Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Decorate a sheet of 13-by-20 1/2-inch paper. Use any medium you want to personalize your cover. Watercolors, acrylics and markers are a few possibilities.
Tape two pieces of 9-by-11-inch card stock together with a 1/2-by-11-inch strip between them. Leave a 1/8-inch space between each piece, to facilitate future bending as the book opens and closes. Place the tape at two locations perpendicular to the book binding; this is now the book support.
Dilute some white glue with water and brush it onto the entire back side of your personalized cover with a 1-inch brush.
Place the book support centered over the glued cover back and press it firmly in position. Smooth any unwanted wrinkles from the outside cover.
Clip a triangle from each cover corner with scissors. Wrap the cover over the edges of the book support.
Fold 30 sheets of 11-by-17-inch paper in half, lengthwise. This size filler paper is the same height as the sketchbook cover, but less wide. You can cut the paper to any size you desire.
Clamp the pages with binder clips to keep them stable as you punch holes in the binding.
Use a wire brad nail and hammer to punch four holes close to the folded spine edge of the filler papers. Measure 1/4-inch from the spine and draw a straight line with a ruler and pencil. Make marks 1/4-inch from each end, and separate the middle into thirds to make the last two hole locations. Put a heavy phone book or piece of wood behind your pages as you punch, to protect your work surface.
Thread a needle with heavy-duty upholstery thread, double the length of the binding. Knot the ends together with an overhand knot to make a double strand of sewing thread.
Push the needle through the lower middle hole until the knot is snug against the paper.
Bring the thread around the binding and back through the same hole.
Proceed in the same manner to anchor the other holes, pulling the thread tightly in each hole. Use the same thread without cutting it until you arrive back at the initial hole.
Make two knots and thread the needle through the hole once again. Cut the thread so it is flush with the pages.
Align the sewn pages so they are centered over the cover. Glue the outside pages and flip the book so both sides lie flat in the cover.