Book Binding Made Simple (Tutorial)

Alright kiddies, today we're going to learn an incredibly simple book-binding technique that will allow you to make a personalized notebook out of a hardcover book.

Follow me after the jump and we'll get started!

For this project you will need:

• A hardover book that you no longer want to read
• Paper (i.e. lined notebook paper, sketch paper, etc
• Scissors
• White glue
• A roller to help prevent bubbles (I used a putty knife, I wouldn't suggest it)
• Paintbrushes
• A ruler
• Hammer
• Awl or large nail
• Clamps or large clips (I snagged some hot pink chip clips from the $1 section at Target. WIN)
• Waxed thread or dental floss
• Large needle

Optional:

• Scrapbook paper
• Thin ribbon

Once you've collected your supplies, take your scissors (or an X-acto knife) and carefully remove the cover from the book. The older the book, the easier this is.

 The next step is the most time consuming. Fold each piece of paper in half and to fit inside the book cover. Stack together 4-5 pieces of paper at a time to form small booklets.

This is the fun part! Stack your booklets together as evenly as possible and clamp them so they stay put. Mark five evenly spaced points "3/8 from the spine of your book, these are going to be the holes through which you sew the book together. Grab your hammer and awl and confidently hammer the awl completely through all five points. Tip: As you make each hole, thread a small piece of dental floss through and around the spine and tie off. This helps keep the pages straight. 

Thread your needle with a piece of dental floss that's about 4-5 times as long as the length of the book, and starting in the middle of the book, tightly weave the dental floss up through the first two holes and then back down through the rest. Do this for a couple rounds, passint through each hole 2-3 times. There's definitely some super-special anal-retentive way to do this, but you just need to sew the papers together so don't over-think it. Tie off the two ends and pat yourself on the back. Tip: Gently bend the pages a bit along the seam to make your book easier to open.

Coat the entire edge of your freshly sewn book with Mod Podge, really work it in there because this will help keep your book intact longer. Tip: If you want to add a bookmark, now's the time to do it. Trim a piece of ribbon to size and glue it towards the top of the spine. Paint Mod Podge along the edge of inside spine of your book cover, and carefully place the spine of your book where is belongs inside the cover. 

Close the book, make sure everything's lined up properly, and clamp it. Drink a cup of coffee while you wait for the glue to dry.

Once your glue is dry, open the book back up and paint one side of the cover with Mod Podge. Take the first page of your book and carefully glue it onto the cover. I highly suggest you find some kind of craft roller to help prevent the paper from bubbling. I couldn't find one at Wal-Mart so I grabbed this spackle-thingie and it got the job done, but many swear words were muttered under my breath.

Have some chocolate while you wait for the glue to dry, and then perform the same operation on the other side of the cover. Have some more chocolate.

High five! Your book is assembled! I like to decoupage the inside of the cover with pieces of the original pages, but you could use some pretty patterned paper if you'd rather.

Questions? Comments? Hate mail? Leave me a little sumpthin' sumpthin' in the comments section or shoot me an e-mail at founditmadeit[at]gmail[dot]com.