This scrapbook is based on a workshop from Midlands based paper and textile artist Jennifer Collier www.jennifercollier.co.uk so visit her page for inspiration on sewing with paper.

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You will need:

• Scrap paper – old used envelopes, unwanted books, wrapping paper, old maps, comics, magazines etc
• Small decorative items such as used stamps, pictures cut from magazines, pressed flowers and leaves, buttons – anything which is small and flat
• Scissors
• Glue (PVA if possible)
• Large paperclip, bulldog clip or clothes peg
• String, yarn or thin ribbon.
• Hole-punch or needle and thread

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Instructions:

1. Decide the size of book you want to make. We suggest that you start with A5 (14.8 x 21cm) which is a standard sheet of paper folded in half. But you can scale up or down if you want to.

1. Make a template page using a piece of scrap card cut to A5 size. Use this guide to ensure your pages are not too big.

1. Make about 10 A5 pages from scrap paper. Use a good mix of printed and patterned paper. Pages taken from old books or comics, even when covered in text or illustrations, work well. Use thick wrapping paper, old envelopes, text books. Mix it up and make it interesting. Use your template as a guide for the size although you can experiment with different sizes and include some smaller pages. Do not make pages bigger than your template. If you want to use a piece of scrap paper which is smaller than your page size, you can layer several pieces and glue them to make a larger piece. Although avoid making thick layers along the edge where you will be binding your pages (see 6). Try tearing the edges rather than cutting with scissors to give some pages more texture and interest.

1. Add decoration to a few pages – glue on dried leaves, petals and pictures cut from magazines. Or, to make it look really special, use a needle and thread to sew decorations onto a page. You can highlight printing on the page by outlining a feature with stitching or coloured pens. Fold the paper to make pockets. You can even include an envelope with address window as an interesting page. However, make sure that you do not add lots of decoration or layers where you will be binding the pages later on, as this will make the pages too thick and difficult to punch a hole in.

1. Make your book cover. Cut out a thin piece of card which is twice the size of your page template. A cereal box is ideal. If your pages are A5 size, your cover needs to be A4. Fold your cover board in half so that it matches your page size and decorate both sides of the cover with scraps of paper or other decorations such as used stamps or images cut from magazines.

1. Bind your pages into book. Line up all your pages together and pop them inside the cover to check how they fit. You may need to trim a few pages, rearrange them or turn some round so that thicker layers or decorated pieces are not near the edge where we will bind the pages into a book.

1. When you are happy, use a clip or peg to hold your pages together securely and slip the cover off. First, make a pair of holes through all the pages using a hole-punch. Centre the holepunch halfway down one long edge of the pages and press hard to make two holes. If you cannot fit all the pages into the hole punch at once, split the pages up and use another clip or peg to keep them all in position. Next, punch two holes halfway down the folded edge of your cover. Take care to make sure the hole punch is centred on all the pages as well as the cover so that they all line up and the holes will match up.

1. Insert your pages into the cover so that the punched holes all match. Thread some string or yarn through one hole from the front, through the cover and all the pages, then out the back. Pull the string gently to the other hole and back out through the pages to the front. Tie both ends securely with a knot or bow on the front. If you do not have a hole punch, you can use a needle and thread to sew the pages together. Use a fairly thick needle with a point (not a darning or tapestry needle which would be too thick) and strong thread and sew through the paper. You may have to add pages one at a time, but use the same principal as the hole punch and sew from the front cover to the back and then bring the thread from the back to the front, catching all the pages as you go.

1. You can sew buttons and ribbon to the cover so that the book closes securely.

1. Your scrap book will make a unique gift – it would make a gorgeous photo album for example. Or you could use it as a journal or sketchbook. The different papers are great for drawing or painting over. Pieces of text on the pages can inspire ideas and artworks, such as blackout poetry. You can add to printed illustrations or patterns on the paper by adding your own colour, collage, or labels etc.

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