Quick tip: When I’m binding books on the go I take along long strips of bookcloth cut to the correct width, allowing me to trim them to whatever height I need.

It’s available at art and bookbinding supply stores and online and comes in a wide range of colors and textures. Bookcloth makes a strong but flexible spine.īookcloth is paper-backed fabric. This is an important step that will help keep the covers from warping. I then placed both covers under some heavy books for about 30 minutes until they were dry. I folded up the bottom flap and glued it, then applied glue to the entire top flap, folded it down so it lined up with the bottom flap, and pressed it into place. On the wrong side of the bookcloth I drew ½” borders on three sides as guides, then applied glue to the bookcloth, lined up the covers where the lines intersect, as shown below, and pressed the bookcloth with a bone folder for a good adhesion. The spine width is 1 ¼”, which allows for a ½” overlap on each cover, and ¾” for the spine. To create the spine of both horizontal and vertical books I cut a piece of bookcloth twice the height of the postcards and added ½”. Just make sure you don’t leave it in a hot car or in the sun! Extra-strength glue stick is my favorite adhesive when traveling. Using glue stick I glued two postcards together back-to-back to make the covers extra strong, but using just one postcard or reinforcing a postcard with a same-size piece of cardstock is fine too. I found some great 4 ¼” x 6″ postcards of Boston at a local bookstore. You can also make one before your trip either way, you can create or decorate pages with ephemera that you collect on your journey-maps, bags, brochures, business cards, etc. I love making these while I’m on vacation or traveling, and sometimes I take along a basic supply kit so I can bind on the go. They’re made with ordinary postcards for covers and paper scraps for the inside pages, and they’re sewn with a simple version of a tacket binding. These easy mini travel journals are perfect for summer. I made these mini travel journals out of postcards and scrap paper. The satisfaction you’ll feel when you’ve created something beautiful and functional is incomparable, and soon you’ll be making your own art journals that perfectly suit your needs. If you’ve never made a book before I assure you it’s not as intimidating as it may look. A book can be a diary, art journal, sketchbook, travel journal, and more-there are no limits.

When I discovered bookbinding and book art years ago I felt like a part of my brain suddenly lit up, and it has stayed illuminated ever since.īooks represent endless possibilities and opportunities they can be functional, an art piece, or both. I love every facet of mixed media, but there is a special place in my heart for handmade books.

Travel journal cover template