Zine Tech: Pamphlet Stitch

Zines are as easy to make as you want them to be, but there’s something special about a hand-sewn book. I believe intensely in the embodied experience of reading – that the triangulation between our gaze, the physical plane of the book, and our bodies is part of the meaning-making activity of consuming texts. How much moreso, then, should the making of books be a physical act? And this is especially true of zines, those most personal of books. While stapling a zine together is efficient and cost effective, hand-sewing your zines can add a personal touch. That there can be a real risk of injury only adds to the thrill. We all bleed for our art, some more literally than others.

p stitchPamphlet stitch is an old technology, and is one of the simplest non-adhesive bindings. It doesn’t require special tools (though I’ll recommend some below), and can be done as a solo project or in a team, with each person taking a step to divide the labor. I see bookbinding as a deeply feminist praxis. In early America, binderies were one of the few places outside the home where it was “respectable” for single women to find work. These jobs were also pathways to literacy for these young women, enabling them to learn to read and do sums, as well as providing for themselves and often their families. Reviving and reclaiming the book arts, then, is a feminist act. Queering the book arts extends this logic, and provides a new space for expression with this old tech.

So why “technology”? When I’m teaching this, I teach a technology instead of a project. The projects come from what you do with it, the only limits are your ideas. I’ve had former students show me what they’ve done with the tech, and their innovations far outpace my creativity – from albums to wedding invitations to event programs, sewn with ribbon, on all sorts of paper. I have a degree of mastery of the technology, but the artistry is up to you!

Instead of writing out the steps (which don’t mean much without a visual) here’s a video I made for the Denver Craft Ninjas a few years ago that demonstrates the technique:
https://youtu.be/fLnoHYnrlbE
 
Tools:
You’ll see examples of all of these in the video. You can find them at most craft stores. If you’re big box store shopping, buy your needles, cutting mats, and rotary cutters in the fabric section rather than the scrapbooking section – the tools tend to be significantly cheaper when packaged for quilters than when packaged for scrapbookers, even if it’s basically the same item!

  • Bone Folders: helps crease paper and make crisp folds. I’ve used Sharpies as a handy substitute.
  • Self Healing Mats: protects surfaces and your sharps tools.
  • Awls: make holes in things. (Wear closed-toe shoes when binding! Awls like to roll.)
  • Tapestry Needles: these blunt needles won’t snag your paper and are a little easier to thread (they have fat eyes).
  • Thread: available in most craft stores. I like acid free linen thread for most of my projects, but I’ve seen folks use embroidery floss, ribbon, or even finer threads for smaller books.
  • Rotary Cutters & Straight Edges: these help you get nice sharp cuts, and help even out edges if you sew a little crooked. The tech is fairly forgiving, so you can just snick off ragged edges if you need to.
  • Paper: your imagination is the limit here: if it folds and you can stick holes in it, you can sew it. Acid free is good if you want something to last and not damage other paper goods.

If you make something with pamphlet stitch, I’d love to see it. Tweet a pic to @hauntologist!


Spencer Keralis is a scholar of the past, present, and future of the book who lives and works in Texas. Follow him on Twitter @hauntologist for opinions, RTs, and pictures of his cats. https://twitter.com/hauntologist

What’s Up, Doc?

“Are you queer? Do check-ups give you chills? Do nurses make you nervous? Yeah, us too. Put on your hospital gown, take a deep breath, and we’ll try to get through this together…”

Awkward at the Doctor, a 2010 zine from Eugene, OR, voices some all-too-familiar experiences of doctor anxiety and awkwardness because of heteronormative doctors making assumptions. In 2017, this zine is more relevant than ever! With the election of cheeto-fascist, the increasing agenda against affordable healthcare and increasing criminalization of reproductive healthcare, it’s more important than ever to hold our doctors accountable for providing inclusive and accessible healthcare.

AATDAATD tells how hard it can be to go to the doctor as a queer person, and includes a few different stories of bad times in the exam room. Kari Odden discusses her difficult experience learning safe sex practices as a bisexual woman. She shares what she wishes she’d have been told, to “use a condom on your toys!…Use a dental dam! Cause guess what– women can get and spread STIs, too– even HIV…Wash yo hands!…You should still get tested!” Instead, her doctor did not offer her any comprehensive sexual health advice that was relevant to her. Negative experiences like these, while common, should not be tolerated.

Another entry outlines Lance Heisler’s experience as a queer man with a presumptuous doctor whose assumptions of Lance’s straightness degrade the quality of care Lance receives. Lance makes sure to note just how common awkward doctor experiences are for queers, and he stands in solidarity with queer individuals who may be reading the zine: “I should mention now that this story is specifically meant for all those lesbians, gays, queers, and trans persons out there that know what type of stories I’m talking about.” This statement of solidarity lays groundwork for positive sharing of stories without judgement, and with understanding.

The last page of the zine is a whole page of resources!!!! These include Sexual Assault Support Services, Transgendercare.com, Sex Ed For The Real World, and many other websites or orgs that help with queer health. The time is ripe to take our health into our own hands, and hold our doctors accountable! If you have a shitty, anti-queer doc, write them a bad yelp review. We gotta demand fair treatment, and Awkward at the Doctor explains why. Enjoy the read, and be sure to check out the resources at the end.


Ella Williams, originally from Boston, MA, is a third year student at Grinnell College majoring in Gender&Visual Praxis. She’s a queer cis-lady who spends her time making music/touringunder the moniker Squirrel Flower, researching feminist art history, and trying to abolish capitalism.

New Booty Shakin’

A major way we get the word out about the Project and do a little micro-fundraising is through the sale of merch.  Just like all those other cool bands and projects, it’s the merch sales that help us to keep QZAP going financially.  For 2017 we’ve got a couple of new designs, and have made more of some of our classics.  We’re hoping to print some “Read. Write. Resist!” shirts in the near future, but for now grab some of our cutie 1″ buttons, or a copy of our latest research zine over in our swag shop.

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