Process

1. Rescue the book

I source second-hand antique hardcovers from Swedish flea markets, Blocket, and charity shops - books damaged or incomplete inside, that nobody else wants. The cover is usually still intact, and that's the only part that gets reused.

2. Prep the paper

I cut and gather signatures of heavyweight paper made for wet media, sized to fit the spine the found cover allows - a thinner book makes a slimmer notebook, a thicker one allows for more sheets. Some pieces use real watercolor stock; see Paper selection for what each weight means.

3. Hand-stitched

Coptic stitch, signature by signature, with waxed thread. It's an exposed-spine technique: the stitching is visible along the spine, and the notebook opens completely flat (180°) - something an industrial binding can't do.

4. One of a kind

No two notebooks are alike. I don't work in batches or restock models - once a piece sells, it's gone.