The Almost Weekly Thread is my attempt at keeping the community active while I’m unable to post at least once a week like I used to. Consider it a programmed but totally irregularly scheduled publication ;)
For this first issue, I got the idea from a recent comment from @Œil@jlai.lu that mentioned scratch building their own notebooks using scrap of leather for the cover.
DIY is great idea and helps making the journal even more ours. It is something I’ve been doing on and off (off for the last two years or so) myself with great satisfaction.
There is no need to use leather, or anything fancy to make one. As a matter of fact you probably already have all you need to make a simple one from scratch: some copy paper, a stapler and maybe some thicker paper or cardboard for the cover. Your journal can be as simple and as fancy (and as expensive or as cheap) as you want it to be.
The required tools are limited: like I said a stapler or, better, a needle and some threat, maybe a folding bone (to neatly fold your sheets of paper) and a paper trimmer thingy (I don’t know the English word for those guillotine-like paper cutter) that will help you get neat edges.
Along the years, I’ve made some notebooks myself ranging from the real fancy one (I learned to do book binding three decades ago) to the real dirt cheap ones, made from a stack of printer paper, some empty cardboard box for the cover, and a couple staples.
I loved using them a lot and they all felt so much more personal than purchased notebooks, no matter how cheap and quickly I made them. Each was uniquely mine.
Curious to give it a try? Great!
- If you have zero experience in book binding, this video is an excellent introduction that will teach you how to do everything properly and should help you get a real fine handmade notebook. Something you would not mind gifting to someone you care about: Bookbinding Basics: Chapter 2 - Basic Materials & How To Make Your First Notebook.
BTW, the channel in its entirety is absolutely excellent and well worth watching but it focuses on bookbinding more than on journaling ;) - The previous video focuses on making a nice simple notebook but it still takes some efforts to achieve. If you want to experiment faster and simpler (and cheaper too, maybe) you can check this other video: Pocket notebooks // How-To | I Like To Make Stuff.
- Finally, as a middle ground between the two I would suggest this video: My hand-made pocket journal.
Personal advice: don’t be afraid to try stuff out and to screw up. That's how you learn anything that is worth learning, and even with some issues it will still be your very own unique journal and I'm willing to bet you will like it ;)
Like I think I mentioned, I always have had a soft spot for my own diy notebooks even the cheapest/dirtiest I've made. And I will never hesitate to make one, say for a short-lived occasion (a few days or weeks worth of writing) as I simply use less sheets of paper to make it. It’s also a very simple way to be able regularly renew your journal too: change the cover and the paper. And maybe beside using a ring binder of some sort it's the only practical way I can think of to use a mix of various papers in the same journal.
Also, when I’m in a hurry (polite version of ‘when I feel too lazy’) I don't bother with making anything fancy. I simply fold a few sheets of paper (I prefer watercolor papers, since I like to sketch but a less expensive mixed media paper will do fine too, and if I was only writing or sketching without using watercolors I would not mind using 80gsm copy paper from Clairefontaine) that I staple, not even trimming the edges.
Nope, I don’t worry the staples might be rusting because of the water in my watercolors as I seldom do heavy watercolors washes in my journals but even if it was to rust, so be it, it would simply be part of that journal.
And yeah, when I feel less lazy I can properly bind the signatures using some thread and a needle and I may even use some nice cover material too ;)
Sorry for the late reply, you may have noticed my last message announcing I won't be available a lot for the time being.
That's a great suggestion!
I would add that a DIY journal also makes one's journal feel incredibly more personal. At least, that's how it felt to me every time I made my own. Like you suggests, no need to learn anything special or expensive and even using scraps it will feel unique. I would encourage anyone to give it a chance.
My last handmade journal, dating back a couple years ago, was exactly that: a few stapled sheets of paper with a nice cover made out of recycled cardboard (from a sturdy pasta package :p). The paper I used for the pages was a few sheets of mix-media smooth A4 paper from Clairefontaine I folded in two (being smooth making it great for writing with a fountain pen, and fine for my watercolor sketches) :p