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Easiest Notebook Ever! How To Make a Notebook

February 19, 2020 · Leave a Comment

how to make a notebook

Easiest Notebook Ever! How To Make a Notebook

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Oh my goodness, who doesn’t love stationery??

Pretty notebooks, matching pens, washi tape, colouring pencils that are pretty to look at and colour nicely too, it all comes second only to a pile of fat quarters!

Notebooks are probably my favourite. I usually have several on the go at once, and I’ll buy another one at the slightest excuse.

One of the things I want to do with the home ed boys is nature journaling. (I’ll be writing a post at some point about how home education looks in my house!)

Writing is often an issue for boys in particular. During his time at school, Barnabas was put off writing, and I’m treading carefully with Cosmo as I don’t the same to happen with him.

Nature journaling sounds like fun. It’s one of those things where there’s no one way, so you can make it whatever you like! Cosmo has said that he wants to learn about space, so we’ve started using it to record stars and things that we’ve seen. With any luck, Barnabas will decide that he wants to do one too!

It’s also the perfect excuse for a new notebook, and what could be better than making one yourself?

how to make a notebook

These notebooks are made from stuff you may well have lying about already. Using elastic to attach pages makes it very easy (no faffing about trying to sew through paper!) and you can add as many different sections as you like.

How To Make a Notebook

how to make a notebook

You Will Need

Thick cardboard. Amazon boxes are ideal. A cereal packet might be a bit thin, but you could stick to pieces together to give it some more weight.

Pretty paper. I used scrapbooking paper that I had already (this from Amazon). You could try wrapping paper as long as its quite thick. The cheapy thin kind probably won’t last long. Paper packs that come free with papercraft magazines would be just the thing, although you’ll probably need to patch pieces together to make it big enough.

If you don’t want to use paper, here are some other things you could try: fabric, felt, an old map, your own artwork, pretty much anything that you could fold round a piece of cardboard and sew it or glue it!

Glue that will stick whatever it is you are using. I used a glue stick. For fabric or felt you’ll need to use PVA.

Elastic. I used this from Amazon. The kind you might put in a waistband probably won’t do. It needs to be the stringy kind. At a push, you could use long elastic bands.

A button. You’ll need this for the closure so a largish one is best.

Paper for the pages. The easiest thing to do is to take some sheets of printer paper and fold them in half.

Instructions

Decide on how big you want your notebook to be.

For the pages I was planning to use sheets of A4 folded in half, so the cover needed to be slightly bigger than A5 so as to protect the pages inside.

Cut a piece of cardboard so that it will be a little bit bigger than the pages when folded in half. I cut the cardboard 32 cm x 23 cm. Yours can be whatever size you like, but ideally slightly larger than the pages.

Cover the inside of the notebook. I used a piece of plain paper, cut to the same size as the cardboard, and glued on using a gluestick.

how to make a notebook

Cut a piece of scrapbooking paper (or whatever you’ve chosen to use instead) a couple of cm (about an inch) larger all the way round than the piece of cardboard. This is so that you have enough to fold over the edges.

how to make a notebook

If you are using bits of paper or fabric that are of different sizes, you could glue them on as you go or stick them to a piece of paper the correct size first. You could even sew them straight onto the cardboard. I haven’t actually tried this, so you might want to experiment a bit yourself first!

Don’t forget to cut a little square out of each of the corners!

how to make a notebook

Attach your covering to the outside of the cover, then fold the edges over and stick them down onto the inside.

If you’re using paper and a gluestick, you might want to leave it for an hour or two under a heavy book so it has a chance to stick properly.

When everything has had a chance to dry, fold the cover in half.

Adding Pages

Cut some pieces of elastic about the same length as the distance round the spine of your notebook. I’ve started off with three. It will be easy enough to add more later if I need them.

Tie the ends together and slip them over the notebook so that they sit in the spine of the cover.

how to make a notebook

how to make a notebook

Add some pages. The easiest way to do this is by taking some sheets of A4 and folding them in half. I used black paper for the first section because I’m going to be recording space stuff too! Slip the pages under one of the pieces of elastic so that the elastic is in the fold of the paper.

how to make a notebook

Making the Elastic Closure

Having some way of keeping the notebook closed is handy. The cover of mine springs open, but even if yours doesn’t, you might find that if it gets very full, you might want an option for keeping it closed.

Cut a piece of elastic long enough to go all the way round your notebook widthwise doubled.

Slip a button onto the elastic and knot the ends. Move the button down so that it hides the knot.

how to make a notebook
how to make a notebook

To keep your notebook closed, pop the elastic round the it and loop the end of the elastic over the button.

