My first hand-sewn endbands turned out better than the store-bought ones I used to use

I spent about 6 months using those pre-made glued endbands from the craft store. They always looked fine but never quite right. Last week I finally tried sewing my own endbands on a small restoration project for a friend's 1920s poetry book. The process took me about 45 minutes per band but the difference was night and day. They laid flat against the spine and matched the color scheme perfectly. Has anyone else found that handmade details make a bigger difference than you expect?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_xena1mo ago

Honestly I was skeptical too but yeah you're totally right about this.

vera5141mo ago

Never thought about how the timing of this could actually make or break the whole thing. Everyone's been focused on the wrong part.

the_elizabeth1mo ago

Is the timing thing about when you sew them into the binding process, like before or after the book is fully cased in?