If you've got a stack of cheap blank notebooks sitting around and a box of fabric scraps, scrapbook paper, and leftover bits from other projects — this is the video you've been waiting for. I walk through four different ways to completely transform a plain notebook, from a fully fabric-covered hardcover journal with a handmade belt buckle closure, all the way to a quick collage cover using nothing but paper scraps and washi tape. Some of these methods take real effort; some you can finish in an afternoon. All of them can result in something genuinely beautiful.
What we cover
Four notebook makeover methods, each one building on the last: a full fabric hardcover with cereal-box reinforcement, bookplate, pockets, brads, and a sewn belt buckle closure; a simplified fabric cover with scrapbook paper lining and no edge-wrapping; a quick paper-covered version with a washi tape spine and elastic closure; and a collage-style cover made entirely from scrap paper. I also show how to rebind the original pages using a three-hole pamphlet stitch, how to add and hide a brad-attached closure, how to make and attach a bookplate, and how to finish the belt end with ribbon crimp ends and charms.
What you'll learn
How to reinforce a notebook cover with cereal box cardboard, so it becomes stiff enough to wrap with fabric and hold its shape — including why you must leave a gap at the spine and what happens when you don't.
How to cover a journal with fabric, including:
- Applying fabric glue in sections (spine first, then panels) to avoid bubbling and seepage
- Smoothing and stretching the fabric so it sits flat
- Letting it dry folded so the spine fabric stretches correctly
How to wrap and finish fabric edges, including:
- Cutting corners correctly — leaving a small amount of fabric rather than cutting to the very edge
- Tucking corner fabric before wrapping the long sides
- Using book corners as an alternative when the fabric frays at the corner
How to make a handmade belt buckle closure, including:
- Threading fabric through a buckle and sewing it closed by machine (or by hand)
- Colouring a plain metal buckle with Rub 'n Buff to get a gold, aged finish
- Finishing the belt ends with ribbon crimp ends and attaching charms via jump rings
How to attach brads (paper fasteners) to a journal cover — poking holes with an awl, threading the brad through both the closure and the cover, and opening the prongs flat on the inside, without placing them so close to the spine that the prongs are impossible to cover.
How to make and layer a bookplate using die-cut shapes, gold foil cardstock, stenciling, and fabric or lace — then gluing and brading it to the cover front.
How to add sewn or glued pockets to a cover lining panel, including:
- Gluing pockets in place temporarily before taking them to the sewing machine
- Securing thread ends by pulling them to the back and taping them down with masking tape
How to rebind a signature using a three-hole pamphlet stitch — including the trick of leaving awls through the already-poked holes to keep the signature from shifting while you pierce the remaining holes, and how to tie a secure finishing knot that doesn't add bulk.
How to trim pages after adding cover bulk, working slowly with a metal ruler and a sharp X-ACTO knife, a little at a time, for a clean edge.
How to add an elastic closure by notching the back cover, threading the elastic through from the outside, gluing and brading the ends on the inside, and hiding the whole thing behind a pocket.
A simplified fabric cover method — gluing fabric flat to the cover without wrapping edges, trimming the excess with pinking shears once dry, and covering the inside with scrapbook paper panels and washi tape at the spine.
A scrap paper collage cover — working with ripped paper pieces that share a limited colour palette, layering and gluing across the front and back, and using decorative trim to hide an uneven tape edge at the spine.
Tips & gotchas
Leave a real gap at the spine when gluing your reinforcement panels. Once you add cereal box cardboard, fabric, and lining, you're adding bulk that didn't exist before — and suddenly the pages don't fit flush anymore. Leaving roughly an inch from the spine saves you from having to trim the pages down drastically (though some trimming is likely either way).
Don't go heavy on the glue when working with thin fabric. Upholstery fabric forgives a lot; a thin cotton or lightweight blouse fabric won't. Too much glue seeps through and the stain is permanent. Work in sections and use a thin, even layer — you can always go back and add a small amount under lifting edges, but you can't undo a bleed-through.
Fold the journal and let it dry in the closed position. This stretches the spine fabric correctly and prevents that bunched, pulling look at the hinge when you open the journal later.
When cutting corners, leave a small tail of fabric. Don't cut all the way to the corner point. That little bit of extra fabric is what you fold over to get a tidy, flat result — cut too close and you'll have nothing to work with.
Double-sided tape doesn't forgive repositioning. If you're using it to stick the wrapped edges down, make sure your placement is right before you press. I say this having got it slightly wrong — it worked out, but it's better to be sure.
Keep brads away from the spine. The closer the prongs land to the spine fold, the harder it is to flatten them neatly — and the harder it is to cover them with a lining panel. Give yourself more room than you think you need.
Don't glue paper directly across the spine. For the quick paper-cover method, glue your panels right up to where the spine starts, leave it free, and use tape or washi tape to cover the spine separately. Paper glued across the hinge will crack and bow every time the journal opens.
Measure the elastic closure carefully before committing. Too tight and it will bow the covers; too loose and it won't hold. Hold it around the closed journal first, check that there's gentle tension without pulling, then mark your notch placement.
When trimming pages to match a thicker cover, go little by little. A sharp X-ACTO knife and a metal ruler, with light passes rather than one hard cut, gives you a clean edge without tearing.
Once you've worked through that one, the simpler versions stop being guesswork and become deliberate choices. And the possibilities beyond these four are genuinely open: a keepsake journal covered in fabric from a baby's blanket or a loved one's old shirt, a cover decorated with gems arranged into patterns, a whole series of notebooks made from the same scrap box in an afternoon. That's what I find exciting about this kind of project — the notebook is just the starting point.
