I have scrolled through hours of arts and crafts tutorials over the last year and have been tempted to try each one of them. Some seemed easy enough; others were a distant dream. 

Bookbinding was one such tutorial. The videos look so beautiful—the old-world charm of making something with your hands how people did it hundreds of years ago. I always felt you’d need special tools and skills even to try a basic version. 

There are many different book binding types. Some of them need special book binding materials that you wouldn’t necessarily want to invest in. Thankfully, I came across some tutorials that a beginner like me could try with stuff you’d generally have at home.

I had a bunch of loose papers from a tear-away sketchpad that was just getting tossed around in my drawer. It was the perfect time to make use of them and try bookbinding at home.

Book binding supplies

• Loose sheets double the size of the book you want. We’ll be folding these sheets in half
• Sharp pin or needle to poke holes
• Thread and needle to sew the spine
• Decorative paper for cover (optional)
• Decorative tape to hide the outside threading (optional)
• You could also get a bookbinding tool set if you plan to do this often

DIY Bookbinding How To

Step 1: fold the loose sheets in half

Step 2: open them up and stack them together. Keep aside.

Step 3: Choose a thicker paper of the same size, or cover one of the sheets with a decorative paper to use as cover. 

Step 4: fold and stack along with the inside pages

Step 5: mark the points at the centrefold of the paper stack. This is where you will poke holes for stitching

Step 6: with a sharp pin, poke holes through the stack

Step 7: thread a needle with some colourful thread and sew the centre of the book.

Step 8: using decorative tape, hide the spine where the stitching is visible, or keep it as it is.

Step 9: you’ll notice that the pages don’t line up. If it’s a big difference then using a paper cutter just slice through the overhang a few pages at a time.

Step 10: decorate the cover as you like and start using the book.

Easy Peasy!

I’ve been using this book to practice some still life sketching. I can’t wait to try some modifications on the next one I make.

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