5 (also available now as an Instructable). While the editors did a great job of distilling ramblings that far exceeded the word limit I was given into a concise and useful article, the limits of space prohibited much of the additional description, background, nuance, and pictures of my original piece. So, I thought it was worth posting my first draft. What it lacks in polish I hope it makes up for in depth.

Here are the sections of the original article to help you navigate the site:

  1. Introduction
  2. Strip the Existing Cover
  3. Create Signatures
  4. Prepare Signatures for Stitching
  5. Stitch the Signatures
  6. Glue the Spine
  7. Build Cover Boards
  8. Attach the Cover Boards
  9. Cover the Cover
  10. Finish Up