How do you bind a book yourself?

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Old magazines pile up. So the question arises: How do you bind a book for home use? At some point these are arranged into an amusing journey into the past. That applies to the evanescence of fashion. As a bound book, comic books are a joy for many generations. Neatly placed on shelves, these invite parents, children and grandchildren to leaf through the pages.

Binding important magazines practically as books saves them for a long time.
Binding important magazines practically as books saves them for a long time.

What you need:

  • solid cardboard
  • Scissors, cutter-knife
  • Glue to match the materials (e.g. B. Wallpaper glue, craft glue, wood glue)
  • Awning fabric or solid linen
  • Depending on your choice, scraps of wallpaper, leather, decorative fabrics
  • white drawing cardboard
  • Needle, star thread
  • possibly awl and pliers

How do you bind a book without special handicraft equipment?

  1. When binding a book with magazines, cutting (upper cover, lower cover) requires approx. 5 mm overhang added to the magazine dimensions (length and width).
  2. Now cut the spine of the book according to the height of your stack of magazines and also note the dimensions above and below.
  3. Before gluing together, it is essential to ensure that the type of glue used is suitable for the material.
  4. First, cut a strip of fabric or leather for the spine of the book. This is approx. 5 cm longer than the narrow cardboard strip. These 5 cm are turned inwards after the book spine and cover have been glued on. This creates clean edges at the top and bottom that cannot fray.
  5. Before turning over, however, the spine and the two cardboard book covers are glued to this strip of fabric. To do this, there must be a vertical distance of a few millimeters between the individual parts, depending on the material thickness of the cardboard. This is the only way to close the book cover without tension.
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  6. Fabric strip width = thickness of the magazine stack + 2 x approx. 5 mm tension spacing + 2 x 3 cm adhesive areas on the respective book cover, length of fabric strip = magazine length + 2 x approx. 5 mm overhang + 2 x 5 cm for turning over.
  7. Another strip of sturdy fabric (e.g. B. Awning) is cut to size. This is shorter in length than the magazine (approx. 2 cm above and also below) and more generous in width than the thickness of the magazine stack plus areas for gluing. The final width is determined after sewing on. Plenty of material is cheaper than too little.
  8. You are now sewing every magazine that is opened in the middle onto this strip of fabric with thread. Awl and pliers help with solid, glossy journals. Don't set the stitches too tight to prevent the paper from tearing out. Please ensure that the magazines are not lined up too close together or too far apart. You need a sense of proportion.
  9. The strip of fabric with the sewn-on magazines can now be cut to the side. Depending on the thickness of the magazine stack and the weight of the paper, the width of the area for gluing inside the book cover must be 3 - 5 cm.
  10. For the exterior design of the book, the material of your choice is cut more generously on the three free pages per book cover. Fabric can be used, perhaps even with embroidery. Or you can choose between scraps of wallpaper. Plain linen is just as decorative.
  11. Now apply glue to the outside of the book cover. Please make sure that the finished back design is not soiled. Now place the cut material on these surfaces, carefully smooth everything with a cloth. The supernatant is turned over and glued on from the inside. This is somewhat reminiscent of breaking school notebooks.
  12. When binding a book, the free corners should be protected. You can cut beveled strips from the material of the back cladding, glue them on, fold them over and glue them inside. A paper template is helpful here to determine the optimal dimensions.
  13. When you bind a book, everything has to dry well in between.
  14. Now open the cover. The finished surface lies on the worktop. Place a cloth or foil underneath for protection. Now the sewn-on magazine stack is centered horizontally and vertically. Protect the top and bottom of your magazine with foils as well.
  15. The strip of fabric with the sewn-on journals is glued to the top and bottom of the book. A second person can make the work easier here. Otherwise, the only thing that helps is to cleverly glue one side and close it. Repeat this step later on the other side. The book is then folded up and dried under pressure.
  16. When binding a book, the inside pages must be pasted with white cardboard or some other material.

If you feel unsure, try a simple portfolio first. Here you can calmly carry out all the steps without sewing, let your creativity run free and organize documents in a stylish way.

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