Hmm. I've watched a couple of tutorials on doing Coptic binding, and it looks like all I actually need is thread, a couple of pieces of book board, and paper.
I'm debating whether to buy some hot-pressed watercolour type paper (nice cotton paper) or a heavier printer-type paper (100gsm) already cut to size.
I'm tempted to go for the printer paper solely because I can't get the watercolour paper in the right sizes. I can get them big enough to cut down, but then there'll be a lot of waste.
I'm also debating what to do with the cover.
On the one hand, I like the look of leatherbound books. But, if I get leather from The Fabric Store, I have to buy the whole piece, which I might not use.
I need to go to DS Horne anyway for thread (it's that or ordering linen thread online) and they have bags of garment leather scraps. I doubt I'd find any scraps big enough to make a cover for an A4 size book though, and I'm not confident in sewing the pieces together.
@dartigen could coptic binding work with bookbinding fabric? (I don't know the english name, it's fabric backed by paper): if available, that should be available in smaller quantities. Another alternative could be mock leather?
In that case, I would do a first project with fabric / pleather and printer paper, and then buy nice watercolor paper and leather only if you decide that you want to do more.
Disclaimer: I've only done “traditional” bookbinding.
@valhalla Probably, though I'd have to find somewhere to get bookbinding cloth - I did think about using some scrap fabric I already have, but I have a feeling that it wouldn't look as nice. A few fabric stores around me sell upholstery pleather, though I don't know where the remnants go.
And yeah, the printer paper with less-expensive cover materials is a good idea...plus, I can then test how to do the cover. (Coptic binding usually just has the boards, nothing covering the spine.)
Mre. Dartigen [MOVING]
valhalla