Tallow Lane Binderyhttps://tallowlanebindery.com/Notes from a kitchen-table bindery in Hackney: case binding, sewing signatures, reading paper grain and mending worn paperbacks with simple hand tools.enMending paperbacks: loose pages, cracked spines, and when to stophttps://tallowlanebindery.com/journal/mending-paperbacks-loose-pages-cracked-spines/https://tallowlanebindery.com/journal/mending-paperbacks-loose-pages-cracked-spines/How I mend worn paperbacks brought round by friends: tipping in loose pages, gluing a cracked spine, dealing with old tape, and knowing when to leave well alone.Sun, 19 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMTA first case binding, and the boards I cut too tighthttps://tallowlanebindery.com/journal/first-case-binding-boards-cut-too-tight/https://tallowlanebindery.com/journal/first-case-binding-boards-cut-too-tight/Making a hard case for a sewn text block at home: measuring boards, spine and joint gaps, covering in cloth, and the first case I had to strip and redo.Sun, 12 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMTSewing signatures on a kitchen table with a home-made framehttps://tallowlanebindery.com/journal/sewing-signatures-home-made-frame/https://tallowlanebindery.com/journal/sewing-signatures-home-made-frame/How I sew folded signatures into a text block on a kitchen table: piercing stations, waxed linen thread, kettle stitches and a sewing frame made from offcuts.Sun, 18 May 2025 12:00:00 GMTFinding the grain before you cut anythinghttps://tallowlanebindery.com/journal/finding-paper-grain-before-cutting/https://tallowlanebindery.com/journal/finding-paper-grain-before-cutting/Why paper grain decides whether a book opens flat or fights you, and the three kitchen-table tests I use to find it before folding or cutting a sheet.Sun, 26 Jan 2025 12:00:00 GMT