My grandpa told me to never skimp on the kettle stitch

I thought I could get away with just two holes on a 300-page text block last week. The whole thing came apart in my hands when I lifted it. Anyone got a good video on proper kettle stitching for thicker books?

3 comments

3 Comments

valellis23d ago

Well THAT is a lesson you only learn once the hard way. Grandpa wisdom is usually right, especially about the boring bits. Found a super clear video last year that saved me, it shows the angle for the needle on thick sections. Search "kettle stitch for heavy textblocks" and look for the one with the blue bench. The trick is making that last loop TIGHT before you knot it off.

charlescraig23d ago

Did you ever find that blue bench video, @tara642? That last loop tip is a total game changer.

tara64223d ago

Wait, you found a video with a BLUE bench? I swear I've watched every kettle stitch video out there and I've never seen that one. That detail makes me wonder if I've been looking in the wrong places this whole time. I need to go search for that right now.