Making a book

My daughter and her friend get together once a week to play and have been working on a story together.  I am told they discuss the plot and the various scenes while together and then my daughter's friend has been typing the stories up to make a book.  Just recently my daughter's friend and her mother created a bound book to put all their stories in so we can take them with us back to the states, so sweet.  Of course once I saw that I had to know how to make bound books of my own.  I got a quick tutorial from a dear friend:)  She is so crafty and I am going to miss all her great ideas when we move:'(.

For this book there were 84 total pages so we needed to print out  7 mini books of 12 pages each.  Remember that you need to sequence the pages to fit when the pages are folded in half i.e. page 1 match up with page 12, page 2 matches up with page 11 for the first mini book set, then do the same for each of the other mini books.  I hope that makes sense to you:) 

We used a large cereal box to make the cover

Measure 1/4 inch all around the 1/2 booklet.  

For the center of the two mini booklets add 6/8 inch, this may need to increase depending on the number of mini booklets you have and the overall thickness of your book:)

Fold the cardboard over

Open your mini booklets and measure 7 equal points to make holes starting approx. 1 cm from the edge.

Begin sewing the mini books.

tied off the booklet securely

Close up of the end results

Next take all the booklets and sew them together.  I should have used brighter thread to make it easer to see.  Basically you stitch under the thread in a weave (don't stitch the paper) Once that is done set the paper aside

Now cover the cereal box using card stock.  Glue the card stock on to the cereal box leaving the binding edge free of paper (we will cover it later)

Glue down all the edges

Next add a thin strip (of a different color)  of card stock to cover the binding edge (middle) of the cover

Take a plain piece of paper to cover all the mini booklets only glue the center (where the threads are) and about 1/2 past.

Firmly place the white paper over your min booklets--remember not to glue the  entire area down or you will cover you print pages

now glue down the white paper to the cover of book do not glue the center part as that needs to be free in order  to open the book

The finish project!

What it looks like from the side:)

Now I can turn my daughter's writings into books and they will always have a place of honor on our book shelves:)!  I can tell you the book given to my daughter has been read a thousand times and one one is allowed to touch it.  Such a thoughtful gift!