How I make a Handmade Journal : Scrappy Project Friendly

Dearest Paper People,

Some may not see the lure to remain in a paper world, some may not be drawn to the tactile delights of smooth and crisp pages being turned, some may not appreciate the live texture that a screen does not afford- but that is not us. We love our paper planners and cards and non-computer generated art. We love the sounds, feel, and sometimes smells of the paper world. To celebrate this love I’m sharing my journal making process today. 

The history of journals is long and windy. From rudimentary clay tablets to intricate quality books, collecting information and thoughts has always been in style. 

The word journal comes from the French word jour meaning “day” or “daily”. I’m not particularly good at daily journaling though I have attempted it many times. The journal that I made here is for taking notes at church as I’m one of those people that remembers better if I write things down. 

To create a similar journal you’ll need to gather some items. I’ve listed them below as well as linked them to my resources page under BOOK MAKING SUPPLIES where you can find the particular items I use. 

Journal Making Supplies:

Paper for the pages (I used 24 sheets of 24lb copy paper)

Hard board for the cover (I used the sturdy back cover board of an old drawing pad)

A collection of painted papers or other collage fodder

Gel Medium (matte or glossy)

Paint brush for gel medium

Printer (if you want lines or grids on your pages)

Small hole punch

Awl

Waxed linen thread

Sewing needle with appropriate size eye to hold thread but still be able to go through paper without making the hole too big 

Letter stamps and ink pad (optional)

To begin you need a plan. I recently made a little gift for a friend that included a butterfly and that inspired the design for this journal. 

Once I had my palette I prepped the boards by cutting them to size. I made mine 5 1/2″ x 7 3/8″ but you can change that to suit your needs, of course. The reason for the unusual size was that I was creating the cover to fit the layout of my pages instead of the other way around.

Then I sealed the board with gel medium, especially focusing on the edges. I wanted to make sure they didn’t expand open like the edges of paper board can when adding moisture to them.

(*Note: anywhere that I mention glue below, I’m using the gel medium.) 

After it was nice and dry I started with the background. Using the gel medium as glue, I covered one side of the front and back covers allowing the collage papers to hang over the edges all the way around each side. 

Then I glued the over hanging papers down wrapping the edges and coming in about ¼” to ½“. I also added some white paper to the inside of the covers. This paper concealed the edges of the background papers and gave it a clean, finished look. 

You will notice that the moisture from the gel medium will make the board start to curl up a bit. As I worked I tried to keep it as flat as I could but the more permanent flattening will happen when it dries under weight overnight. Don’t worry! 

Next I started to work on my butterfly. I created the wings, cutting and using the gel medium as glue, and set them aside. Then worked on the leaves and stems.

Then I cut leaves out of my painted collage papers and added them to the stems. The leaves on the inside I kept close to the perimeter because I had planned to add a verse to the inside cover and didn’t want the leaves under that paper. I also gave the leaves a little outline by applying some ink around the edges before gluing them down.

Now it was time to add the butterfly. I made the butterfly come off the edge a bit and wrapped it around to the inside. Then I cut out the body from black mulberry paper and used thread for the antennas. 

I actually went back after it was all said and done and added a leaf that I forgot earlier, in case you wonder where it is in some of these images. 😊

Now for assembling the book:

Prepare the signatures.  In case you don’t know, a signature is just a grouping of pages in book binding. For this journal I made the signature 6 pieces of paper because I was only using a 24lb paper. I made a total of 4 signatures. 

I printed a dot grid on both sides of each page and then folded each page in half and then grouped the signatures.

I then made a little template on a piece of paper marking where I wanted the holes for the binding. Since this journal was a mid to small size, I just made 5 binding holes.

Using the template I marked the holes on the front and back covers coming in ¼ “ from the edge. Then I marked the signature down the inside fold. 

For the holes on the covers I use my trusty hole punch. That tool is so useful for so many things, I’ve used it quite a lot over the years. I have a link on my resources page if you need one. 

Then I used an awl to pierce the pages and ready them for sewing.

Grab the waxed thread, needle, and some scissors. I used  the coptic stitch to bind the book together. It’s a fairly simple stitch and is nice and secure when using the waxed thread. 

First, cut a long piece of thread that is 8 times the length of the journal. I chose 8 times to make sure there is plenty of thread to work with and not run out before the binding is complete. Ultimately I have 6 pieces to sew together and then I added 2 lengths for a buffer. If you have more signatures than 4, add an additional length for each additional signature. 

 

After threading your needle and making a knot at the end of the thread start at the bottom hole on the inside of the signature and come out the spine of the fold. Your knot should be anchored on the inside. 

Holding the back cover under the signature, bring the needle around the back and through the bottom hole on the cover going from the outside to the inside 2 times. Then wrap all the way around the thread coming out of the signature with the working thread and then insert the needle back into the same bottom hole in the signature. Pull everything solid but not so tight that you rip the paper. 

The best thing I’ve found is to decide which direction you are going to wrap around the thread and then continue in the same manner throughout the rest of the project. I don’t know that the direction is important, but you will have a better result by being consistent. 

Next take your needle to the next hole up the signature and repeat going around the back cover from outside to inside 2 times and then wrapping around the thread coming out of the signature before inserting the needle back into the same signature hole. 

The rhythm of this stitch will start to take hold on the next signature. This first row can be a little fiddly so be patient, calm, and deliberate. 

Move the needle to the next hole down and come out the spine of the 2nd signature. After you pull the thread all the way out, wrap it in the direction of your choosing around the stitch at the spine of the signature below and then insert the needle back into the same signature hole. By wrapping around the previous row you are in effect sewing the current signature to the one before it. Repeat to the last hole in the signature. 

Instead of inserting back into the same signature you will start on the next one.

Keep things as neat, lined up, and deliberate as possible. You should be in the rhythm now!

Continue this way with each signature and then onto the front cover.

I did add an extra wrap around the front cover at the top and bottom holes just for a little extra reinforcement. 

You will likely put it together that for the front cover you will need to insert the needle back into the last signature you added since there are no holes to sew back into on the cover. So the last row looks like this:

In the end that first signature will have 2 threads going down the center instead of just one like the other signatures. 

Then secure a knot as close as possible to the fold. Snip off the extra thread leaving a small tail. Wrap the tail around the inside threads and you’re done!

You may trim the pages to lay even at the outer edge if you wish. I left mine on this one but I have done that on others in the past. Another option that I love is hand tearing the edges of the pages. It’s easier to do that if your paper is a little larger than the cover so you have room to tear them. 

Now you have a journal worthy of all your contemplating and planning! And don’t forget gifting! I’ve also made one for my art journal in which I used heavier paper to be able handle some heavier mediums. Remembering the making process of the journal gets my creative juices flowing. 

I hope you try it and love it just as much as I do! Until next time my papyrophiliac!