Malaysian woman quits corporate job to bind books for a living

Samsiah left the corporate world in 2009 to launch her book binding business in Kuala Lumpur. Photos: Samsiah Jendol

Kuala Lumpur-based bookbinder Samsiah Jendol, 50, sounded enthusiastic as she spoke about her trip to Penang last weekend.

She shared photos of all the food she devoured – nasi kandar, cendol, spring rolls, as well as some Instagram-worthy photos she took at tourist spots in Georgetown.

But Samsiah wasn’t in Penang to soak up the sun and enjoy the island’s mouthwatering food.

In Samsiah’s books, the beautiful stitching is showcased.

She conducted two bookbinding workshops at the George Town Festival, an annual cultural festival to celebrate Penang’s local arts, culture and heritage.

“I feel awesome with the support received from many people who visited my booth. It was a nice weekend getaway as I managed to enjoy the festival, catch up with friends, and meet like-minded crafters. During my two-hour workshops, I taught participants different stitching techniques like miniature long stitch and back stitch, and the simplest way to bind books,” said Samsiah during a chat over the phone from Georgetown.

Bookbinding is the craft of assembling sheets of paper between two covers and sewing them together using cords.

Samsiah, who lives in Ampang, likes the idea of how pieces of paper can be crafted and transformed into beautiful books with a few techniques like folding, stitching and binding.

“Most commercial binding techniques tends to hide the beauty of stitching underneath the spine. However, I expose the different stitching methods and it becomes the main feature of a book. My products are handcrafted, just like how book binding was done hundreds of years ago. It is a meticulous process.”

So passionate is Samsiah about binding books that she left her job as design manager at Malaysia Design Development Centre (MDDC) in 2009 to launch her book binding business in Kuala Lumpur.

A puncher and hammer are used to create the alphabets on the spine of a book.

“I love the idea of waking up every day and looking forward to doing something I am passionate about. Working in the corporate world for 14 years was a good experience.

And it helped prepare me for what it would take to build my own business,” said Samsiah, who was PETRONAS’ head of design (corporate communication) before her stint at MDDC.

Samsiah studied computer graphic design at Whanganui School of Design in Whanganui, New Zealand in the 1990s. Bookbinding was one of her core subjects.

“Computer graphic designing required me to sit in front of the computer for long hours. However, my bookbinding course was so much fun because I could use my hands to create stuff,” she said.

Each of her book binding projects start with a plan on what the end result would look like.

“Some planning is required to determine the type of stitching, paper, material for the cover and embellishments that I want to use. Doing this taught me to tap into my creativity and think outside the box.”

The mother of two is glad that she made the entrepreneurial leap to pursue her passion. It has enabled her to focus on a job that brings her joy.

Centipede stitching is one of the techniques used in bookbinding.

“Chasing a salary each month doesn’t entice me. I’ve enjoyed arts and crafts since young and I enjoy going over every detail of the materials used to make a book.

“Crafting, specifically bookbinding and journalling, has become a medium for me to express my creativity. Imagine how therapeutic it is to put your thoughts into a book, to record your thoughts creatively. The book becomes a memory keeper where we can flip through and reflect about our past.” she enthused.

Librarian’s best friend

Samsiah operates her business in a rented 1960s townhouse in Taman Titiwangsa in Kuala Lumpur. She made the space cosy with personal decorative items, wooden furniture and plants.

Samsiah uses the long stitch technique on many of her custom-made books.

At her workstation she has an array of coloured waxed threads and sewing needles (including curved, tapestry, and darning needles) in boxes.

Tools like a junior saw, paper trimmer, and binding clamp are within arm’s reach. Neatly arranged in a basket are scissors, files, and hammers.

Her orange tabby cat, Kitty, keeps her company while she works on her bookbinding projects. She takes between a day and a fortnight to complete a project.

Of course, this really depends on the type of stitching and the finishing she wants to do for a particular book.

“This is my little abode. This is where I can unwind and listen to music while working on my craft,” said Samsiah, who grew up in Gemas, Negri Sembilan.

Items like waxed thread, glue, scissors, paper folder, awl, puncher, cotton tape, and needles are some of the essentials in a bookbinder’s toolkit.

While bookbinding isn’t as popular as crafts like painting or sewing, Samsiah has noticed a growing interest in the craft among people who like journalling. She reckons that this is due to social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram.

“Not many people know this profession even exists. As a result, bookbinders are underrated and often parked under the publishing industry as a small part of a more significant business. Some people even think that bookbinders are people who work in the conservation department of a museum or library,” she said.

Samsiah has been conducting bookbinding workshops for about a decade now. She’s shared her knowledge with over 2,000 students.

“I feel I have an obligation to educate people on the art of binding books. Some of my students are from France, New Zealand and Brunei,” shared Samsiah, who uploads photos of her latest creations on her Instagram page, littlesyam.

Samsiah has shared her knowledge in bookbinding with over 2,000 students in the last decade.

The friendly woman also specialises in restoring old books (recipe books, comics and religious books) and wedding albums. Through her restoration projects, she’s breathed new life into old books. Her prices start from RM75.

“I always treat bookbinding as a skill, the more you do, the better you get at it. With every creation, I’ve improved and enhanced my skills and have learnt to make better judgements too. I can never imagine giving up my job as a book binder.”

Before embarking on a project, Samsiah has to plan the type of stitching and material.

Two months ago, she was tasked with one of her biggest projects: restoring 12 translations of the Quran from Kuala Lumpur’s Masjid Jamek. These holy books were damaged during the floods that hit the Klang Valley last December.

“It is an ongoing project and it will take months to restore these books. Some are mouldy and in bad shape. Most of the pages are stuck together, and it is a time consuming process to separate each page without damaging them.”

“I am trying to salvage as many of the books as possible because they are part of Masjid Jamek’s history. I hope I can save half of these religious texts, and the rest will be displayed as part of history,” she concluded.