Assembling the book

I made the text block for the book by cutting sheets of 8.5 x 11 paper into 5.5 x 8.5 pieces.  Each piece was folded in half, and stitched together using the same technique as this journal from Club Scrap.

I gathered my back cover, text block, ribbon (I like grosgrain ribbon from Stampin' Up!), a foam brush, and my bookbinding glue.

Apply the glue to the back page of the book.

Spread the glue around using the brush, making sure that there aren't any parts without glue, or globs of glue anywhere.

Lay the book on the back cover, and burnish into place with a bone folder.  I usually lay a piece of clean paper on top so that my bone folder doesn't leave any marks on the book.  If you have used the right amount of glue, very little (or no) glue will ooze out the sides.

I then wrap the book in waxed paper and put it in my book press to cure overnight.  Sometimes I do both covers at once, but in this case, I decided to do one cover at a time.  It's a bit easier to handle when one cover is stable.

Check back later this week, and I'll show you the final embellishments and final book!