sewn book tutorial

Materials needed:  paper for inside pages, cardstock cover about a half inch longer and wider than the inside pages, embroidery floss or other string for binding (about twice as long as the spine portion of the book), one needle ( I use tapestry needles because they are not too sharp and that kind of needle has a big eye), two paper clips, and one push pin

1. Fold all pages and the cover exactly in half.  For best results, I fold each piece of paper separately.
2.  Use paper clips to secure pages together like shown above.  This will prevent the pages from moving around while sewing.

3.  Poke three holes about equal distance apart on fold line with push pin.  Sometimes I mark this with a pencil before poking the holes.   

4.  Thread needle and slide end of floss underneath one paper clip.

5.  Sew through center hole, then sew through either of the other two holes to other side.

6.  Now sew through remaining hole.  Your book will now look like the one below.  Sew through middle hole again. 

7.  Knot the two ends of the thread together around the center string by tying it twice.

8.  Clip edges, and decorate cover as you would like.  Clip edge of string about an inch from the knot.

I use copy paper for most of the books I make, but drawing paper works well too. 
These are easy enough to make with elementary students and can be done with a small group (5-8) in less than a half hour.  My students do everything except poke the holes with a push pin.  It is a fairly quick project and the fun part is decorating the book and filling up the inside.