How to Make Your Own Notebook or Journal
Good Morning, Quilters, Doodlers and Writers!
Do YOU love notebooks?
Do YOU love paper?
Are YOU ever frustrated because a notebook does not have the right combination of paper for YOU?
I have the perfect answer!
Make YOUR own Notebook or Journal! It’s EASY and you can use any combination of paper that YOU want!
Combine grid paper and plain paper. Add images or calendars. ANY type of paper-magazine glossy paper and lined notebook paper can be stitched together to create your own customized notebook.
OR—Collect all that random paper you have around the house and organize it into one (or several) notebooks.
Add one piece of cardstock to serve as the cover.
Fold all the paper in half to create a booklet.
Don’t worry if some of the sheets are larger than the cover. We will trim them later.
Open the notebook and clip the sheets together with paper clips or sewing clips.
Draw a line down the center of the top page.
Increase the stitch length to 3.0-3.5 and stitch down the center of the book spine. I used a Topstitch needle and 28wt Aurifil cotton thread, but I think any sharp needle will work. Stitch slowly and carefully to stay on the drawn line.
Almost finished!
If your edges are not even, fold the pamphlet and use your rotary cutter to trim the book. Use several strokes to cut all the way through the pages. Do not try to cut them all in one heavy cut!
The Perfect Custom Notebook!
I made several inserts for the leather notebooks I made…
Coming soon-How to Make a Leather Traveler’s (Midori-Style) Notebook–in a size that makes sense!
Happy Doodling, Writing, Organizing, Saving!
Your Wanna-be-Organized Quilter,
Lori
PS…If you like these motifs and tips, be sure to check out my book, Free Motion Machine Quilting 1-2-3 or any of my Craftsy Videos!
PPS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use only. Feel free to re-blog, pin or share with attribution to The Inbox Jaunt. For all other purposes, please contact me at lckennedy@hotmail.com. Thanks!
A great idea, thanks. Do you ever sleep?
What fun! I’m always looking for a smallish notebook for my purse. Thanks for the great instructions!
What’s the thickest one should attempt sew? I love this idea. Imagine the possibilities…
I don’t know. Just try it and stitch slowly. Most of mine are between six and eight pages
thank you thank you. I love notebooks and so do my grandchildren! Need to do these with them
You have such a creative mind!
I’m going to try using watercolor paper.
Learned in a book making class…We folded all the pages in a section at the same time so the would nest together easily.
Just reminded me how my grandmother used to make me scrap books when I was little by sewing paper together like that. Fond memories.
Good Morning, I’m here in rural Minnesota looking out of my sewing room window, enjoying a blizzard- provided that we continue to have electricity.
Lori- Love your notebook tutorial. I must have thousands of pieces of paper in my house, from which to make a notebook. I even have cardstock, a pack of bright colors. What fun!
I would also like to use or play with the new solid Kona color of the year for 2018. I just got this fabric. The color is Tiger Lily- a gorgeous orange.
No snow here in Stillwater-yet!
I tried this once for a special event music program at our church. It does work! In the end, the only reason I didn’t do all of the booklets this way because I didn’t have enough time to produce the number that were needed.
Doesn’t cutting paper like that with a rotary cutter dull the blade? Just wondering…
Yes it probably does dull the blade.
I keep old blades in a different cover marked ‘paper’. I have a rotary handle also marked paper, which I use with the old blades. Ones that don’t do well on fabric are fine for paper.
Another wonderfully clever idea. Thank you Lori!
Loved this and can hardly wait until the leather travelers notebook
I love little notebooks and always have one or two in my purse. I just love the idea that I can make one myself. I always save a few old rotary blades for paper so now I can see if they work for this. Such a clever idea. I love it!! Thanks a ton.
Love this notebook and will make it. Thank you
Hey Lori,
I think sewn notebooks look much better than stapled ones.
At the moment I am using this leather notebook https://tinyurl.com/ybje652u, but I fear that the notebooks included will not last me a lifetime (I tend to write alot). What is the biggest format you’ve experimented with?
I’m thinking of printing out a 1 month planner on some 100gsm paper and making a newspaper print cover. What thickness craft paper do you recommend I use?
I like 20-24 pound paper. I just started playing with this technique.
I will be waiting for your post on how to make the cover. I am especially interested to see if you have a technique for avoiding the knot on the outside elastic.
i save used rotary blades and sewing machine needles for this too…Several grandchildren like them for traveling. Also I use the hole puncher to make a hole in a top corner. A ribbon or selvedge strip makes a good way to hang the notebook up and becomes a book mark too. Cardstock makes a nice sketch book for the grands.
Hmmm… how did my name become MML??? Marta