5 Hole Pamphlet Stitch

My life right now is dealing with 100 prayer books for an upcoming Bar Mitzvah. I am hand sewing the books using a 5 hole pamphlet stitch so I thought that I would share the experience with you. Rather than trying to explain how to do the basic stitch, I found a great video that explains the process quite well.

Instead, I decided that I would share some other insights with you based on the video presentation.

Insight #1: Rather than mark the pages with a pencil, you should use a punch guide--especially if you are doing multiple books (as I am). As a rule, I don't like marking the pages in any way.

How to make a punch guide: Take a scrap piece of paper and cut it to the height of the pages on your book. The width of the paper can be anything as long as you can fold it vertically.

Fold the page in half in parallel to the long side.

Marking the punch guide

Mark the center point on this crease (the page was turned 90 degrees for illustration purposes). I simply fold the page in half along the short side to find the center and mark it.

Mark the center point on the crease

Working from the left side toward the center, find a spot towards the left edge no shorter than 1 inch from the left edge and mark a point along the crease. 

Mark the left hole

Mark the right hole

Split the distance between the left mark and the center by creating a crease by having the two marks meet.

Fold the left hole mark to meet the center mark and crease

Do the same for the right side.

The final punch guide

Use the punch guide as a basis for punching your pages/signatures.

Insight #2: The maximum number of pages should not exceed 10 pages of text weight paper. If your paper is thicker then you should use fewer sheets. If you want to use cover stock for the cover of your booklet, keep this in mind when sewing your pages.

Insight #3: You can use any number of odd number of holes. The number of holes depends on the height of your pages--the taller your pages the more holes you need.

Insight #4: You can start sewing on the inside or the outside but just remember--wherever you start sewing is where your knot will end up.

Insight #5: Knotting your thread. In the video, the author does not knot her thread on the needle. Traditionally, the thread is knotted on the needle so it doesn't fall off the needle in the middle of sewing.

Thread the needle.

Threading the needle

Piece the thread.

Pierce the thread

Pull the thread toward the eye

The thread clears the eye of the needle.

 Pull the knot to the eye of the needle.

Pull the thread to the eye of the needle