To keep your notebook closed, pop the elastic round the it and loop the end of the elastic over the button.

If you’re worried about losing it, you could make a couple of little holes in the back of the notebook and thread it through.

Now your notebook’s ready to use! If you find yourself running out of pages, or if you need another section, just add some more elastic to the spine and slip some more in.

To keep your notebook closed, pop the elastic round the it and loop the end of the elastic over the button.
how to make a notebook

If you liked this post, you might also like this one showing how to make a fabric diary cover.

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Filed In: Blog, Other Crafts / Tagged: beginner, easy, how to, notebook, papercraft

How to Make a Fabric Diary Cover

February 2, 2016 · 25 Comments

Even though I have called this post How to Make a Fabric Diary Cover, you could make one to cover a journal or to pretty up a plain notebook.

I made this fabric for my Moleskine diary. The diary itself is fine, lots of space to write my lists, but it’s not pretty. It’s not hideous, it’s completely inoffensive! It’s just a bit plain.

Having sorted out my fabric hoard the other week, I found scraps of fabric that I’d forgotten about, including these lovelies left over from a project I made for Sewing World.fabric diary cover journal notebook

I didn’t enough of any one sort to make a whole fabric diary cover, so I made a bit of a patchwork instead. The cover is lined and there are pockets to slide the cover into. I originally had plans to do something with elastic but I realised (in time, thankfully!) that pockets would be an easier option.fabric diary cover notebook journal

How to Make a Fabric Diary Cover

1. Even if you are making your fabric diary cover from scraps of fabric, it’s easiest if the lining is one piece. Using your diary as a guide, cut a rectangle from the lining fabric. It will need to cover the diary and overhang the cover by about 1.5 cm all the way round (1 cm is the seam allowance, the rest is just extra).fabric diary cover journal notebookfabric diary cover journal notebook

2. Using the lining as a guide, arrange the pieces for the outer and cut them out. Remember to include a seam allowance!

3. Sew the pieces together. Trim the seams and press them open as you go. Check that the outer is the same size as the lining.fabric diary cover journal notebook

4. To make the pen pocket, cut 2 pieces of fabric about the same width as the spine and long enough for a pen. If you are not using a directional print, you could cut one piece twice as long as you need and fold it in half.fabric diary cover journal notebook

5. With the wrong sides together, sew around the sides and bottom. Trim the seams and turn out.fabric diary cover journal notebook

6. Tuck the raw edges inwards and top stitch. This will be the top of the pocket.fabric diary cover journal notebook

7. Pin the pocket to the outer where the spine will be. Sew around the sides and bottom of the pocket.fabric diary cover journal notebook

8. Cut the pieces for the pockets to slide the cover into. They will need to be the same height as the lining and outer. Each pocket needs to be about half the width of each half of the cover.fabric diary cover journal notebook

9. With the wrong sides together, sew one edge of the pocket to the edge of the outer. Repeat for the other pocket.fabric diary cover journal notebook

10. Sew the other short edge of the pocket pieces to the lining. Trim the seams and press them open.

11. Fold the pocket sections in half. Match the seams where the pockets join the outer and lining and pin.fabric diary cover notebook journal

12. Sew along the top and bottom, leaving a gap at the bottom. Trim the seams and turn out. Pin the opening.

13. Fold the pockets inwards along the seams and pin. Top stitch all the way round.fabric diary cover notebook journal

14. Sew a button onto the front of the fabric diary cover.fabric diary cover notebook journal

15. Using ribbon or a piece of elastic, make a loop and fix it to the back. I couldn’t decide! Ribbon looks nicer but elastic is stretchy. I used them both by stretching the elastic as I sewed the ribbon to it.fabric diary cover notebook journalfabric diary cover notebook journal

You could make a bow or use another button to hide the ends.fabric diary cover notebook journal

I just have to remember to actually use my diary now!fabric diary cover notebook journalfabric diary cover notebook journalfabric diary cover notebook journalfabric diary cover notebook journal

You might also like these posts:

Nesting Storage Boxeshow to make nesting fabric storage boxes

Autumn Patchwork Cushionautumn patchwork cushion

Appliqued Flower PurseAppliqued Flower Purse

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Filed In: Sewing Projects / Tagged: cover, craft fair, diary, fabric, fabric scraps, gift, notebook

I'm Anna and I live in rural Norfolk in the UK. My mum taught me how to use a sewing machine when I was 10 and I haven't looked back! I love making all sorts of things and I hope you find inspiration here.

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