Ideas for Binding a Poetry Book

Thick, quality-grade paper is the best to use for creating homemade books.

Homemade books can be bound in a wide variety of ways, from the very basic to the highly creative. A hand-bound book of poetry, be it written by yours truly or copied from the pages of a professional, makes a thoughtful gift or memorable keepsake. Visual presentation is an important aspect of book binding; materials that can be used to bind poetry books in creative, eye-catching ways include thread, ribbon, leather and tape.

Book Binding Tape

Bind your poetry book using tape. Print your poetry book as a landscape; you can print poems on both halves of the page, or print your writing on only one half of the page. Create the spine of the book by bending the pages in half. Insert several staples lengthwise into the spine of your open book at regular intervals. The first and last staples should be approximately one-half of an inch from the top and bottom of the book. When the book is closed, there should be no illustrations or words one-half to one inch from the left edge on any page. Cut a length of tape that is slightly longer than the book is high, and lay it on a flat surface with the sticky side facing up. Close the book and press its spine into the center of the piece of tape. Fold the tape over onto the front and back covers of the poetry book, smoothing it down. If you are using white book binding tape, consider decorating it with markers, paint, craft jewels or glitter.

Hand Sewing

A hand-sewn binding is a more intricate option for a poetry book. To do this, begin by placing all the pages of your book together and folding them in half, making a crease along the spine. Your pages need to be printed in landscape layout, so that the writing is on one half of the page and you can fold the pages in half. Open the book to the center pages and mark three dots in the spine with a pencil, two one-half inch from the top and bottom and one in the center. Use a sewing needle to punch holes at each dot. Then, thread the needle with a length of thread or string that is three times the length of the book and sew the book together using the three holes. Get creative when choosing your thread or string and consider a color that complements or contrasts the color of the pages of the book.

Ribbon

Add a whimsical feel to your poetry book by binding it with ribbon. Begin with pages of unfolded paper, making sure that there is a 1-inch margin on the left side free of text and illustrations. This type of book can be printed in portrait layout. Mark dots one-half inch from the top and bottom of the front page that are also one-half inch from the left edge. Draw a faint vertical line from the top to the bottom of the front page that is one-half inch in from the left edge. Punch an even number of holes along the faint line and measure a length of ribbon that is no shorter than twice the height of the book. Bind the pages together by threading the ribbon in and out of each hole, leaving extra length to be tied off at the end. Many sizes, colors and textures of ribbon are available for purchase in craft stores to truly customize your poetry book. Consider adding matching ribbon accents to the cover, or braiding three lengths of ribbon together to use for binding.

Leather Laces

Use thin, leather laces to bind your poetry book. This can give it a rustic, woodland feel, and leather laces are available in in several colors, such as black, white and variations of tan, from craft stores. Like with ribbon binding, the book must be in single sheets with a 1-inch margin free from lettering or illustrations. Follow the same procedure outlined in Section 3 to create the holes. To bind the pages together, use either one leather lace per hole or one long length of leather lacing threaded through the holes. Tie off the extra length and use hot glue to reinforce the knots if desired. Personalize your poetry book even further by adding beads to the leather lace.

Resources

• Read Write Think: Three Ways to Bind a Handmade Book