Blue Journal Finished

I finished my 40 page watercolor journal. This 

was a fun project using one of my stitched 

journal covers (from a previous post) and

blue linen.

I started out with a heavy chipboard. Cutting

a front, back and a gauge. I them made my

pages from watercolor paper, folding them ,

making signatures and sewing the signatures

together. Next I made two end pages.

Next I made headbands and lined the spine with 

tapes, paper and muslin, gluing them down with PVA.

You can faintly see the two tapes under the muslin. 

The blue on the ends of the spine are the headbands.

Then the scary part. After the glue as set up I rounded 

the spine by pounding the spine with a hammer.Scary 

but it works giving your book a nice slightly rounded back.

Set your signatures into your prepared cover to set up.

Once set up open cover , glue top end paper, (making sure your spine 

is tight against the book cover) close the book and gently press. Now 

turn over and do the back same as the front. Press book gently, 

check your book inside the covers, then close and press under some weight

overnight.

I did forget to photograph the cover making process.

One simply lays out the two covers side by side with

the gauge (small pc.in 2nd photo) in the middle.The gauge is the 

width of the spine of your book.Measure 

cover material so that you have a extra inch all the way around.

Cut out, glue covers & gauge and center on cover material.

Remove gauge, add paper pc. in where gauge 

was having the paper about 1 inch wider on both

sides gluing it to center & both covers.This helps to make a

strong spine. Trim corners of cover material, glue and fold

onto the covers.

I will be making more and will photograph this part  if anyone wants.