How to Make an Ornamental Bookbinding Cover

Create your own books with ornamental covers.

Creating your own book with an ornamental cover and binding it yourself can be accomplished with items found around the home. Create a handmade journal or scrapbook for a birthday gift or fill your handmade book with your favorite recipes for a thoughtful wedding shower gift. This book can also be filled with photographs. Digital photos can be printed and bound together to commemorate a special celebration or trip and then bound with a themed ornamental cover.

Things You'll Need

• Poster board
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Hole puncher
• 1/8 yard cotton or silk fabric
• White glue
• Silk ribbon
• Plain paper
• Twig
• Rubber band
• 20 round pearl beads

Instructions

1. Cut two pieces of poster board and 20 pieces of plain paper to measure 8.5-by-5.5 inches.

2. Position one piece of poster board lengthwise in front of you. Use a hole puncher to punch two holes evenly spaced and 1-inch from the left-side edge.

3. Repeat with the second cut piece of poster board and all the plain paper, matching the holes.

4. Cut two pieces of fabric to measure 10-by-7 inches. Glue the fabric to one side of one piece of cut poster board. Center the board.

5. Cut off a triangle of the fabric at the poster board corners even with the corner tip. Fold down the excess fabric to the back side of the poster board and glue down.

6. Cut another piece of fabric to measure 8-by-5 inches. Glue the fabric to the back side of the poster board.

7. Cover the book's back cover with the same method.

8. Glue an 11-inch piece of silk ribbon down the front of the book cover, 2-inches from the left side edge. Glue the ribbon ends to the inside of the front cover.

9. Glue pearl beads to the cover along the edge of the ribbon. Use a small amount of glue. Let all glue dry completely for several hours.

10. Use the hole punch to punch holes through the fabric covering the poster board holes.

11. Stack the front and back covers over the plain paper. Match the holes.

12. Break a twig to measure 5 inches. Place the twig over the holes on the left edge of the book's front cover.

13. Push a rubber band from the back of the book through the top hole and wrap the band loop around the twig.

14. Push the opposite end of the rubber band through the bottom book back hole and wrap the loop around the twig to securely bind the book.

References

• "Make Your Own Books;" Anna-Marie D'Cruz; The Rosen Publishing Group Inc.; 2009
• "The Ultimate Crafts Compendium;" Publisher Joanna Lorenz; Hermes House; 1998