Book 34 - "Ethan Allen" - Recycled Vintage Book as Journal - Coptic Binding

Book 34?? What's with that? Well, in the wind-up to posting the final couple of books in the year-long challenge, I thought I'd better look back over the whole past year and make sure I hadn't inadvertently skipped any days. And sure enough, way back in February, I just skipped right over a day. So, to be honest with you and myself, I needed to fill in that day.

So, Book 34. Here's another recycled vintage book made into a blank book/journal. I'm not sure of the exact date of this book since there was no copyright or publication date anywhere in the book. But from the cover illustration, I'd put it at about 1900-1910. The strange thing is that the illustration--two boys in sports outfits and gear--has nothing whatever to do with the content of the book, which is a history of Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys of Vermont in the 18th century. Go figure. Maybe it was part of a series for boys and they all had that cover. The condition is pretty good, but there is one spot on the cover that is slightly blistered (where the book cloth has come loose from the board beneath. If I had a fine needle syringe, I could probably shoot a bit of glue underneath and glue it down again.

Since the bright red accents on the cover design stand out so much, I decided to play off that and use red thread for the binding. I also alternated green and red paper tape on the spine folds of the signatures for an attractive pattern on the exposed spine.

It came out looking pretty good.

Book 359 - Recycled Children's Book Journal/Blank Book - Lemony Snicket-Coptic Binding

Have you read any of the Lemony Snicket books? They are a bit bizarre but really fun. And the covers are neat! So, of course, I had to recycled one into a journal/blank book.

This is Book the Second, The Reptile Room. This follows my usual construction procedure with these upcycled hard cover books. The covers were slit and bound, the pages folded and punched, some of the signature fold edges bound with colorful paper tape. This was bound with a single-needle coptic binding using maroon waxed cotton thread.

I included a couple of the original illustrations form the book into the pages. The book's spine became a bookmark.

I'll always be on the lookout for more Lemony Snicket books in good enough condition to recycle/upcycle into fun journals.

Book 356 - "Motor Boys" Recycled 1906 Book Journal - Coptic Binding

This recycled book journal is made from a fabulous find--a 1906 novel for boys called "The Motor Boys in Mexico" by Clarence Young. It was part of a whole series of books about the Motor Boys, apparently playing off the idea of the then relatively new motor car as a source of adventure. Apparently there were a whole bunch of these series of boys' books--the back pages of this book had ads for many of them. In fact, I liked those pages so much, I incorporated several of the ad pages inside this journal.

As usual, the covers were sliced off the book, the spine carefully removed and the raw edges tape bound. I lightly waxed the cover to preserve and improve its finish--although it is in wonderful condition for being more than a century old. I punched holes for sewing stations, folded sigs and punched holes in those too and covered the spine fold with the same green tape as the spine edge, incorporating a few illustrations and other pages from the original book. The book was bound with a chain stitch binding--a single-needle coptic stitch--with white waxed linen thread.

I made a bookmark from the book's spine by folding back the cut edges and covering the entire backside with green paper tape.

This is really a lovely journal.

Book 335 - "Pioneers on Early Waterways" - Recycled Children's Book as a Journal/Blank Book - Coptic Binding

The recycled book I used to make this journal/blank book originally retold tales of people on the early waterways of America, stories like young Sam Clemens (who later became Mark Twain) as a cub pilot on the Mississippi and tall tales of Davy Crockett. The stories were illustrated with pen and ink illustrations I wanted to save.

After cutting the spine off the book and removing the book block, I bound the raw cut edges of the covers with brown patterned tape. I carefully trimmed several of the illustrations from the book and used two of them--both showing river boats--as end papers inside the front and back covers. Then I trimmed more illustrations and taped one to the front of each of the eight signatures I'd folded up. The brown patterned tape folded over the spine edge of the signature makes for a nice pattern on the exposed spine of the book.

After punching holes for the sewing stations in the covers and sigs, I bound the journal with a single-needle coptic stitch binding with brown waxed cotton thread.

I also used the original spine of the book to make a bookmark. It's not in the photos below because it's buried somewhere on my desk and I couldn't find it to photograph. But It IS here and as soon as I clean off this mess, it will show up!

Really!

Book 332 - "The Ghost of Windy Hill" - Recycled Hardcover Book Journal-Coptic Binding

I love the look of this recycled children's book journal. As soon as I saw the book in the thrift shop, I grabbed it. The Ghost of Windy Hill was written in 1968 by Clyde Robert Bulla.

Making it was the usual drill: Cut off the spine, fold the cut edges back and tape them, this time with green patterned washi tape to pick up the green of the type on the cover. Bone the tape down very well inside and out. Fold the signatures; in this book there are eight.

