Journaling is a fantastic pastime that can be relaxing and comforting to the person doing it. As someone who has a large amount of fountain pens and just in general loves to write I love to journal. You can use a journal for so many different things from your regular writing and journaling to picture journaling or note taking. The only problem that faces some who journal is how to get a cute one for a decent price. Moreover not only something cute but with good paper for that decent price. Well that is a problem that can be solved relatively easy simply make your own journal.
Items you will need: (see your local art supply)
10 or more Sheets of your preferred kind of paper in letterhead size. (I used Clairefontaine for my first book)
Heavy Cover Paper (any kind of card stock or heavier paper you like for your cover)
A bookbinding needle
A book binding Awl
Wax thread or book binding thread.
How to do it:
Take your first sheet of office paper and fold it in half. If you want the book to be, smaller than the half sheet take a pair of scissors or use a paper cutter to trim the paper down to size. Once this paper has been folded and/or trimmed you will have one folio.
Take the rest of your sheets of paper one by one and do as you did to the first one to create all of your folios. If using the suggested 10 you will now have 10 folios for your book.
Fold the heavy stock paper and cut to size.
Open the first Folio and slide the other 9 (or however many you have) into that one. By doing this you have created a stack that is called the books signature.
Place your cover over the signature. Now your journal is starting to look like a book.
Open the completed book and mark a dot in the center of the fold with a pencil or chalk. Measure 2.25″ up the spine, place a dot than measure 2.25″ down the spine from the center, and make a dot. These dots are for punching your holes when you thread your awl.
Take your awl and punch through all of the sheets of paper. Give your awl a small twist and it will widen the hole and smooth it out.
Take your waxed thread and measure out approximately 2.5 feet of the thread. Take one of your book binding needles and thread it with the measured thread.
Start in the center hole on the outside of the signature. Pull them through the hole and leave several inches of thread behind. It will later become what you need to knot to make your book. Next, put your needle through the left outer hole, than pull tight. Than pass the needle and thread through the final hole on the outside cover.
Place the needle through the center hole once more and than remove the needle.
Pull both strings tight to keep your book together and tie a knot or two, where the two strings have come together to meet. If you have, a long set of string you may want to trim the ends.
You are all done with your book. This is a very simple way to create a journal and is best for smaller books however it is one that works and is fantastic for personal journals. You have saved some money and made yourself something unique to hold your lifetime of thoughts.
