If you've been thinking about starting to bind your own journals — or you're already making them and want a curated set of supplies in one place — this is a look inside the bookmaking kit I put together and listed in my Etsy shop. It's got the core tools I reach for every time I sit down to bind, plus a collection of materials and findings you can use straight away on your first few journals.
What we cover
A full walkthrough of everything inside the kit: the essential binding tools (awl, needles, bone folder, thread), a selection of metal findings and closures, book corner protectors, bookplates, brads, die-cuts, and several cover and lining materials — including upholstery fabric, a rolled decorative material, vintage wallpaper paper, and cardstock.
What you'll learn
The core binding tools in the kit and what each one is for
- The awl, for punching holes through signatures before you sew
- Nine bookbinding needles in different sizes — I use a mid-weight needle for most of my work, but the variety covers different thread weights
- A plastic bone folder, for creasing pages before they go into a signature
- Waxed thread in three colours, which lasts a long time and handles most binding projects cleanly
- Two non-waxed thread colours that work just as well for binding
- A textured string that's less suited to binding but works well for tags and embellishments
How to use book corner protectors — the kit includes eight gold, eight bronze, and eight silver metal corners, all in that classic journal-hardware style. You slide them over the corners of a cover to protect the edges and give the journal a finished, professional look.
How metal spine findings work — these are small attachments you fix to a journal's spine with a brad, leaving a loop where you can hang a tassel, a charm, ribbon, or anything else you want dangling from the book. The kit includes both a larger finding with a larger brad and a smaller version, so you've got options depending on the scale of the journal.
How to attach a decorative closure — the small clasp closure in the kit fastens with six brads through small pre-made holes, and works on a box or a journal cover to create a simple, tidy close.
How bookplates work on a journal cover — the kit includes two metal bookplates and four brads (two per plate). You layer lace, paper, or die-cuts behind the plate, press it onto the cover, and secure it through the brad holes. I've used them on finished journals many times; they're one of those details that really completes the look.
How to use die-cuts as bookplates, including:
- Using a single die-cut on its own as a label-style bookplate
- Layering two or more die-cuts together and inking the edges so they read as distinct shapes and pop against the cover
- Mixing wallpaper-based, cardstock, and patterned die-cuts for variety
How the upholstery fabric works as a journal cover — it looks a little like burlap but it's backed with a stiffening layer on the reverse, which means it frays far less than regular fabric. Depending on the size of the journal you're making, one piece is enough for two standard journals or up to four mini journals.
How to use the rolled decorative material — this comes in a roll and can be used as a cover fabric, an inner lining, or both: outer cover on one side, inner panel on the other, glued or sewn together. It's one of those materials that works differently depending on how you use it, which is what I like about it.
How wallpaper paper works as a journal cover — the vintage luxury wallpaper samples in the kit are beautiful on their own but benefit from being lined with cardstock if you want a sturdier result. Used as-is they're more decorative; backed with cardstock they hold their structure better through use.
How the cardstock and upholstery fabric work together for a complete journal — I showed a set of mini journals I'd been making at the time, where the upholstery fabric was the outside and the cardstock panel was the inside. Once the signature is sewn in, the result is a tidy, finished little journal with a tactile cover and a clean inner lining.
Tips & gotchas
Waxed thread is my default for binding, and the three colours in the kit will go a long way — I've been using mine for a long time across many journals. Non-waxed thread works fine too if you prefer it; there's no meaningful difference in hold for most bindings.
The upholstery fabric frays far less than regular fabric because of the glued backing — but that only holds if you cut cleanly and don't tug the edges. If you're a puller-and-tweaker when you're working, you'll want to be a little gentler with this one than you would with a fused fabric.
The rolled material tends to curl when it comes out of its packaging. A light pass with an iron solves this before you try to use it for a cover. Don't skip that step or you'll spend the whole session fighting with the curl.
For the wallpaper paper, line it with cardstock if you're planning to use it as a journal cover that will see real handling. On its own it's beautiful but soft; the cardstock layer gives it the rigidity it needs to hold its shape once the journal is assembled and used.
When you're building bookplates from die-cuts, layering is the move. Stack a few shapes, ink the edges of each layer before you assemble them, and the depth becomes immediately visible. A single flat die-cut is fine; a two- or three-layer stack with inked edges looks intentional and finished.
You get a sense for which findings suit which journal styles, and the awl and needles become second nature. From there, adding new materials is just a question of what catches your eye, because the binding toolkit itself is already sorted.
