Coptic Stitch Binding brown diary

You will need

two A4 sheets of thick cardboard fifteen A4 sheets of plain white paper flower stamp black craft paint decorations small sponge roller and paint tray string or embroidery thread 18mm needle pewter tool with a sharp point craft knife and cutting mat metal ruler pencil and scissors

1
3 2 4 5 1

To make

1 Use the reverse side of the craft knife and the ruler to trace a line

2
5

along the centre of each piece of cardboard to divide them into two A5 sections. Fold each sheet in half so that the line lies in the inside of the fold. 2 Use the sponge roller to apply a little paint to the flower stamp and press the stamp all around the edges of the cover to decorate it. Leave to dry and decorate further as you prefer. 3 Divide the white paper into stacks of five pages each and fold each stack in half. 4 Fold each stack open and make marks on the fold line 15mm from the top and bottom and then between these two points, another five points, each 30mm apart. Do the same with the two cover pages. 5 Use the pewter tool to make a hole at each of the marked points on the pages and the covers. 6 Fold the stacks of paper and the covers closed and place the pages inside the covers with the holes lining up. Thread a piece of string measuring about 1,5m through the needle and start binding the book. 7 Consult diagram 1 and insert the needle in hole 1 in the folded cardboard. Press the needle through to the inside of the cardboard and then push it through hole 2. 8 Insert the needle at hole 3 until it reaches the inside of the bottom stack of folded paper and then push it through hole 4. Pull the thread tight, but be careful not to tear the paper. 9 Consult diagram 2 and insert the needle at hole 5 in the cardboard. Make a loop over the string between holes 1 and 2 and press the needle through hole 5 again. 10 Consult diagram 3 and guide the needle below the loop that was formed between holes 4 and 5 in step 9. Insert the needle at hole 4 again. 11 Press the needle through until it reaches the inside of the bottom stack of paper and then press it through hole 6. Repeat steps 9 and 10. 12 Keep on binding until you reach the last hole in the bottom stack of paper and then tie a knot. Cut the edges off neatly. 13 Thread more string in your needle and insert the needle in the next stack of paper at the hole just above where your string emerged in step 12. 14 Press the needle through to the next hole. Consult diagram 4, guide the needle below the loop that was formed previously and insert it through the same hole again. 15 Keep on binding until you reach the last hole in the stack of paper and then repeat as previously to bind the rest of the book.

3 4 5

left to right