You can make books out of nearly anything! In this class you'll learn how to make a matchbook-style notebook. This clever design has a cover that wraps around the front and back of the book and tucks into a flap, to keep the book closed with no fasteners.

In class, I'll show two different designs using recycled papers. For one book, we'll recycle postcards. They could be postcards from a friend, vacation, art exhibition, or even the advertising postcards that show up in your junk mail. (Don't have a postcard? You can use other kinds of heavy-weight paper too.) For the second design, we will make tiny origami butterflies from recycled security envelopes. The black-and-white patterns printed inside are the perfect scale for this design. For the inside pages, you can use anything you want: drawing paper, graph paper, coloring pages, and more.

In class, you’ll use traditional bookbinding tools, but I'll also demonstrate DIY alternatives that you might find in your kitchen junk drawer, so you won’t need to invest in a lot of specialty equipment and can get started right away with things you have.

In this class you’ll learn:

basic bookbinding vocabulary & tools
tips for designing a custom notebook
cutting down a variety of different papers
steps to create a matchbook-style book

What Materials You'll Need:

recycled paper like postcards and security envelopes
paper to make your interior pages (copier paper, drawing paper, graph paper)
12-inch metal ruler, bone folder, and awl or everyday DIY alternatives (ie popsicle stick, push pin)
perle cotton thread (size #8 or #5) or similar
sewing needle, scissors
optional: washi tape, chalk, paint markers

Shayne Russell

School Librarian

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