DIY Bound Book Part 1

I’ve been making bound books for a few years, and wanted to share a tutorial on how to make one! This one uses 25 sheets of paper to make a 50 page book, but you can use more or less if you’d like. You can use any paper you like, loose leaf, graph paper, sationary, moleskin, or your own handmade paper. I like to leave the book with the original cover, but you can wrap the cover with paper aswell, I will post that part in the next post.

1. Gather your supplies. You will need: a cardboard box (I used a cracker box), 25 sheets of paper, scissors, needle, tread/ embroidery floss, and a pencil (not shown).
2. Cut away the sides and ends of the box, you’ll be using the largest front and back panels.
3. Fold 5 sheets of paper in half.

4. Place the 5 sheets of paper inside each other as in the picture; this will make 1 bundle of 5 sheets
5. Make 5 bundles in total.
6. Take one of the card board panels; these will be the covers for the book. Mark 5 dots along the long side of the card board, then line up the bundles and mark the folded edge where they line up with the dots (see picture). Make the same dots on the other cover (not shown).
7. With your sewing needle (I used a small darning needle) poke through the dots all the way through the bundles.
8. Also poke through the covers.
9. Thread your needle and sew through the 2nd hole from the inside of a bundle, coming out the outside.

10. Sew the needle through the 2nd hole of another bundle.
11. Now inside the 2nd bundle, poke the needle through the 1st hole.
12. Bring the needle back into the 1st bundle through the 1st hole.
13. To secure the end of the tread from pulling through, knot the end and pull the needle through the tread as shown.
14. Pull the tread to secure and then pull the needle through the 3rd hole.
15. Pull the needle through the 3rd hole of the second bundle, like before with the 2nd holes.

16. Repeat till you sew through to the 5th hole.
17. To add the next bundle, pull the needle through the 4th hole. You will have already sewn through this hole.
18. in the 3rd bundle, sew through the 5th hole, into the 5th hole of the 2nd bundle (already sewn through) and back up through the 4th hole. You will sew the 4th holes of the 2nd and 3rd bundles together twice.
19. Sew the 3rd, 2nd and 1st holes together. Repeat till for the 4th and 5th bundles. You will sew through the 2nd and 4th holes twice for these as well.

20. When you have sewn all the bundles together, bring the needle through the 1st hole of the 5th bundle
21. Line up the front cover and thread the needle from the front to back. Then bring it back to front through the 2nd hole, and back into the 5th bundle.
22. Continue to the end of the cover, bring the needle through the 5th hole of the 1st bundle to start sewing on the back cover as shown.
23. Bring the needle up through the 4th hole of the 1st bundle and sew front to back through the 4th hole of the back cover.

24. Sew the 5th holes together then the 4th hole again.
25. Continue to the 1st holes, bring the needle back into the 1st bundle.
26. Pull the needle through the tread between the 1st and 2nd holes and tie a knot.
27. Tie a few more knots this way.
28. Cut the tread off.
29. (Optional) if the cover is larger than the pages like in my case, trim the edges.

And now pat yourself on the back; you’ve just bound a book! I hope this tutorial wasn’t too confusing for anyone. Good Luck!