Making a Flower Fairies Journal

Step 1: Shape the Cover

Cut your A4/A3 cardboard so that the front and back are A5-sized and fold like a book. Don't worry if this is not exact, as long as the cover papers have at least a 2.5cm overlap from the front to the inside (also see Step 2).

Step 2: Wrap the Cover

Align the front cover paper and wrap it around the cardboard. Don't worry if it's not even, as the edges will be covered by the inner page.

Cut the right-side, top and bottom corners off the cover page to give you an envelope-flap-like shape.

Glue down the top and bottom overlaps, then the right vertical flap using the same Mono glue stick.

Step 3: Smooth the Cover

Do the same again for the remaining vertical flap. Smooth all glued areas with your hand to squash out any air bubbles.

Step 4: Check the Cover

It should look something like this. You will see that the front and back covers overlap each other down the spine. Don't worry if you don't like the ridge. We will cover that with a lace or fabric trim.

Step 5: Line the Inside Cover

Now cut the inner front and back pages to size so that they cover your glued flaps and hide any remaining brown card. Glue down both front and back inner pages so your whole journal will now be covered both inside and outinside. This glue dries quite quickly, allowing you to get on with the next step.

Step 6: Fold the Pages

Now to prepare your inside book pages to make the signature. You will need 20 sheets of A4 paper. Or you can have a mixture of sizes, as long as they fold in the middle so they can be secured.

Fold each sheet evenly in half. Use a bone scorer or the flat blades of scissors to press the fold nice and flat. Then put all your sheets together in one big folded book.

You may need to trim the inner pages so they align with the outer pages.

Step 7: Make the Holes

Now we need to create the holes to sew through the pages and the cover to bring them together as a book. For this, the best tool is an awl, which you will have to push through both the cover at the spine and the inside pages/signature.

I recommend making five holes, fairly evenly spaced down the spine of the book and aligned in exactly the same places as the holes in the pages/signature. You can add more holes if you wish, or as few as three for smaller journals, as long as it is an odd number.

Using a clip can help to hold the pages together when doing this.

Step 8: Stitch the Journal

Use a clip to hold all the pages/signature together to stop them slipping while you sew your book together.

We will use pamphlet stitch, which is the most straightforward option. You can find YouTube tutorials on how to do this if you need more help.

Thread your needle with at least a 90cm length of waxed or linen thread. Start in the middle hole in the signature from the inside of the book. Go straight through all the signature pages and the outside cover, then pull through until you have a 6cm tail.

Come back through the next hole above, through all the layers to the centre and pull tight. Go back down the last hole above, then work your way up and back down the spine until you reach the final hole inside the book. Tie it to the 6cm tail, making sure you do a double knot, and trim any excess thread.

Step 9: Add the Trim

Lastly, we are going to hide the sewing on the outside spine by covering it with lace or fabric.

Cut your fabric to the exact length of your journal. This is where you will need either PVA or fabric glue to stick on your fabric. Apply the glue liberally. It won't hold the fabric in place by itself until it has set, so keep it attached using clips. Leave to set. I leave mine overnight.

Step 10: Leave to Dry

By morning, the PVA glue has dried clear and holds everything securely, and you have a beautifully crafted handmade journal to enjoy and treasure. x