Notepad is a thing that almost everyone has. For some, it is simple, in the form of a notebook, for others it is a large diary, for others it is a cute personal diary for recording thoughts and ideas. This article will focus on how to make a paperback notebook with your own hands. Let's try to briefly describe the stages of this handmade work and its nuances.
What do you need?
In order to make a notebook with your own hands, you will need:
- A4 or A5 paper (the format depends on what size of the notebook you want to receive; the amount of paper affects the thickness of the notebook and also depends on the desire of the master);
- dense binding cardboard of the right size for the cover;
- thick paper (possibly scrapbooking paper) for bookends;
- universal moment adhesive;
- kapron thread and a needle of medium thickness;
- cutting tools: stationery knife, scissors;
- fabric and synthetic winterizer for cover;
- if desired - ribbons, lace, flowers and other decorations for the cover.
First step: create a block for notepad
This stage is considered the longest and most boring. The sheets you have can either be aged or left white. You can also print pages with any pictures or phrases.
If you decide to age the paper, you need to make tea and soak the white sheets of office paper in the tea leaves. After the paper lies in the tea leaves, it must be dried and ironed. When the paper is ready, the sheets are folded in half into double sheets, after which they form books for the future block. As a rule, one booklet is composed of four double sheets. When everything is ready for sewing the block, a kapron thread and a needle are taken. There are many ways to create a block. When the block is sewn, the spine is smeared with glue and left to dry for the duration of the cover.
Second stage: create a cover for a notebook
Those who are wondering “how to make a notebook” should understand that the cover is its most important element, its face. That is why its creation should be given special attention. In order to make a cover, take a binding cardboard and cut out three elements: in front of the cover, its back and the spine. You already know what the size of the notebook and its thickness will be, so there should not be any problems with determining the sizes of these elements. The spine and parts of the cover are connected together by tape or thin paper, and between them there should be a distance of a couple of millimeters for easy use. If you want to make a soft cover, glue a synthetic winterizer before wrapping it with a cloth. This can be done with
double-sided tape or hot glue.
Tightening the cover with a cloth is also not an easy process: first the corners are bent, then the parts around the perimeter. It is very important to monitor the tension of the fabric. It should neither hang out nor fit the cardboard too tightly. When the fabric is glued (with silicone glue), you can decorate the cover to your taste and proceed to the next, final stage.
The third stage: we connect the block and the cover
How to make a notebook easy to open? This question should concern the master at this stage. To begin with, pre-prepared bookends are glued to the finished block, and here the most difficult begins. If you make a mistake when gluing the flyleafs, the notebook may either open poorly or not close. Think in advance the sizes of bookends and stick them to a cover with the subsequent closing of a notebook. Use only strong adhesive so that the product is practical and durable.
So, now you know how to make a notebook, and are familiar with the main stages of this difficult process. A hand-made thing is exclusive and original, and if it is also made by the owner of a loved one for herself, it will only please him! Do not be afraid to experiment, because making notebooks is a very interesting and fascinating activity!