Two Ways to Make a Notebook
Hi! As mentioned in my previous post, here, I recently made a “Writing Kit for On-the Go” for my sister, which included a couple of notebooks, made using two different methods.
(1) The first one has bound pages, using an ancient bookbinding method called ‘Coptic Binding’.
(My notebooks were just small ones, but this method can be used to make thicker books too, by attaching several of these bundles of pages together (called Signatures). There are some tutorials on-line if you’d like to make some of those.) If you’re having a case of deja-vu, I have made a similar notebook before however this time I took lots of pictures of the process.
To make a notebook, you will need some card-stock for the cover, and paper for the pages. You will also need an awl or tack (as I used) to make holes in the paper, and some string to sew the pages together (I used embroidery thread).
To give my notebooks rounded corners, I used a punch that I got from ebay.
Once you have your cover and pages cut and folded, stack them one inside the next, and punch your holes through the whole pile at the same time. I used 8 layers of paper, which when folded will yield a notebook with 16 pages.
The length of your string should be about 4 1/2 times the height of you pages.
The following illustration shows the steps to take to complete a notebook with a Coptic Binding …
Here are some additional shots of a tiny one I made to carry in my smallest of purses.
(2) The second type of notebook I made is more of a notepad. The intention for this style is to use as scrap paper and for notes to give someone else, so I made the pages easy to tear out by first running the paper through my sewing machine (without thread).
Here’s how to make one …
Thank you for checking out my tutorials on handmade notebooks!
xo Loulou
[Follow-up July 2015 : After using these matchbook-style notepads for a while now, I can say that they really are very handy. They’re small enough to toss into any sized bag so I always have one with me. They stay closed well and look really cute. I’ve ended up using them a lot. I hope you try making some for yourself!]
