If you've ever pulled apart an old book and found yourself with a beautiful cover but no pages to match — either because the originals were too small, too damaged, or just too precious to rebind the traditional way — this tutorial is for you. It's part two of a book harvesting project, and the focus is on creating extra large expanding journal pages: hinged sheets that fold out, flip open in multiple directions, and hold far more than a standard page ever could. Along the way there are loaded pockets, a writing board, decorative machine stitching, and an elastic binding system that lets you remove signatures or individual pages whenever you want.
What we cover
This tutorial picks up from the book harvesting project (part one is linked in the description) with the cover already prepared. From here, the focus is on building two full signatures of oversized, multi-fold pages — hinging large paper sheets together, creating fold-out and flip-out elements, adding pockets, decorative stitching, and embellishments — then binding everything into the finished journal using a wraparound elastic system that keeps pages removable.
What you'll learn
How to hinge two sheets of paper together to create an extra large page, including:
- Gluing both papers at the edge so each side is secured but the middle stays free to flex
- Using kids' scrapbook pads or large art paper pads as a ready-made source of oversized sheets
- Keeping the hinge strip narrow to avoid bulk at the spine
How to identify paper grain and why it matters for folding
- Fold the paper one direction and feel the resistance, then fold the other way — more resistance means you're going against the grain
- Folding with the grain gives a clean, crisp crease; folding against it can cause the paper to crack or resist
- A scoring board helps get a sharp fold when you have no choice but to go against the grain; burnishing firmly with a bone folder will also smooth out the crackly edges
How to create multi-fold expanding pages that open in multiple directions, including:
- Folding a hinged sheet down so it fits within the cover, then folding the extensions back in so they unfold outward when the page is opened
- Making pages that wrap around others, so one page has to be unwrapped before the next can be reached — building interactivity into the structure itself
- Working with up to six layers of paper in a single folded page
How to use a template to size pages correctly
- Cut your pages slightly shorter than the template to account for the bulk created when signatures are nested — the outermost pages will always sit slightly further from the spine and can easily stick out if cut to the same size as the template
- Do all hinging and folding before trimming the height — trimming first leads to misalignment
How to sew large expanding pages on a domestic sewing machine
- Fold the page into its natural closed position before sewing so you don't accidentally stitch pockets shut
- Feed the folded page from your lap through the machine, letting it slowly unfold as you sew — then fold it back as it starts to pile up on the desk
- Stitch the fold lines first, then sew around the perimeter; use a straight stitch, a zigzag, or a deliberately wiggly line — all give a different handmade quality
- Skip stitching the open sides of pockets (obvious once you think about it, easy to forget in the moment)
How to make an in-page pocket on a fold-out flap
- Trim a piece of scrapbook paper to fit the flap, ink the edges, then glue along three sides only, leaving the top open
- Do this on both sides of a fold-out for pockets that face in opposite directions
How to bind signatures with elastic for a removable-page system
- Wrap a length of elastic around the spine twice — once for each signature — and tie with a square knot (right over left, then left over right)
- Leave enough give in the binding to slide signatures in and out; too tight and the elastic works against you
- When using one continuous length of elastic for two loops, the string will cross itself somewhere — position that twist on the spine rather than on the inside, so each signature slot stays separate and signatures can be inserted independently
- Drop-in binding: open a signature to its middle, slide it over the elastic loop from the opposite direction to the first signature — much easier than poking holes
How to make and use a writing board
- Back a large image with coordinating scrapbook paper, then laminate it
- The laminated board lives at the back of the journal and slides underneath any spread when you need a firm, flat writing surface — useful when the pages beneath are loaded with ephemera and bulk
How to load a pocket with ephemera
- Layer envelopes, tags, onion skin paper, small booklets, and vintage pages to create depth and visual interest
- Use a brad to anchor a decorative element and keep the pocket contents from spilling
Tips & gotchas
Use glue rather than double-sided tape for hinging. Double-sided tape can fail over time; glue gives you a more durable bond and, when applied to both papers at the edge, creates the small unglued gap in the middle that lets the hinge flex naturally.
Hinge first, trim height last. Once you've glued your sheets together and made all your folds, trim the top or bottom to your final height. If you trim before hinging, the edges will almost certainly misalign when you fold, and you'll be trimming again anyway.
For cutting multiple thick layers — four, five, six sheets of paper folded together — skip the paper trimmer and use a metal ruler and an X-acto knife. A trimmer will cut the first few layers cleanly and leave the rest ragged. One pass with the knife gets everything at once.
When the elastic binding is tied, make sure the twist where the two loops cross sits on the outside of the spine. If the twist ends up on the inside, the two loops are no longer separate, and you can't slide signatures in independently.
Don't tie the elastic too tight. The whole point of this system is that signatures come out. A knot pulled hard against the spine will make insertion and removal a battle every time.
If you're folding against the paper grain and getting crackly edges, burnish the fold firmly with a bone folder before you move on. It won't give you a grain-perfect crease, but it'll close up those hairline cracks enough that they won't spread.
Mark your pages a fraction shorter than your template — maybe a quarter inch. With even a moderately full signature, the outermost pages will sit further from the spine due to the accumulated bulk, and pages cut to the exact template size will often peek out of the cover. A little shorter gives you that breathing room.
The removable elastic binding takes that further: signatures can come out to be worked on flat, extra pages can be dropped in as the journal fills up, and eventually the whole thing could be rebound permanently if that's where it ends up. It's a structure that stays flexible for as long as you want it to.
