How to Bookbind

Quality hardbound pocket notebooks like Moleskines are stylish and convenient, but expensive. Why not make your own? With these instructions and some basic bookbinding supplies, you can create a 4.25-inch-by-5.5-inch hardbound pocket notebook with a cover that you design yourself.

Things You'll Need

• Two pieces of butcher paper, 6.25 inches by 7.5 inches Fifteen 8-inch-by-5.5-inch pieces of writing paper (this can vary according to how many pages you want in your book) Two pieces of card stock, 4.25 inches by 5.5 inches Two pieces of decorative paper, 3.75 inches by 5 inches Scissors Ruler Bone folder Bookbinding thread Bookbinding needle Pencil Binder or bulldog clips Glue stick Awl and cutting surface Ink pad (optional) Stamp (optional) One piece of white craft paper, 2.25 inches by 2.25 inches (optional) One piece of black craft paper, 4 inches by 2.75 inches

Instructions

Create Book Covers

1. 

   Using your bone folder, score a straight line parallel to one vertical (long) side of one of the pieces of card stock, 3/4 inch from the edge. Fold the card stock lightly at the scored line (you may want to score the other side of the card at the same location to make folding easier).

   This will be the front cover of your book and will need to be flexible to open.

2. 

   Repeat Step 1 for one of the pieces of butcher paper, scoring a vertical line 1 3/4 inches from one of the vertical (long) edges.

3. 

   Turn the piece of scored butcher paper face down. Apply glue to the entire back surface of the paper. Place the scored card stock onto the glued butcher paper, lining up the scored lines, and press down.

4. Repeat for other piece of card stock and butcher paper. This will be the back cover, so there are no scored lines to line up.

5. 

   On both covers, fold each corner of the butcher paper over each of the four points of the card stock and press down. The folds should all be at 90-degree angles.

6. 

   Fold all four flaps of butcher paper over onto the card stock and press.

7. 

   Glue each of the two pieces of 3.75-inch-by-5-inch decorative paper to the inside center of each cover, covering any exposed card stock.

Create Cover Design

1. This is an optional idea for a cover design. Stamp an image onto the 2.25-inch-by-2.25-inch piece of white craft paper. Attach photo corners to the corners of the white paper.

2. Glue the white stamped paper to the center of the 4-inch-by-2.75-inch piece of black craft paper, with the black piece oriented vertically.

3. 

   Glue this framed stamp design to the outside of your front cover 3 inches from the left vertical (scored) edge. This is to make room for the spine.

Assemble Book

1. Fold each of the fifteen 8-inch-by-5.5-inch pieces of writing paper in half, so that each folded piece measures 4 inches by 5.5 inches . Stack the folded pages on top of one another, with the spines pointing left. (Do not tuck the folded pages one inside the other; rather stack them folded, like towels.)

2. 

   Sandwich the pages between the two covers. The scored line on the top cover should be on the left side of the stack, like the spines of the pages. Tap the spine of the book against a tabletop to line up all of the pages.

3. 

   Attach one binder clip or bulldog clip to the top and the bottom edges of the book. Place a folded piece of paper around the edges of your book before you attach the clips to avoid bruising your covers.

Sew the Binding

1. Mark three holes on the cover of the book with a pencil: one 1 3/4 inches down from the top and 3/8 inch from the spine, one 2 3/4 inches from the bottom and 3/4 inch from the spine, and one 1 3/4 inches up from the bottom and 3/8 inch from the spine. From the top going down, consider these holes A, B, and C.

2. 

   Place the book on a cutting surface. Using the awl, puncture the book through both covers at the three marked holes. Press and twist the awl to work it completely through the layers.

3. 

   Thread your needle with 5 feet of bookbinding thread. You are ready to sew the binding. Check your sewing against the diagram on this step as you proceed.

4. With the cover face up, holes and spine to the left, push your threaded needle down through hole B. Leave four inches of thread dangling from hole B (to tie off the binding when you are finished). Bring the needle around the spine (left), to the front, and down through hole B again.

5. Push the needle up through hole A. Wrap around the spine and come up through hole A. Wrap the thread around the top edge of the book and push the needle up through hole A again.

6. Push the needle down through hole B. Wrap the thread around the top edge of the book and push the needle down through hole B again.

7. Push the needle up through hole C. Wrap the thread around the spine and push up through hole C. Wrap the thread around the bottom edge of the book and push up through hole C again.

8. 

   Push the needle down through hole B. Wrap the thread around the bottom edge of the book and then tie the remaining thread in a square knot with the 4 inches of thread dangling from hole B. Clip the stray thread ends.

Tips & Warnings

• Use real bookbinding thread for this project; dental floss and sewing thread can slip or tear pages. Make sure each stitch is pulled tight (gently) so your binding will not be loose. You do not need to pull hard, just so the thread is tense against the book.

References

• Making Books and Journals; Constance E. Richards; 1999
• How to Make Books; Esther K. Smith; 2007