Easy, Functional DIY Journal
As a long-time book artist I have made many of my own elaborate (but always functional) journals. I taught a class on making a leather-bound nature journal sewn with long-stitch, with a beaded spine and a braided linen thread closure. Students were afraid to write in them for fear of “messing them up”!
- Pros: Opens flat (almost), 6″ x 6″ size is better than the small Moleskins I’ve been using.
- Cons: Pages are not removable. Cover is not reusable. \
I wanted something easier to make and easier to use. I was intrigued by the journal made by nature journalist Roseann Hanson. She uses 90 pound, 6″ x 9″ watercolor paper by Bee Paper, punched with a three-hole punch. The pages were then inserted inside of a custom leather cover and sewn with a pamphlet stitch. The attraction of this easy style of book is that the pages can be removed and placed in 3-hole binders and the leather cover can be used to create another book. If a leather shoestring (or any other stretchy cord) is used for sewing, the book will open flat (very important).
Pros: Larger size (6″ x 9″) closed, pages truly open flat. Pages are removable and can be shuffled in any order. Good size for laying across my arm while drawing.
Cons: There are three holes in your papers. I find I hardly notice them and creating full spreads works just fine.
I do draw more when I use this journal and love the idea that I can move the pages around and use the same cover with each new addition of paper. I have also switched to Swathmore 90-lb. watercolor paper because it easier to find and my pens love it too.
Want to make one of your own? I created the book above using materials I had on hand, which wasn’t much. Here’s a short outline of how this structure was made:
1) Covers: I had a scrap of leather I cut to size with a rotary cutter. Button closure.
2) Paper: I used Strathmore 90-lb watercolor paper cut to size and a 3-hole punch adapted to make holes that work on a 6″ x 9″ page.
3) Sewing material: I used oval elastic – no needle necessary.
4) Pamphlet Stitch: Making a 3-hole pamphlet stitch from Instructables
I am enjoying the larger size of book!! I am able to clip my small watercolor palette to one side of the book which makes it very portable. It also fits nicely in the crook of my arm.
Do you have an easy hack for including a mechanical pencil holder in this structure? Maybe a flat, elastic loop that won’t create a bulge when pencil is removed? BTW: I’m signed up for both classes.
Hi Gisela,
For some reason my website is not notifying me of email sent from my site. I will ask my daughter to check. Hacks for mechanical pencil holder. Aaaah. I get it – you want a pencil holder for the book we will be making! Yes, I will look into that. I know Roseanne Hanson has some kind of loop. I will incorporate that into the class itself!
Or – were you wanting to add a loop to a journal you already have?
Michele
I was thinking for the book we’re making. My beloved mechanical pencils are wide because of the ergonomic grip but they do have a clip.
Definitely. There are a number of things we can use. I will present a few ideas in class! Great suggestion.
Hi! I have some leather I’d like to use up. What size is the cover?
The text block is 6″ x 9″. The cover wraps around that and is 9-1/4″ x 18″. The 18″ could be 16″ and still wrap but won’t be as secure. You could also choose not to wrap and make the width even smaller. Let me know. There is also a version I really like that uses book board with linen spines but that requires gluing – so I decided not to do that type. I will bring a sample to class. You could easily assemble a hard cover for your journal. So glad you are coming!
Thanks, Michele!
And my sincere thanks to you. You were generous with your time and expertise and the other students appreciated it. Me too!
I just realized this was an older comment but my comment still applies!