Soft Leather Sketchbook (or notebook)

 Sketchbooks and notebooks are wonderfully versatile. They make great presents and are simply good things to have on hand. Here, I'll show you how to make a book with a soft leather cover (rather than hard cover or paperback.)

Step 1 Gather tools and materials

 Necessary tools: Drill, Ruler, and Scissors (shears are better).
Extremely helpful tools: Paper cutter, Vice.

Materials: Sheet of leather -Michael's sells surplus leather in cheap bags, Paper, Craft glue (elmers works fine), Waxed thread (or dental floss,) Small piece of thin fabric, sewing needle.



If you can't access a paper cutter, I think Kinkos will cut paper to precise dimensions, though they do charge a bit.

Comments

[Logan Cade]

 nice work.  i will try this as an upcycled project...old jacket, homemade paper, etc.

[danchang]

 Most noble.

[ClockworkDragonfly]

Not bad, but ideally you should be sewing the pages together (such as in more traditional bookbinding methods) then adding the cloth and attaching it to the leather. The way you have it now, with the threads exposed and sewn directly to the leather, makes for a very structurally weak sketchbook whose spine you constantly have to protect to keep the threads from getting caught on something & breaking or just wearing out.

Or you could just add a step where you place a strip of leather over the threads to protect them, if you're really set in your method.

[danchang]

 I was more interested in having it be simple and decorative.

[Iridium7]

 Nice book cover well designed. good job!

P.S. FIRSTIES!!!