This post has been weeks in the making. First, the album itself took ages to make. Then I couldn’t post about it because it was a birthday gift for my mom, and then I had to compile the billionty pictures that I had of the thing into something manageable.
But here it is. I’m not gonna lie, it’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever made.
I spent ages making this thing. I’m not kidding when I tell you there was no edge left un-inked. But I’m really happy with the final product. The inspiration actually came from those gorgeous book covers by 7 Gypsies. As soon as I saw them I thought they’d be perfect for a mini baby book. Then I saw the Little Darlings paper collection from Graphic 45 and the idea really started to take shape.
I’ve never done my own book binding before, so it was a bit of an adventure. I found a couple of tutorials on Pinterest, but none of them were exactly what I wanted. All of the pictures and embellishments, of course, add a lot more bulk than if you’re making a bound journal, so I had to space the pages out more than usual. I solved this problem by making each of my signatures only one page (that is, I didn’t stack multiple sheets together before folding and stitching) and I used what I gather is a variation of long stitch binding.
I measured and marked the binding so that the pages were placed an eighth of an inch apart, and I used crochet thread to sew them in. It’s just a simple straight stitch, up one page then down the next. The spine of the book is made with Sticky Back Canvas. I actually think it worked really well as a binding, and would use it again. I left the backing in place on the spine, but peeled it away from the sides and stuck it straight down to my front and back pages. Then I glued the chipboard covers over that.
I had originally intended to cover the stitching, so I trimmed it a quarter inch at the top and bottom. Then I ended up liking how the stitches looked so much that I left it raw. So in the future I’d keep my canvas the same size as the pages, but for a first attempt I tell myself it adds to the charm. I did use a little Distress Ink (Walnut Stain and Vintage Photo) to make the spine match the covers a little better.
So yeah. Looks like you can add bookbinding to my ridiculous list of hobbies, because this is definitely something I’ll be doing again.
Comments 2
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