[ Music ] >> Tamara Ohanyan: The binding on Armenian manuscripts
has remained consistent for over a millennium. Even the earliest surviving
complete bindings show characteristic features,
such as herringbone sewing of the text block
over double cords, attached to thin wooden boards. In addition, the board-to-text
attachment is strengthened by a cloth spine
lining and an endband that is sewn through the boards. The Armenian endband is a
compound endband consisting of a primary endband sewn
around a cord support, over which a secondary endband
is sewn using three additional cords and at least three silk
threads of different colors to make a chevron design. [ Music ] When the boards are attached and
the spine is lined with fabric, make three holes on each of
the boards that are staggered and not aligned, about 2 to
3 centimeters from the head and tail of the top
edge of the board. [ Music ] Stand the book in front of you with the fore-edge facing
you and the boards open. To make working easier,
secure the 10-ply primary cord with tape to the edge
of the backboard. That is where I will
start the sewing. The cord should extend at least
2 centimeters behind the holes on the board. Thread a size 14 needle
with 25.3 linen thread. Working from inside the
board to the outside, go through the first hole,
leaving at least 3 centimeters of thread as a tail
on the inside board. To keep the thread from
moving, I have taped it down. [ Music ] Go back into the same
hole to create a loop, and this will be
the first tie-down. The same hole will
be used to create at least six loops or tie-downs. The amount of sewing thread
required is usually calculated by doubling the length
of the number of tie-downs plus
20 centimeters more. Make sure the tie-downs sit
next to each other on the cord. [ Music ] The thread is long
and should be pulled through carefully
to avoid knots. Notice how I am using my
needle to create space between the threads as
they come out of the hole. [ Music ] The tie-downs should be
snug but not too tight, as that will ?atten the cord. And as you start to make the
secondary chevron sewing, the tie-downs may
become too tight and push the cord
off the board edge. Be very careful not to split
the existing threads as you go through the holes
with the needle. [ Music ] After completing seven
tie-downs in the first hole, move into the second hole and continue working
in the same way. [ Music ] After completing the second
hole, move to the third hole, complete another
seven tie-downs. [ Music ] Here I am going into the joint
with my needle at the same depth as the second hole on the board. Depending how wide the
joint is, you will pack it with two or three tie-downs. [ Music ] After doing three tie-downs,
I go into the middle of the first section
using the hole from the first sewing station
to come out on the spine. In Armenian binding, all
sewing holes are supported and there are no
kettle stitches. [ Music ] Points of transition in the Armenian endband require
some manipulation of the thread with one's fingers
to set it properly. [ Music ] Then continue working the
rest of the primary sewing in the same way, going
through the center of each section using the holes
from the first sewing station. Because I didn't want to work
with a long thread, here, I am adding more thread by
making a square knot that rests in the fold close
to the sewing hole. [ Music ] After ending the last section,
sew the primary endband across the front joint
exactly in the same way as the back joint, using the
same number of tie-downs. [ Music ] As the transition to the
board is made, again, seven tie-downs are
required for each hole. [ Music ] To finish, after making the last
loop, come out onto the outside of the front board and tape
down the tail of the thread. Before binding the book, the
taped threads will be fanned out and adhered to boards
with paste. Note how the even tension of the primary sewing
has created a fanning out of the leaves. Before proceeding to the
next stage, it is important to make sure that the
threads are next to each other and not twisted,
especially at the holes. Here, I am using an awl
to comb the threads. [ Music ] The secondary endband sewing
creates a chevron design. The design will be woven with
different colored silk threads over three cords of the two
different thicknesses shown here: a 2-ply cord for
the first and second row and a 10-ply cord
for the third row. The 2-ply cord is double the
length of the 10-ply cord, and that is the same length as
the primary sewing cord support. The chevron endband
will have three colors and be made with five needles. Starting from the
right to the left, number one needle has a
doubled black thread, number 2 and number three needles have
doubled red threads in each, number four has doubled
black thread, and number five has
doubled white thread. Place the needles in order
from the right to the left on the cushion, as this
helps avoid tangling threads and mistakes in color order. [ Music ] Start with needle number one. Pick up the first
tie-down and go under it, directing the needle from
the right to the left. Leave at least a 2.5
centimeters tail on the board. Take needle number two with
the doubled red thread. Pick up the second
tie-down and go under it, directing the needle from
