Stitched Notebooks Tutorial

Hello, Diana here with this month’s Tutorial. Today I’ll show you how to make cute notebooks.

Some scrapbook lines have made pretty fabric paper, I really like the 3 designs from the Donna Downey canvas collection and thought of using them as covers for my notebooks.

The materials you’ll need: computer paper, a couple of cardstock pages, thin cardboard and fabric for the cover, assorted ribbon, twine and embellishments of your preference to decorate the cover.

This is a 6”x4” notebook, to make the section books start by cutting the computer paper in an 8”X6” size, arrange the sheets one inside the next and fold in half.

Trim the fore-edge with a scalpel and a ruler. You’ll need to make several cuts to trim through the whole book.

 You’ll need an Endpaper and a Cover Sheet; to make those cut two pieces of cardstock (see next image). The length of your cardstock will depend on how many section books you are adding to the notebook, measure the thickness of the section books and add that number to 8”. Mine has two section books and my cardstock pieces measure 8.25” X 6”.

On both cardstock pieces Score a 4” line from left to center and a 4” line from right to center, there should now be a thin spine on the cardstock. Mark four stitch holes along the inside fold for each section book, pierce the holes.

These are the parts you should have to stitch together.

Start stitching one section book to the endpaper and cover sheet, continue with the second section book. You now have your book block.

To make your cover cut three pieces of cardboard, two will be for your front and end cover and one for the spine. Measure your book block and make the cardboard pieces slightly bigger.

Cut the fabric a few inches bigger as shown on the image. Glue the cardboard pieces to the fabric; I like to use Fabri-Tac glue. Diagonally cut off each corner of the fabric within 3/16in of the corner of the cardboard. Fold and glue the short edges of the fabric. Tuck in and glue the fabric around each corner. Fold and glue the long edges of the fabric. 

The final step is to glue the complete endpaper to the inside of your cover, but before you complete this step read my next note.

Note: before you glue the endpaper you can add some ribbon and twine to the front cover, I also added a piece of lace to the spine. 

Another idea is to add a piece of ribbon between each the endpaper and the front and back cover to provide a way to close your notebook with a knot or a bow.

Or decorate with brads and embellishments.

If you are still short a few stocking stuffers, avoid the crowded malls and shop your supplies, these are easy to make and are nice gifts.

Till next time!

=D