Stitched Sketchbook

TIME TO COMPLETE

30 min. to an hour

WHAT WILL YOU MAKE?

You will learn to measure carefully to create holes for a book binding. Then you will learn to stitch the book binding with twine or thread.

WHAT WILL YOU NEED?

Crafting Materials
Paper
Textiles
Yarn/string

STEP 1

Prepare your paper.

Trim your paper so that the thicker paper is 1/2" longer and wider than the 4-5 sheets.¬ªFold each piece of paper in half ham-burger style, one at a time ¬ªNest all of the folded papers together with the thick sheet on the outside to that they resemble a book.

STEP 2

Make some holes

Center the 4-5 sheets of paper on the thicker sheet so that they have a 1/4" border.¬ªUse your ruler and pencil to measure three evenly spaced dots along the fold so that the middle dot is in the middle of the fold and the side dots are at least 1" from the edg-es. ¬ªUse your awl to pierce each dot all the way through every paper in the stack.

STEP 3

Stitch!

Measure and cut enough string to span 3x the width of the cover paper and then thread your needle. ¬ªStarting from the outside of the sketch-book, run the needle through the center hole and then back out through the bot-tom hole without pulling the string all the way through. ¬ª From the bottom hole, run your needle along the outside binding and back through the top hole. ¬ª Now run your needle through the center once more.

STEP 4

Finish.

Pull the ends of the string so that they are approximately the same length and make sure that each one is on either side of the string that is running along the binding.¬ª Tie a bow with the ends and trim the excess. ¬ª Decorate your new sketchbook!

WHAT'S NEXT?

Now you have a handy, sewn sketchbook or notebook you can fill up with drawings, jokes, or whatever you feel like. Make some for your friends and family as well!

Please Note

Your safety is your own responsibility, including proper use of equipment and safety gear, and determining whether you have adequate skill and experience. Power tools, electricity, and other resources used for these projects are dangerous, unless used properly and with adequate precautions, including safety gear and adult supervision. Some illustrative photos do not depict safety precautions or equipment, in order to show the project steps more clearly. Use of the instructions and suggestions found in Maker Camp is at your own risk. Maker Media, Inc., disclaims all responsibility for any resulting damage, injury, or expense.