How to Make a Homemade Book (with Pictures)

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To make a homemade book with glue and fabric, start by choosing a material for your cover. If it’s your first time making a book, cardboard is a good option. Cut 2 identical front and back cover pieces so that they’re 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) wider and ½ inch (1.25 cm) longer than the inside pages. For example, if you’re using standard printer paper, get a piece of cardboard that’s 8 ¾ inches by 11 ½ inches (22.2 x 31 cm) and cut it in half. Next, take 6 pieces of paper and fold them in half widthwise. Thread a needle with a thick piece of thread or embroidery floss, then poke the needle through the middle of the crease from the front. Pull it back through the back of the crease about halfway between the middle of the paper and the edge, then bring it back through the original hole in the middle. Repeat the stitch on the other side of the middle of the crease to make a pair of stitches shaped like a figure 8. Tie the end of the thread to the loose end poking through the central hole on the front face of the pages. Make as many of these stitched groups of pages as you like, then stack them on top of each other. Set something heavy down on the stack, such as a large book, to flatten the pages. While you’re at it, measure the height of the stack of pages to get a sense of how wide the spine of your book needs to be. Once the pages are flat, sew them together using a similar pattern to the one you used to stitch the separate stacks of pages together. Then, cut out a strip of fabric as long as the pages and ¾ of an inch (2 cm) wider than the spine of your book. Coat one side of the strip with enough glue to dampen it thoroughly, but not so much that it drips and runs. Run the strip along the spine of the book lengthwise and wrap the excess width around the pages on either side. Make sure the fabric is pulled tight, and run a ruler along it to smooth out any bubbles or bumps. Place the pages between 2 pieces of wax paper and press them under a heavy object, such as a big book. Wait about 20 minutes for the glue to dry. Next, glue the cover pieces to the first and last pages of the book, making sure they are properly aligned with each other and the spine of the book. Cut out a second piece of fabric. Make this one as long as the cover pieces and ¾ of an inch (2 cm) wider than the first strip of fabric you cut. Glue the new piece of fabric to the spine and wrap the excess on either side around the edges of the cover pieces. Again, place the book between 2 pieces of wax paper and weigh it down with something heavy while the glue dries. In the meantime, cut out a large piece of decorative paper. It should be 2 inches (5 cm) wider than both covers and the spine combined, and 2 inches (5 cm) longer than the cover. Cut notches out of the top and bottom of the paper where it will fit over the spine, since you won’t be able to fold the paper over the ends of the spine. Open the book and set it on top of the sheet of decorative paper, and fold over about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of the top, bottom, and sides of the paper so that it fits perfectly around the covers. This will be easier if you cut slits at the corners of the paper where you need to make the folds. Glue the flaps down to the inside covers of the book so the paper stays in place. To finish your book, cut 2 more pieces of decorative paper about 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) narrower than the cover and ½ inch (1.25 cm) shorter. Glue them to the inside covers of the book so that they’re flush with the spine. Once all the glue is dry, have fun decorating your book however you like. To learn how to decorate your homemade book, scroll down!

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