I just posted my coptic stitch logbook tutorial with pretty pictures on my blog. I would love for some of you to test my teaching ability and offer your critiques to the written instructions. Ryan may use parts of this for an AQ tutorial. Don't wait; go and kick the tires now.

Before you click on the link, you must agree not to hold me responsible any future addiction to paper, paper cuts or dry skin.

Okay, go ahead and click here:

http://speedsquare.blogspot.com

~speedsquare

What do you mean by "signatures" in this situation? The usual definition doesn't seem to fit.

The signature is the 6 pages folded together. He explains this by saying "This is one signature." at the end of that instruction. Though I agree to a novice (such as myself) it was confusing for a minute.

A suggestion, do not use the term signature until AFTER the instructions for creating one. I think that would help a little.

Other than that, I had no problem understaning this, great job!

Good! I'll change the written instructions. The definition of signature was something I knew long before I ever heard of letterboxing, maybe as far back as Fifth Grade.

And he is getting quite a chuckle.

teesheeteesheeteshee,

speedsquare

Geez, you'd think I'd learn by now.

Sorry M'am....

Mr. Yuk (grinning sheepishly)

Wait, wait, wait. You need to tell the audience what a signature is before you launch into the instructional sections. Call it a "parts list" or whatever.

The definition of signature was something I knew long before I ever heard of letterboxing, maybe as far back as Fifth Grade.

That first tutorial about codex-style binding never used the word 'signature' at all, and I even thought about 'fixing' it so it did. I've known what a signature is for a long time now, although probably not as far back as fifth grade. Can't remember where I picked up the term, though.

But reading through the tutorial, I realized that for people who aren't familiar with book-binding techniques, not using 'technical' terms like signature makes the reading SOOO much easier, and decided the tutorial was actually better for not using it. The purpose was to explain how to create a logbook using a particular binding—not to teach them terminology.

So my suggestion would be to work around it and try to avoid the technical terms completely. If you do choose to use it, though, just be sure to define it the first time it gets used.

Such technical terms would definitely make a good addition to the AQ glossary, though, as more and more people start making their own logbooks. =)

-- Ryan

Okay, I'll rework some of it tomorrow. I'm plumb tuckered out now.

~speedsquare

Still looking around for guinea pigs... sounded cute. Wait, this isn't the critters board, is it?

Murray7, mother of the Rat Queen

Speedsquare --

I like the instructions -- they were easy to follow! One suggestion -- I tried printing the instructions on my black & white printer and the white stitches on the white paper just didn't show up too well. If you have the chance to do it again, maybe try taking pictures with darker thread?

Thanks for the tutorial!

Thanks for the feedback. I do plan to make some books using black thread, but they will be for photo albums and I'll probably use a dark paper. In the meantime, can you try printing the instructions on a parchment color, or another off white color and tell me if you can see the stitches?