Q&A for How to Make a Homemade Book

You don't need to glue any pictures if you don't want to. If you do, just do so on every page to the right-hand side.

If you want a drawn picture, draw it on paper, then glue it on the cover. if you want any other picture, glue it where you want it on the cover.

You could use wood or a board from a game or plastic or anything else you're able to cut to shape.

Get papers from the printer and fold them the same size as the cardboard.

Yes! There are many, MANY different ways of binding books. Here are the names of just a few to get you started: saddle stitching, section sewn, wire binding, cased-in wire binding, pamphlet binding, coptic binding, etc.

You can use a pencil to mark where you want to make the holes, then just make sure your needle is straight.

You can get decorative paper from craft stores; you could try stamping ordinary paper.

The ribbon binds it together and allows it to open and close.

No, it can be exact or longer. It is all up to personal preference.

Yes, but make sure its not too small or you won't have room for writing. It's best for it to be only a inch shorter than the cover.

Often shops have left over boxes from packaging, so you can ask for some. Or, buy moving boxes from the store.

There isn't a specific number of pages that you need to use. You can put in however much paper you'd like.

Separate the paper, then poke one page with the needle. Use the first page as a guide.

Take a needle and thread and follow the video. It shows you what stitch to use.

Yes, you will. If you don't want it to be visible, use a thread that is similar in color to the paper you're using.

No. Wood is hard and you can get a splinter. Also, it is very hard to cut or work with. You could, however, use poster board for the covers.

You cannot. Brainstorm and write your book and do the binding last.

Go on the computer to find an app or software to type on. You can use Microsoft Word, Open Office, Google Docs, etc. Then just print your document when you're finished.

No; the staple will not go through all of the cardboard and paper, and will not hold.

Yes, but some staplers are not long enough or can't punch through all the layers.

You can make your own cardboard. You can then bind your book with it (you can use printer paper to make homemade cardboard).

You can, but it may be harder to staple it correctly. I have tried using a stapler and ended up with less space to write.

To learn how to sew the paper in the homemade book, check out the video posted in this article or use the photos added for reference. Some of the steps have short videos that might help you as well.

To get more paper in your homemade book, all you need to do is find as many more pieces of paper that you will like to add, fold them in half to make the little booklets as shown above, add them to the pile of other booklets, and sew together! After that you will just have to follow the other steps (you will probably have to add more fabric and decorative paper because your book will end up bigger because there is more paper).

Yes. you can use string. You can buy string from regular craft stores.

The simplest way to explain is you make as many "binding" of pages, the six sheet sewn page bindings, as you want. There does not have to be a specific number of bindings, just six pages to a binding so as not to make the pages of each binding uneven. Ideally, you make a book's pages in multiples of 6, so you can have as little as 6 pages (1 binding), or 90 pages (15 bindings), or even more. How many pages you want is entirely up to you. A good way to keep track is to take the number of how many pages you want, say 180, and just divide that number by 6. That will tell you how many bindings to make, in this case 30.

Yes. It really doesn't matter what you put on the cover as long as it is yours.

Fabrics you can use are linen, cotton, poly-cotton, rayon, polyester or silk.

Yes. Traditionally, unbleached linen thread is the preferred material for bookbinding, but unbleached long-staple cotton will do almost as well. The key is that it is a natural fiber comparable in expected lifetime to the paper and the cover material, and that it have very long fibers, giving it great strength.

You could use thin leather or layers of thick tissue instead of fabric to bind the book. Alternatively, you could use paper or tissue paper.