A customer at the Tacoma craft fair asked if I could bind a book with a hidden pocket for a key.

I was showing my leather journals at a booth last October when a woman picked one up and said, 'Could you put a small pocket inside the back cover, big enough for a single house key?' I've never done that before but it got me thinking about secret compartments. Has anyone here ever added a hidden feature like that to a binding project?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_riley1mo ago

That "hidden pocket for a key" idea is so cool! My friend actually sewed a tiny envelope into a book's spine for a love letter once.

ellis.hayden1mo ago

Wait, she wanted it for a single house key? That's wild lol. People are so creative with hiding spots. I've seen hollowed out books before, but sewing it right into the binding is next level. Makes you wonder what else folks are stashing in plain sight.

danielhenderson18d ago

Friend of mine once found her grandma's old diary from the 60s stuffed behind a loose board in the closet. Totally not what you'd expect, but there was a tiny key sewn into the hem of a dress inside. She thought it was for a lockbox or something, but nope, it was just for a single drawer in her grandma's desk. @the_riley That spine pocket idea is genius though, bet that love letter felt like a secret mission. Makes you think about how many ordinary things have hidden stories. I swear, people get more creative with hiding stuff than they do with actual security.