Make Your Own Travel Journal Tutorial

Leather-covered expandable travel journals are hugely popular among artists, who fill them with sketches, collage, lettering, and ephemera. I first discovered these journals on Instagram, and I was tempted to get one. But I wanted a lot of custom features for mine, and decided to make my own.

The size and shape of this journal, featured in the July/August 2017 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors, is based on those ready-made journals. But this one is hand bound with an easy stitch, and has fun features. It’s easy to customize a journal, making it any size and filling it with whatever paper you like to use. I incorporated four signatures (groups of pages); two are sewn into the cover, and two are attached with elastic cords. Each signature has different paper, including sketch, graph, and kraft papers, and has a cover of solid cardstock that I stenciled. See directions below for making a pocket and an envelope, which both can be added to any page. The covers of this journal are made with thick leather, but you can also use Kraft•Tex, or fabric that’s been fused to heavy interfacing to give it body.

An elastic cord knotted inside the back cover creates the closure. It’s decorated with a metal plaque covered with map paper. The corners of the book are colored with leather paint, and a silver bead was incorporated into the binding to give it a little pop. There’s even a page marker. People love to customize their travel journals with charms and clips, and fill them with photos, tickets, and more. This one has room to expand, so fill it up on your next adventure.

Materials

• Sturdy leather, 10″ wide x 8 5/8″ high (You can find leather pieces online, and in some fabric and craft stores.)
• Cutting mat
• Artist’s tape or washi tape
• Punching template (See Step 1 below.)
• Bookbinding awl
• Thin Pencil
• Paper for the signatures (I used sketch, graph, and kraft paper, 8″ wide x 8¼” high and folded in half along the 8¼” side.)
• Paper cutter or craft knife
• Waxed linen thread, 4-ply
• Bookbinding needles or darning needles
• 2 Small decorative bead (I used a flat rectangular bead that measured ½” wide by 3/8″ high.)
• Elastic cording, 1.5 mm, 2 yards
• Cardstock for the pocket and envelope
• Glue or double-stick tape
• Metal blank with holes on either side
• Sandpaper, medium grit
• Scrap of map paper
• Gel medium
• Inkpad, permanent (I used brown.)
• Small sponge
• Small charm or bead

Optional

• Grid paper (I used Bienfang® 8 x 8 Gridded Paper™ by Speedball®.)
• Leather paint (I used Angelus® Brand acrylic leather paint in Red.)
• Cardstock sheets, cut to 8″ wide x 8¼” high and folded in half along the 8¼” side, for the outside wrap of the signatures
• Japanese paper drill

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Prepare the cover

1. Place the leather piece wrong-side up on a cutting mat. Find the center of the piece and place the template on top. Tape the template to the cover, making sure not to cover the marks.

Note: I create my punching templates on grid paper, because it helps me align the holes needed for the binding. I use 8 x 8 (8 squares to the inch) or 10 x 10 (10 squares to the inch) grid paper. The template below was created on 8 x 8 grid paper; I cut a piece 1″ wide x 8 5/8″ high, and marked 2 vertical rows of 6 holes. How you space your holes is up to you; my measurements were based on using a 3/8″-high bead at the top, and having a long space in the middle for the twisted threads. The marks are placed from the top at 5/8″, 1 1/8″, 2 5/8″, 6″, 7½”, and 8″, and the rows are ¼” apart.

2. Punch a hole at each mark with an awl. Punch straight down, making sure you go through the cover. Remove the template.

Note: After I punch all of the holes, I lift the cover slightly off the mat, and push the awl through the cover at each mark again, just to make sure I can see the holes when I remove the template.

3. Optional: Color the corners of the cover with leather paint. Because the leather I used was textured, I needed three coats for opaque coverage. You can also paint a design freehand, or stencil a motif.

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Prepare the signatures

1. Create 4 signatures by nesting several folded pages together. How many sheets you include per signature depends on the thickness of the paper. The sketch paper I used was heavy, so I included about 8 folded sheets per signature. The graph paper was much lighter, so I included 14 sheets. Remember that the thread you use to bind the book will add bulk to the spine. For the first page of each signature I used a piece of cardstock with a stenciled design on the front. Two of these signatures will be bound into the book, and 2 will be sewn separately, using a pamphlet stitch. Mark each signature with a ‘T’ at the top.

2. Place a folded sheet of paper the same size as the sheets used for the signatures up against one row of holes on the cover. Make sure the sheet has an even amount of space at the top and the bottom. With a pencil, make a mark on the spine at each hole. Unfold the sheet and carry the marks across the fold. Fold the sheet so the marks are on the inside, and mark the top with a ‘T’. This will be your signature-punching template for 2 of the signatures.

2. Punch holes in 2 of the signatures, using the punching template. Place the template in the middle of the signature, making sure the top of the template matches the top of the signature. Hold the signature in your non-dominant hand, open to a 45° angle. Hold the awl in your dominant hand, parallel to the table. Punch through the template and the signature at each mark. Remove the template and use it to punch the second signature.

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Sew the signatures

Note: With this binding, 2 of the signatures are sewn to the covers at the same time. Take your time as you sew, there’s no need to rush.

3. Thread 2 needles with waxed linen thread three times the height of the book cover. Do not knot the ends. Take 1 needle through the top hole in the first signature and the top hole in the cover, leaving a 3″ tail. Repeat for the other signature with the other needle.

4. Thread 1 needle through the bead. The holes in my bead were small, so I had to remove the needle and push the thread through, then re-thread the needle. Thread the other needle through the bead.

