Making a Faux Leather Tome (Easy Bookbinding!)

DIY bookbinding an epic, huge spellbook-looking tome!

MUSIC:
EpidemicSound

PARTS USED:
- Faux leather
- 100 pages watercolor paper

TOOLS:
- Contact glue
- Thick needle
- Scissors & x-acto knife

FOLLOW:

[svndve]

If I ever do this in the future, I would soak the pages in tea or coffee to give an "old" feel to it

[SeaLemonDIY]

This is so epic 😍 Nice work! Thanks for the mention as well!

[BlackBeardProjects]

Yes!! That came out great! Must have been quite a workout to stitch that :') And that leather looks legit! Well done Martina.

[WizardlyMagicks]

I've never wanted to make a thing so badly as this project. This is incredible!

[nathanbrutal]

Nothing I have to write would be worth a book like that.

[LuisMendoza-ppqi]

I can't believe how different this videos are compared to the ones in 2023!! Here you are so shy and almost restrained!! We're happy that you found your voice and how outgoing you are!!💯💯

[gnarthdarkanen]

Really great DIY run-through!!!
I do have a couple tiny tips...
1. Butcher Paper... this stuff is more than reasonably tough and suitable for almost any marking media... It comes in sizes from two-foot to four-foot (that I know of) and for thirty bucks ($30 US) you can get a pretty hefty roll at a time... The only down-side is the amount of folding/cutting to do in the beginning to get pages, BUT that also comes with the caveat that you can make ANY size pages and tome you WANT...
2. Rather than the awl, especially with natural leather, you'll be well advised to use a PUNCH... AND it just happens, that there REALLY IS a specialty fine type of leather punch tool on the market. Tandy (last I checked) sells them for about $20 US...
Here's the thing. When you punch leather with an awl or needle, you're literally tearing through it. This sets the material up with a weakness around that tear, and over time, it will further tear around the hole(s)... A Punch (on the other hand) CUTS a nice round hole through the leather, removing the "plug" neatly. This leaves a clean edge that will NOT weaken the leather around it and allow it to last MUCH MUCH longer.

Okay, yes, this was done to "vinyl" cloth or "naugahide", so the fabric underlying DOES reinforce the product even around those holes. SO I'm not criticizing this work. Please do NOT take that idea. I am (however) just offering a couple tips that will help ANYONE who wants to do this with NATURAL leather as their binding... In the end, while the tool for $20 sounds kind of pricey (expensive?) if you're a regular DIY'er, it will pay off in the longer run. ;o)

[knzwynq]

After binging nerdforge videos for 2 weeks it's such a surprise to see Martina with brown/blonde hair. What do you mean your hair is not naturally purple-pink-blue? 😂

[christine]

For someone who really love writing in journals especially leather bound ones I really love this
How long did this actually take you to do

[maramakesjournals]

Very nice! Please do more. Lots more. And, yes, Sea Lemon is the go-to girl for free book-binding tutorials, tho there are tons of people making hand-stitched journals. Nik the Booksmith has made some breath-taking books. Her Tell-Tale Heart journal has a heartbeat.

[baileyjudd]

Another cool thing to add would be gold gilded edges on the paper

[myautobiographyafanfic]

It's funny how much better you are at this now.

[danielrichmond]

So, I just stumble here randomly, and I have two things two say.
1: I love that book. Like, I want to go out and make one now. You did an awesome job with it!
2: I absolutely love your aesthetic! Like, Darth Vader tee, mystical spell tome for drawing, the nerd forge?? Like, omg, you're rockin it!

[Cynthia]

I'm looking at these book making videos backwards and it's very interesting and much more noticeable what things you learned along the way

[Axeo]

Everyone saying dye the pages. It's going to be used for drawing, white pages are usually what's wanted. Anything else would mess with colors.

[jameso]

i just started making one based on the materials you listed thanks a lot for that i really appreciate it. not many youtubers even list the materials they used to make it which always makes it harder to try and attempt to make the project.

[JustineKaise]

I love that you're using it for sketching and drawing. I started making my own painting journals because I couldn't find anything with nice paper that would stay together and look epic. Even handmade sketchbooks don't use nice drawing and watercolor paper. I hope it's a trend that will keep going. :)

[dnamcknight]

That's one heck of a book. I like it a lot but I wonder how heavy it is. I have a strange urge to throw it at my sister 🤷🤣

[alexgee]

omg this is the most epic thing I have ever seen been handmade before. You will never have to buy another sketchbook for a good 20+ years with that book!!

[ThorneyRose]

Every maker of epic tome spell books must have a Gorgeous kitty sidekick!