the right to the left. Leave at least a 2.5
centimeters tail on the board. Continue to follow these steps
using needles number three, four, and five to pick
up tie-downs three, four, and five similarly,
leaving a tail in each case. [ Music ] Always return the needles to the
cushion, placing them in order. [ Music ] After picking up the first five
tie-downs, collect the tails and pull them snug, and tape
them to the board at an angle. [ Music ] Take the first 2-ply cord. Place it on the head of the book
and tape it down to the board. [ Music ] Take the needle number
one with the black thread from the cushion,
go over the cord, and pick up the sixth
tie-down, pushing the needle under the cord from
the right to the left. Return the needle
to the cushion, placing it after
the last needle. [ Music ] Continue follow these steps
using needles number two, three, four, and five in order, picking up the tie-downs
following the sixth one. [ Music ] Here, all five threads have
been worked in order once, and we can see the beginning
of the design forming. Continue working in this manner
until the end of the row. [ Music ] Either a needle or a
fingernail can be a useful tool to untwist the threads
as needed. [ Music ] It is very important to avoid
catching fibers of the cords or the threads of the
tie-downs with the needle. I find it helpful to use an
awl to help pull the threads to keep them from twisting
so they stay parallel. [ Music ] Repeat these steps until you
reach the end of the row. [ Music ] At the end of the first
row, I find it easier to fold the first cord
to form the second cord for the second row
of the endband. You can also cut the cord in
half and use them separately. Continue working with the
last needle of the first row. Go over the second cord. Pick up the sixth tie-down
above the first cord, and go under the second
cord, directing the needle from the left to the right. [ Music ] Next in order, using the
white threaded needle, I go over the second cord,
pick up the seventh tie-down above the first cord, and
then go under the second cord, directing the needle from
the left to the right. [ Music ] I'm using my fingers to
seat the threads properly and match the colors
from both rows to create the chevron design. [ Music ] Repeat the same steps
with other colored threads in the same order until you
pick up the last tie-down at the end of the second row. [ Music ] Make sure to go under
the tie-down without splitting the threads. As you can see, it is not easy. [ Music ] Now, the angled windings
of the threads on the two cords are mirroring
each other and really bring out the chevron design. [ Music ] It is important to
occasionally check that you are picking
the correct tie-down with the right colored
silk thread. [ Music ] As you see, my white
thread has twisted and I am trying to
untwist it here. [ Music ] After reaching the end of the
row, I have to make a knot that anchors the first and second cords together
before I can move to the final and third row of the endband. After making sure that
my five threads are in order, I begin my knot. Taking the next colored
needle in the design order, I go over the second
and first cords. And then, using the
needle, go under the cords between the first
and second tie-downs and pushing the needle
straight up. [ Music ] Repeat the same steps with
the second and third needles. [ Music ] The more colors you
use to make your knot, the more of the chevron
design at the end of the row will be covered. The number of colors
you use is optional. I have used three. [ Music ] Take the last working needle,
the black thread in this case. Pick up the sixth-down, pushing
the needle from the right to the left, leaving a loop. [ Music ] Then, place the third cord,
which is the 10-ply cord, into the loop and
pull the thread snug. [ Music ] Tape down the end
of the third cord to make working the
endband easier. Now, with the next needle, I
have to go over the third cord and pick up the seventh tie-down
above the second cord and go under the third cord,
with the needle going from the right to the left. Continue working in this way
to complete the third row. Keep the colors in order, and
do not let the threads twist. [ Music ] After working to
the end of the row, it is time to make
the final knot. There is no standard
way of doing this. The method I used
is not shown here. I took the next colored
needle in the design order, and went over all three cords,
and picked up the last tie-down, with the needle angled
from the left to the right. I repeated these steps
with the second needle in the correct color order, and picked the second
to last tie-down. I repeated these steps with
third, fourth, and fifth needles in order, picking
the third, fourth, and fifth tie-downs
from the end. This is the same
way I made the knot at the end of the second row. Pull the threads snug. Cut the threads, leaving
about 2.5 centimeters, and line them together
to paste them down. The cord supports will
be cut close to the edge of the design before binding. I am making sure that most of the cords supporting the
secondary chevron sewing are above the edge of the text
block and not getting squeezed or hidden by the board. [ Music ] From the Preservation
Directorate at the Library of Congress. [ Music ]
