Your supplies! The good thing about stocking up is that most of these purchases will last you through a few hardbacks.
A firm cardboard. Try
binder's board, chipboard, or the covers of an old 3-ring binder.
-80lb paper. The amount of sheets depends on how thick you'd like your book to be. We bought a
Strathmore 400 Series Drawing Pad, with 24 sheets of 9"x12" paper.
-A brush to spread the glue thinly and evenly.
-Sharp utility blade (box-cutter or X-Acto will work).
-Ruler or measuring tape.
-Scissors.
-A few sheets of wax paper.
-Paper-backed or non-porous cloth, or heavy paper for wrapping the cardboard to form the hardcover. We used
Lineco Book Cloth in forest green.
-A pencil.
-Small
awl or chisel.-A swatch of loose weave cloth (cheesecloth works great). You'll be cutting this into a few different pieces, the longest of which needs to be as long as the spine of your book.
-Glue.
PVA (polyvinyl acetate) glue is usually used in bookbinding because it dries quickly, is flexible, and is also acid-free. However, it is usually a little more expensive. Your standard white craft or school glue should work, too.
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Heavy thread/a> and a needle. The thread can be run across a block of beeswax to prevent tangling, but isn't necessary.