DIY Notebook Tutorial

Summertime is traveltime. Why not take a notebook with you to the exotic mysterious places you visit? Pardon me, you do not have a notebook? Lets make one!

First of all you have to cut the pages for the notebook. I am aiming for a 14x9cm notebook, so I cut 30 pages of 14x18cm. Fold the pages in half and group them to 6 signatures of 5 pages each.

Make a hole guide for stitching the pages. I just took a strip of carton and marked three points. Make holes with a pointy implement (I used a fine tip screwdriver).

Now cut out a paperback for the notebook. I used 14,5 cm height and 9,5+0,75+9,5cm width (9,5cm for front and back and 0,75 for the spine). Score the folds for the spine and fold the paperback.

See how the 6 signatures fit in the paperback:

Now its time to stitch the signatures all together. I used a 3 hole pamphlet stitch on the first signature and connected the following signatures with a similar stitch to the first one.

Now you punch 3 holes into the spine of the paperback (according to the holes in the signatures).

Insert the signatures and sew them with one pamphlet stitch through on signature to the back.

For making things pretty (and protect the stitch on the back) you can add a strip of oilcloth.

I just glued the strip horizontally on the paperback, leaving about 1,5cm stand over the edge.

Fold the oilcloth over the edge of the paperback and sew it in place. You can secure the cut threads with a bit of white glue.

To make the binding more durable glue the first and last page to the paperback.

With a corner punch you can round off the corners of the notebook.

Put the notebook under a heavy book or so over night, so it keeps shut and flat (so you don’t have to push it shut with your finger to take the final photo…).