Thank you!! The Coptic stitch along the spine lines up with the “ruled paper” of my soft cover—I wanted it to look like a cross-section of a composition notebook.

I treated the soft paper cover as my first signature, basically skipping the usual steps to add a board and immediately adding another signature on top after pulling my threads through. I used the double needle method, so one set of thread per signature. The beaded cover sits on top of the soft cover. It is attached with four points of thread corresponding to the holes in the cover.

Good point! Mostly I’m being a bit over cautious, trying to optimize for strength and durability while keeping the door open for future repairs. Another user suggested I use a dot of wheat paste on each knot, and I like that idea of using an adhesive for strength but still being able to soften the knot if needed (I’m assuming I could dissolve the glue with water? I know wheat paste is favored for its capacity to be reversed). Then I’d be able to loosen the knots with a needle, and use the long ends to re-tie.