Hi! Tiffin here from Linwood Avenue. About a month ago, I discovered adhesive backed fabric and immediately thought it would be great to use as book cloth. Traditionally, handmade books are very messy and time consuming with gluing and waiting for pieces to dry. This adhesive fabric takes all the mess out of the equation. In this latest tutorial, I will show you how to make a quick and easy handmade book utilizing may arts ribbon as the spine binding. The best part about it is you could easily flip the project to create the ever-elusive left handed notebook.

supplies

• May Arts Ribbon

– 1 yd – 1/4″ cream silk (SK09)

• DCWV adhesive fabric paper
– 6″x7.25″ & 1.25″x6″ rectangles from one fabric
– 3.75″x5″ rectangle in coordinating fabric

• Mat board
3 pieces cut to: 4.25″x5.5″, .75″x5.5″, .75″x5.5″

• 1 Mead spiral notebook perforated (4″x5.5″)

• Small drill with 1/8” or larger bit

• Scrap piece of wood

• 4 binder clips

• Ruler

• Large needle

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INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1 –Center your 4.25″x5.5″ board onto the sticky side of the 6″x7.25″ adhesive fabric. Fold the ends into the inside like you are wrapping a gift. Adhere the 3.75″x5″ of fabric on the inside to cover up exposed board. Repeat with one .75″x5.5″ board & 1.25″x6″ fabric.

Step 2 –Tear off front & back cover of notebook. Clip all sheets of notebook together minus one. Carefully uncoil wire spiral & throw away.

Step 3 –Place spare sheet of paper on top of extra board &mark with a pencil inside every other hole. If you mark 2 side by side holes in the middle, you will end up with 8 marks total.

Step 4 –Using remaining 2 binder clips, secure pieces together in this order: 4.25″x5.5″ fabric wrapped board, loose pages, 1.25″x6″ fabric wrapped board, then the extra mat board with pencil marks.

Step 5 –Place your book on top of wood block & drill through all 8 marked holes. You are really only drilling through the sheets of mat board since the pages already have holes in them. The top mat board & wood block will prevent your fabric from getting torn up by the drill. Carefully remove top mat board, discard, & replace binder clips.

Step 6 –Thread your ribbon onto a needle and insert into one of the middle holes leaving a 6″ tail. Continue binding by weaving in & out of holes, pulling ribbon tight. Stitch down & back up one side & then repeat the process with the other side. End your stitching by bringing your ribbon up through the other middle hole.

Step 7 –To finish, make 2 knots with both ends of ribbon & then tie in a bow.

Blog post by: Tiffin Mills

Download the tutorial to this project Here!