You do not need a sewing machine, an awl, or waxed thread to bind a junk journal. Three methods below, from no-tools to twenty-minutes-with-a-needle. All of them hold.
1. The folded signature stack, no binding at all
Fold your pages in half to make signatures - four or five sheets per signature. Stack the signatures inside a folded cover. Then run a length of ribbon or elastic down the fold on the outside, up through the middle, and tie.
This is a Midori or traveller-style binding. It takes two minutes, holds four or five signatures comfortably, and you can swap signatures in and out later. Start here.
2. Three-hole pamphlet stitch
The classic, and still the fastest proper binding.
- Fold one signature and the cover together.
- Mark three points on the fold: the middle, then one about 2 cm from the top and one 2 cm from the bottom.
- Pierce the three holes with a large needle, a pushpin, or a bamboo skewer. Do it on a folded towel so you do not go through the table.
- Sew from the outside into the middle hole, out through the top hole, back in through the bottom hole, and out through the middle again.
- Tie the two ends over the long stitch. Trim.
Repeat for each signature and you have a book. Ordinary cotton thread doubled over works fine.
3. Rings or a hole punch
Punch two or three holes down the left edge of loose pages and put them on binder rings. Not elegant, but there is one thing it does that stitching cannot: you can add pages later without unbinding anything.
For a journal you intend to fill over months, rings are often the right answer.
Cover material
Whatever you use, the cover needs to be heavier than the pages. Cereal box card, an old book cover, a manila folder, or 300 gsm cardstock all work. Cover it with a printed vintage paper and the join disappears.
Two mistakes worth avoiding
Too many pages per signature. More than five folded sheets and the inner pages stick out past the outer ones. Trim the edge afterwards or use fewer sheets.
Binding before you decorate. Working on a flat unbound page is far easier than working inside a bound book. Do the pages first, bind last.
For covers and page backgrounds, the free vintage paper set is 12x12 at 300 dpi and prints full bleed, which suits a cover well.
MORE GUIDES
How to make junk journal pockets and envelopes