Handmade Notebook

I have been wanting a visual journal to collect ideas and sketches, work through designs and document progress and completed projects. Ideally, it should be sturdily bound with room for future insertions, a convenient size for carrying that would be still be large enough to lay out designs, have both lined and unlined pages, have a few pockets for scraps and a few fold-out pages for larger layouts. What a list! While I will probably have to settle for a commercially produced sketchbook (which will, of course, work just fine), I had delusions of grandeur while riding the bus home tonight about making my own to fit these specifications.
Some time ago, I came across this tutorial via another great stitching website. This gave me an opportunity to revisit the idea and give it a try.

Materials:
15 sheets of 8 1/2 x 11 25# white paper
2 sheets of 8 1/2 x 11 card stock
1 manila file folder
ruler
sturdy needle
extra strong craft thread
rectangle of fabric to cover folder
lots of craft glue!

I didn't take pictures of the work in progress but here is the result.


This fabric was left over from a quilt that we made for one of my coworkers to celebrate the placement of her soon-to-be adopted sons with her. It is a fairly stiff cotton. I applied the glue a bit unevenly so it turned out wrinkly. Oh well, practice and learn!


The page stitching turned out to be quite sturdy. Despite its obvious imperfections, the book can be used to keep a collection of stitching designs that I don't want to be linked to a particular journal period.