Goal 63: Bind a Book

In a rather fetching yellow and with added origami paper for extra oriental effect: my first bound book! 

This will contain nature sketches and such.

I am very pleased with how this turned out, and it was really easy too. Here's how I did it:

1. Get a big stack of paper and make sure it's all nicely lined up (Mine's A5)
2. Tie up paper so it doesn't shift around
3. Mark with pencil where you want the holes to be
4. Drill (or somehow otherwise make) holes through the whole stack. Be careful to not set your paper alight!
5. Score cover with a ruler and knife so it bends nicely around the stack
6. Poke needle holes through the cover corresponding with holes through the stack (neater than drilling the cover since drilling leaves a burnt edge.)
7. Sew it all together with a needle and embroidery thread (I used the Japanese 4-hole book binding technique, but with 20 holes instead.)
8. Add any embellishments, and you're good to go!

In less than an hour, you have a whole new book that can look any way you want! This was so easy I may even bind my final dissertation myself, although that's two years from now. Next time I may use already drawn-on or written on pages. It'd make another good 'make her cry' gift for my mum. (Sounds weird out of context, but since I mixed her a CD that made her cry, I've tried to keep giving her really good presents.)

I added a big kanji letter for 'quiet' to the first page to cover up the burn flecks from drilling. (Protect your first page like I didn't!)

I feel kind of serene just looking at it, and it's special since it's unlike any other book I have. It makes me want to go out with a pencil and sit on the ground and sketch bugs and plants.

Limpet x