May 23: A Little of This, A Little of That along with a Dash of Crafting

So did you have a heat wave this past weekend?  We did, but it wasn't quite as bad as originally forecast.  It was enough for us to put in the window air conditioners.  And, as normal, it rained!  We did manage to grill on Sunday and two of my sons went fishing Saturday morning.  Each caught two fish which were thrown back.  We catch and release for the most part.

So we heard back about the house and unfortunately, my son's bid was a close second, but still not the top so we are back looking at houses.  I am still packing but I have so much packed at this point that I am only packing one box at a time concentrating on kitchen things that we do not use.

Today, I am going to share how to add a signature (remember, four pages make up a signature) to your journal cover.  First on the inside spine of the book mark three dots across equal space.  My first and third marks were 1/4 inch from the edge and the middle mark was halfway between those two marks...

Next, draw a line at each of those marks as shown...

Arrange your signature in order and centered.  Use a clip on one side to hold the pages in place...

Using an awl, line up the signature on the first line you made on the spine, make three holes through the pages in the center of the middle page and the spine of the cover.  If the awl does not want to go through the spine mark the holes as you punch through the signature  (pages), remove the signature and make the holes in the spine.  I generally just eyeball the holes rather than measure...

Using an embroidery needle (thick and not sharp) and string or floss (I used all five strands of floss and cut a piece about 20 inches long) sew the signature to the cover in this order:

1.  Needle down in the middle hole through the pages and the cover. (leave several inches)
2.  Needle up in the top hole through the cover and the pages
3.  Needle down in the bottom hole through the pages and the cover
4.  Needle up through the middle hole through the cover and the pages

The first couple of times you do this, you may want to give the string/floss lots of slack so that you can easily put the needle through the pages.  Once you have sewn everything, pull the string/floss comfortably tight making sure that there is no string hidden, tie, catching the center sting.

A couple notes:  

If you feel the page paper is not strong, place a piece of tape down the center on both sides.  

When gluing or taping items on a page be sure to use a bone folder or something to press down to get a good connection.

Take your time the first time you add a signature to a cover.  It can be frustrating until you get comfortable with the process.

Talk with you tomorrow...