How to Make Your Own Book or Journal
Create a space where you can showcase and preserve your poems, drawings, and thoughts. Design and make a simple yet beautiful book that is as unique as you are.
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Transform boring sheets of paper into simple and fun craft projects.
You Will Need
- 10 sheets blank paper
- A sheet of colored or decorative paper
- Scissors
- A sheet of cardstock
- A ruler
- A pencil
- A bookbinder's awl
- A large sewing needle
- Waxed thread
- A decorative strip of paper
- Glue
- A paper cutter (optional)
Steps
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Step 1
Cut the blank paper
Cut the blank paper to the size you want. Then fold each page in half and insert them one inside the other.
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Step 2
Cut the decorative pages
Cut the decorative sheet of paper to the same size as the blank sheets. Fold this sheet in half and place it on the outside of your folded blank pages.
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Use a paper cutter to measure and trim the pages and ensure sharp, even edges for your book.
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Step 3
Cut the cover page; fold
Cut the cover page slightly taller and wider than the other sheets. Then fold it in half and place it on the outside of the decorative sheet.
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Step 4
Mark three sewing points inside the book
Open the folded pages to the center. Measure and mark the center of the fold with a pencil. Then mark two more spots – one halfway from the center to the top and one halfway from the center to the bottom.
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Make five sewing marks in the fold if you make a book using more than 10 pieces of paper. A stronger seam will strengthen the spine of the book.
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Step 5
Pierce holes
Use the bookbinder's awl to pierce a hole at each of the marks in the fold. Be sure that each hole goes all the way through the cover page.
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Step 6
Sew the book in the center
Thread the needle and push it through the center hole from the outside of the book to the inside. Leave 3 inches of thread hanging on the outside.
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Step 7
Continue sewing through the other holes
Push the needle through the top hole to the outside of the book. Then bring the thread across the back of the book to the bottom hole, and thread it back through the center.
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Step 8
Tie the thread and cover the spine
Tie off the thread and trim the ends. Then glue your strip of colorful paper down the outside of the book's spine to cover the thread. Now, grab a pen and start writing.
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In 1868, David McConnell Smyth patented one of the first sewing machines specifically made to bind books.
