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Making Journals
July 23rd, 2020
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One of the things I never suspected would be a by-product of the global
pandemic would be an expansion of my random hobbies.  Case in point: I've
started creating my own physical journal/notebooks.

The process is simple for a smaller physical book.  Take a stack of rough,
draft-quality paper (or whatever you fancy) and fold it in half, creating a
booklet.

With some cardstock of your choice, cut a cover to match around the booklet.

Using an awl, punch four to five holes in the center of the stack of pages.
Depending on how thick your notebook is, you may need to measure and punch the
holes over a couple of packets.  Stack the packets and the cover together; the
holes should all align.

Grab some cheap embroidery thread and a needle and create a tight bind between
all of the holes that you've just made with the awl.  You typically loop back
through a previous hole so that you end up with a length of thread running
between each hole on both the inside of the notebook and along the outer spine.

Tie off the terminus ends of the embroidery thread to an existing length of
thread to form a tight knot.

Finally, find a heavy weight to press down on the notebook to get the crease to
keep it closed when flat.  I used a stack of some pizza stones that are
booklet-sized but have significant weight.  Leave it overnight to press.

Et voila!  That's it.  You have a small but usable journal/notebook to work
with, with a size that you can easily customize.  You can add pouches out of
recycled paper to collect random bits of physical material, something which I
usually make use of with my Moleskines when I'm jotting down notes or ideas to
myself on bits of paper.

You can add a ribbon into the spine or a piece of elastic if you want to make
sure your notebook stays closed -- there's plenty of small hacks that you can
do that don't require much more energy or tools.