An easy no-sew binding
A no-sew binding method that works for greeting cards, journals, CD cases — and almost anything else.
Dear friend,
If the word binding has ever felt like a barrier — too technical, too fiddly, too easy to get wrong — tab binding might be exactly the way in. No sewing, no special equipment, and the result lies completely flat every time. That last part still delights me every time I open one of these books.
The method itself is simpler than it sounds: you make small strips from almost anything — washi tape, fabric, scrapbook paper, even strips cut from a gold gift bag — and attach them in an alternating sequence along the spine edges of your pages. Each set of strips slots neatly between the last. Once that rhythm gets into your hands, it's hard to stop seeing potential books in things you'd otherwise throw away.
What I love most is how far it stretches. In this tutorial I go from the basic sequence — demonstrated with envelopes so you can see exactly what's happening — all the way through to a fabric-and-gold journal made from fully sewn signatures. The same logic holds throughout. A quick afternoon booklet and a proper keepsake journal are made the exact same way.
If you'd like to try it for yourself, here's the full tutorial — start to finish.
Easy No-Sew Tab Binding Tutorial | Stylish & Elegant Handmade Books
What you'll make
art journal·handmade book·pocket·signature·junk journal·book corners
What you'll learn
diy·no sew·upcycled·binding·gluing·pamphlet stitch binding
What you'll need
cd·envelope·fabric·greeting cards·scrapbook paper·tape
That's really what I hope you take away from this one — not a technique to file away for later, but a small shift in how you look at the beautiful scraps and offcuts already on your desk. Old cards, painted paper, packaging too pretty to bin. Tab binding gives all of it somewhere to go.
If a friend forwarded you this — you can get the next one too.
Leave your email — I'll do the rest.
Your email is safe with me — and you can leave whenever you like.
Two more ways to be part of this.
Join the Facebook group
The daily conversation, and where the movement lives between videos. Share what you're making, find your people — and the bigger it grows, the further every new idea reaches.
Join the group →The Patreon inner circle
Private videos, weekly challenges, a closer view of the work — for those who've made this a real part of their lives. The place to go once you know this is for you.
See the inner circle →Or, if a video's helped you — leave a tip on Ko-fi ↗. The price of a coffee, no commitment.