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Binding Books

Save pennies by binding your own sketchbooks.

Life costs too much already without all the creative supplies we need to keep going. Binding your own sketchbooks could help save you some pennies.

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Seperate your paper in to equal piles. Make 3 or more piles consiting of 5 or more sheets. You can use any kind of paper you like. Fold each of the piles in half. These are called signatures. Make 3 or more signatures depending upon how much paper you have and how big you want your sketchbook to be.
You will need a sheet of card for your cover. This should be atleast 2cm longer than your sheets or paper and about 1cm wider.
Draw out the spine in the center of the card. The spine should measure �cm for each signature. So if you are using 4 signatures the spine should measure 2cm etc. Score along the lines of your spine and fold in to the shape of the cover.
Mark out 4 lines in on the inside spine of your cover. The lines nearest the edges so be atleast 2cm away from the edge and the rest should be spaced equally. Mark these 1, 2, 3 + 4 working down.
Cut slits along each of the lines.
Take the signatures and mark the equivelent 1, 2, 3 and 4 points. Make holes at these points using a pin.
Thread up a needle with some dental floss. You will need 2x the height of the spine for each signature that you are using.
Thread through point 3, leave a long tail. Go around the outside of the signature and enter through point 4.
Loop around the bottom of the cover and thread through the back of point 4 on the cover.
Thread back through point 4 on the signature.
Thread down through point 3 of the signature and the cover.
Thread on the outside through point 2 of the cover and the signature.
Turn the book over and tie the tail and the thread together.
Thread through point 1 of the signature and the cover.
Thread up over the top and back through point 1, down through point 2, around the outside of the cover of the signature but not the cover.
Thread back through point 3 on the cover, but nor the signature. You are at the point where you started. Take another signature and repeat the threading process.
When you have added all of your signatures. Tie the end of the thread around one of the bound pieces of thread and in to a knot. All you have to do now is cover your book. You can use wrapping paper, posters, fabric or even ribbons.

People who love this project (90)

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Sabine

Feb 7, 2006 2:09pm ago

Sewing the signatures onto the cover is a great idea! Thanks!

Ismoyo

Feb 10, 2006 2:11pm ago

Thanks for this tutorial! I will put it on my to-do list mos def!
Did you use wrapping paper on the sketchbook in the picture or is it a beautiful fabric?

*hugs*
Ismoyo

Jeanette Jobson

Apr 18, 2006 9:47pm ago

Great instructions. I'll have to give it a try.

Natalie

May 11, 2006 2:52pm ago

Thats awesome.

So, do you cover the covers after you sew the binding? Or could you do it before so the stitching is exposed?

Thanks Cat, love your site, I miss BrokenDoll!

-Natalie (Princess Ralph)

Cat Morley

Jul 10, 2006 7:22pm

It's best to cover to book after you have bound it, so that you don't get scores through the cover. I used wrapping paper to cover these books.

trisha

Oct 3, 2006 2:02pm ago

hey! this is great! i just made a smaller version of this using index cards. it makes a great address book.

AMP

Jan 19, 2007 4:12pm ago

Thanks for the tutorial, I was working on something similar on my own when I accidentally ran across it on wikihow. Some of the pictures don't show enough context to know what's going on, but overall it's great. Thanks for making it.