5. Enter the next hole down with each needle, going through the cover and the signature. One at a time, tighten the threads by pulling them parallel to the spine, and make a double (square) knot with the working and tail threads at the second hole. Trim the tail threads only to ¼”.

6. Enter the next hole in each signature from the inside. Both needles should be on the outside at the third hole down. Pull them parallel to the spine to tighten. At this point I find it easiest to sit with the book between my knees, the spine facing me. Begin to twist the threads; how tight you want the twist is up to you.

7. Continue twisting the threads until you’re about ¼”–½” away from the next set of holes. Enter the holes from the outside with each needle. Pull the threads parallel to the spine to tighten.

Note: I like the threads to form a small V at the top and bottom of the twist. If the V at the bottom disappears when you pull the threads tight from inside the book, remove the needles, pull out the threads, and untwist the threads a few times. Re-thread the needles, go through the holes again, and pull the threads tight.

8. Enter the next holes down with each needle to the outside. Enter the last hole from the outside with each needle.

9. Pull the threads parallel to the spine to tighten. In one signature, slip a needle underneath the last stitch, then take the needle under the working thread.

10. Pull the threads down toward the bottom of the book to create a knot.

11. Repeat Step 9 to knot the thread a second time. Repeat with the other needle and thread. Trim each thread to ¼”.

12. Sew the remaining 2 signatures with a pamphlet stitch. Create a signature-punching template as you did for the other signatures, but make only 3 evenly spaced marks along the fold. I made 1 in the middle and two 1″ away from the top and bottom. Carry the marks across the fold, and fold the paper the other way, so the marks are inside. Punch the holes in the 2 signatures as you did before.

13. Thread a needle with waxed linen thread three times the height of the signature. Enter the middle hole from the inside, leaving a 3″ tail. Enter the top hole from the outside, skip the middle hole, and enter the bottom hole from the inside. Enter the middle hole from the outside, coming up on the opposite the tail thread on the other side of the center stitch. Pull the threads parallel to the spine to tighten, and tie a double knot, capturing the center stitch. Trim the threads to ¼”.

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Assemble the book

1. Open the first signature to the middle. Open one signature sewn with a pamphlet stitch to the middle. Place the back cover of the pamphlet-sewn signature against the front cover of the first sewn signature. Cut a piece of elastic cording large enough to go around the 2 signatures and tie a knot. The cording should be taut enough to hold the signatures together, but not so tight that the pages buckle. Slip the elastic cording around the last half of the pamphlet-sewn signature and the first half of the bound signature. Repeat for the second bound signature and the other pamphlet-sewn signature, connecting the back half of the second signature to the front half of a pamphlet-sewn signature.

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Create the pocket and envelope

1. To create the angled pocket, cut a piece of cardstock 4½” wide x 8½” high. If your pages are a different size, measure the width and add ¼”. For the height, measure the height of the page and add ¼”. Score and fold in ¼”on the 2 long sides and the bottom short side. Unfold. Cut out the small squares at the 2 bottom corners where the folds intersect. Fold the side flaps in, and the bottom flap up, and adhere the flaps where they meet with glue or double-stick tape. Turn the piece over. Measure and mark one long side about 2½” from the bottom, and cut the cardstock at an angle, going from the opposite top corner to the mark. Adhere the pocket to a page using glue or double-stick tape.

Note: These pockets can be created while you’re traveling. I like to use shopping bags, travel brochures, and maps to create pockets when I need them.

2. To create the envelope, cut a piece of cardstock 6½” wide x 7″ high. Using the template below, cut the envelope template out and score and fold the sides.

Note: The solid lines indicate where to cut, and the broken lines indicate where to score and fold.

3. Cut a piece of acetate 2¾” wide x 4¾” high. Adhere it to the front of the envelope with glue or double-stick tape. Fold the sides in and adhere with glue or tape, and fold the bottom up and adhere it. Attach the envelope to a page along one long side with washi tape, creating a hinge.

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Create the Plaque for the Closure

1. Rough up the front of the metal plaque with sandpaper. This allows the paper to adhere better. Brush the front of the plaque with a generous amount of gel medium, and adhere a piece of map paper larger than the plaque. Hold the paper in place until it’s adhered, and allow it to dry.

2. Sand the edges of the plaque, removing the excess paper. Open the holes with an awl or the end of a paintbrush.

3. Ink up a small sponge with the inkpad, and brush the ink on the edges of the plaque to add some color. Allow the ink to dry.

4. Brush 1–2 coats of gel medium over the paper and allow to dry.

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Create the closure

1. Cut another piece of elastic cording long enough to go around the book, tie a knot, and leave a 2″ tail.

2. Punch a hole in the middle of the back cover. I used a Japanese paper drill for this, but you can use an awl and wiggle it around to enlarge the hole. Thread the plaque onto the elastic, and push the 2 ends of the elastic through the hole from the outside of the cover to the inside. Create an overhand knot, making sure the tension of the elastic is correct. Wrap the elastic around the book to keep it closed, centering the plaque.

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Create the page marker

1. Thread a needle with a piece of waxed linen thread, about 1½ times the height of the journal. Open the journal and slip the needle between the inside of the cover and a signature, under the first stitch. Wrap the thread around the stitch and tie a double knot. Trim the tail thread to ¼”.

2. Pull the thread up and into the middle of the signature. Thread a charm onto the end of the thread, adjust the placement, and tie the charm onto the thread with a double knot. Trim the tail thread to ¼”.

How will you use your journal this summer? Find even more inspiration in the July/August 2017 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors.