DIY book

So today I am doing a post on how to make a book “from scratch.” This book takes longer than most of the other projects I shared on here. It is quite fun to design the covers for books because you can get really creative with it and glue things on or even leave it one solid color. I made recycled paper in one of my other posts that works really well for the cover https://steemit.com/diy/@cassidydawn/diy-easy-recycled-paper or you can use the boxes that cereal and granola come in. I use blank paper when making my books but you could always use lined paper or even patterned if you want. This is a rather long project so, get ready to craft!

Materials:

• sheets of printer-paper (the amount depends on the size of your book)
• cover for book (either cereal box or recycled paper above)
• (optional) different things to decorate book cover with
• paints of all colors
• needle/thread
• glue ( hot glue gun preferably)
• tape
• marker

Directions:

• The first thing to do is decide the dimensions of your book. I usually do books that are either ¼ the size of a piece of paper or ½ the size of a piece of paper.

• Now you have to determine the number of pages you want to make ( I like making roughly 120 page books and they are about ½ inch thick when done). When you figure that out divide your number of pages by four if you are making a small book and divide by two if making a large book, that is the number of sheets of printer paper you will need to fold for your book.

• So this step will make more sense when we start sewing the pages, but when you are folding pages you fold them to where you have the size page you want but doubled over so that you have one page that is double the size you want your pages to be.

• To get a small book you fold the paper in half width-wise and then fold it in half length-wise and cut along the fold.

• If you want a large book you can fold the paper in half length-wise and you can sew them together just like the smaller ones.

• Separate your folded pages into four stacks of opened pages. Now refold all four groups so that they are not just stacked on top of each other and they stay together.

• Stack all four groups of paper and even out the ends. Using the marker, every ½ inch or so, make a mark across all of the groups of paper.

• Open and lay out the groups of paper. Using the needle ( it is better to use a strong needle for this as you might break it if not), stick holes in each of the marks on the groups of paper.

• Refold the groups and stack them again so that the holes line up. Thread your needle with a good bit over four times the length of your book. Make a knot in the end.

• Open up the group on the end and stick needle from the outside to the inside on the hole on the very end. Stick the needle back through the hole closest to the one it went in. Stick the needle through the knot on the end and pull tight.

• Stick the needle in the hole on the group next to it. Bring the needle back out through the top hole in the paper and pull the thread tight. Tie off the string.

• Continue sewing them together like this until there is thread running through all of the holes in the groups of paper.

• Lay out the material you are using for a cover. Lay the papers that have been sewn together on top of it and outline it with the marker. Flip the book so that it is standing on its stitches right next to the line from the marker and outline it with the marker again. Now lay the book back down on the other side carefully and outline it one last time.

• Move the book and cut just outside of the rectangle that was drawn while outlining the book. Fold the lines in the middle of the book cover so that you can put the pages inside it and it covers the sides and stitches.

• You can either sew or glue the cover to the pages.
  Sew: First, mark twelve dots on the back of your book cover. It should look sort of like this.

• Stick holes in all of the dots. Thread your needle again. Tie the thread to the back of the book near one of the edges. Pull thread through a hole near the edge of the cover. Pull thread back down at the opposite hole so it will make an “X” shape later. Pull the thread back up through the next set of holes and go back down at the opposite side. When sewing this part it will be easier to leave the threads loose until you finish and then tighten them. Continue sewing the Xs until there are three full Xs on the back and the book is firmly attached to the pages.

• Glue: Put hot glue on the back of the pages and press the middle of the cover on the glue. Sometimes this method does not work and you may have to try a few times before it holds.

• Now, open the book to where the cover meets the pages and cover it with tape. Do this on both sides of the book.

• Time to decorate! Start by painting the entire outside of the book solid white. After this drys, paint the inside of the cover where you taped white. Repeat this on both sides. I put a green outline on mine.

• Now you can decorate the cover however you like. No matter what you do to decorate the cover you always want to start with it completely white because it is rather hard to get bright colors from painting directly on the brown colored cardboard.

When decorating book covers there are many different things you can do like stenciling patterns or gluing on lace. I like taking my hot glue gun and making a simple pattern and painting over it. Once you finish decorating you are done with your book. The hardest part for me is deciding how to decorate my books. As always, experiment for yourself and happy Steeming!

Thanks For Reading!!