I have always been a list person. Writing things down helps me organize my thoughts and accomplish all I set out to do. Therefore, I love journals, they are scattered throughout my house each containing a fair amount of lists, some completed and some not (oops!). The last Journal I bought I dissected it because I thought I could make this! And I did. So here is my DIY journal.

 

Here are the materials you will need:

• Fabric

• Empty cereal box or other thin cardboard.

• Scissors

•Yarn

• Fabric Mod Podge

•Paint brush (not pictured)

•Hammer

• Thick nail or awl

• Paper cutter (optional)

• Cutting mat (optional)

 

First, cut the cereal box. You will only be using the front or the back. remove the sides, top and bottom leaving a large rectangle. Then measure and cut your fabric 2 inches larger, or an inch larger on every side. I just place the box on top and cut and inch larger all around.

 

 

Next, press the fabric creating a crease down the middle where the binding will be. This will help with placement of the fabric onto the embroidery hoop, as well as to create a flawless finish.

 

 

 

 

Next, hoop the appropriately sized hoop with tear away stabilizer and make a fix stitch. If you prefer to hoop the fabric, do so, I can NEVER center it correctly when hooped.

 

 

 

This next step is a bit tricky to explain. First find the front of the journal, the side of the fabric you will be embroidering on. Place the fabric (over the fixed stitch) with the "binding" crease a half inch outside of the fixed stitch (to the left on my machine) on the long side and the bottom of the fix stitch about and inch and a half from the bottom of the fabric. Then do another fix stitch to hold in place.

 

Next we are cutting the paper. If you choose to use a paper cutter trimming the cereal box to have straight even edges will help make the end product look extra neat. Measure the cut cereal box. Then cut your paper a half inch smaller. My box measured at 7" X 11" and I cut my paper at 6 1/2" X 10 1/2". With this style of binding we will be using, you can probably use up to 50 sheets of paper maybe more. For the tutorial I used 20 for a total of 40 pages in the Journal.

 

 

Unless you are using a very thick or dark fabric use the colorful side of the box as the inside of the journal. I use Fabric Mod Podge because the fabric sticks but does not harden and remains flexible.

 

 

 

 

 

Paint the Mod Podge onto the front side of the cereal box then line up the fabric where you want it then smooth it out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next glue both the long sides down. Then the short sides leaving the corners for last. Making them as smooth as possible.

 

 

 

 

Then cut another sheet of paper to measure a bit smaller than the size of the cereal box. Then glue it to the inside of the journal to cover the colorful cereal box. I just used the Fabric Mod Podge.

 

 

 

 

Now it's time to make holes in the paper and the cover to insert the yarn to create a binding. Lay all the pages into the cover and mark a middle point and then two more points in the center of the middle point and the top of the paper (and bottom). Then hammer your awl or large nail at those points to make large enough wholes for the yarn. I will start on the inside and the turn it and hammer from the outside as well.

 

 

 

 

 

To thread the yarn you can use a yarn needle (which sadly I do not have) or try your hardest and use the nail or awl to guide it through. From the outside of the journal thread the yarn through the top and bottom wholes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then stick both strings of yarn through the middle hole. From the cover, pull the two strands tight and tie into a knot and trim.

 

 

 

And it's done!!