I wanted to include some of the illustrations from the original book, lovely black-and-white ink wash illustrations by Don Bolognese. I tipped one in at the front of each signature, using more of the washi tape to hold them in and wrapping the tape around the folded edge of the signature to create the color pattern on the exposed spine.

I stitched the book with a single-needle coptic binding in light green waxed cotton thread.

I took the narrow spine I'd cut off the book, folded the cut edges over and taped the back to create a book mark for the journal. Nice.

Book 327 & 328 - "Pooh Times Two" - Two Different Ways to Recycle Pooh Books - Codex & Coptic

My regular followers well know by now my penchant for recycling old books into new journals, especially children's books. This time I've taken on a couple of little Winnie the Pooh books from the 1970s but I've treated them differently.

The first journal/blank book, Christopher Robin Gives Pooh a Party, is a traditional cased-in codex book. A codex is what most people think of when they think "book." It's a hardcover book with a front, back and reinforced spine covered with the cover paper and the stitched book block glued into the prepared cover with end papers.

I stitched the signatures to a piece of mull (a kind of stiffened cheesecloth fabric used by bookmakers). This formed the "hinges" that could be glued under the end papers to hold the block in place.

For the endpapers, I cut illustrations from the original book, taped them together to make them double width, and glued them down over the mull hinges.

When closed, this little journal pools almost exactly like the original book did.

For the second Pooh journal, made from Kanga and Baby Roo Come to the Forest, I used my more usual single-needle coptic stitch binding. After removing the book block and slicing the spine, I removed the spine reinforcement, folded the cut edges back and glued then taped them down. I folded the signatures, punched holes for all the sewing stations and stitched the journal with purple waxed cotton thread.

I used light blue text paper to complement the colors on the cover. For the end papers, I again used illustrations from the original books.

I think either of these little Pooh journals would make a nice "My First Journal" for a young child who likes to write or draw.

Book 325 - Recycled Nancy Drew Mystery as Journal - Single-Needle Coptic Stitch

Another recycled hard-cover book as a journal. I was a huge fan of Nancy Drew mysteries when I was a girl. Looking back, I think they played a really important part in my love of words, and books and in finally becoming a professional writer. So I was thrilled when I found a few copies of vintage Nancy Drew books in a thrift store not long ago. Here's the first, "The Bungalow Mystery."

Like most of my recycled book/journals, I cut out the book block and slit the covers down the middle of the spine, then removed the book board on the spine. I folded the spine edges in and glued, then taped them down. The insides of the covers were nice and clean, so I didn't need to glue down other end papers.

I folded seven signatures from white text paper and bound the book with a single-needle coptic stitch binding, also called a chain stitch binding. I used bright green waxed cotton thread to pick up the green of Nancy's dress on the cover.

A neat little book that brings back happy memories of reading under the covers at night.

Book 317 - Recycled/Upcycled Vintage Physics Textbook Journal-/Blank Book - Single-Needle Coptic Binding

Another upcycled book journal today, but this time it's a cool vintage textbook. The cover just says "Physics." Since I was terrible in Physics in high school, I nearly passed this one up (I was more of a biology kind of girl). But I love the vintage look of it.

The usual routine: I sliced off the spine and bound the cut edges with variegated green washi tape. I glued some mottled blue paper inside the covers for end papers and used a cool vintage-look graph paper for the fly leaves. I covered the folded spine edge of every other signature of white text paper with more of the green washi tape to create a pattern on the exposed spine.

The binding is done with a single-needle coptic stitch with medium brown waxed thread.

This feels comfortable in the hand. It's a nice size for an everyday journal.

Book 315 - There's a Wocket in My Pocket - Recycled/Upcycled Dr. Seuss Book as Journal/Blank Book - Single-Needle Coptic Stitch Binding

Don't you just love Dr, Seuss? I have always done so. That's why whenever I see a Dr. Seuss book with a cover in decent condition in the Goodwill bins, I grab it. This recycled Dr. Seuss book journal has a fun, bright yellow cover and the typical Dr. Seuss illustrations.

I cut the spine and took out the book block (I'll probably use some of the other delightful illustrations in another project). I bound the cut edges of the covers with some fun green-and-gold diamond checked washi tape. I used the same to bind the spine cut edges and also used it on the folds of some of the signatures to form a pattern on the visible spine.

After punching all the holes for the sewing stations, I bound the book with a single-need coptic stitch or chain stitch binding with bright yellow cotton thread.

SIDE NOTE: I've found a great and inexpensive source for usable binding thread in lots of colors. Check out the craft aisle at your local Wal-Mart and go to where they have the children's crafts. Look for the cord/thread they sell for girls to make friendship bracelets. It's 100% cotton, comes in lots of bright colors and is quite strong and not stretchy. If you run it through a lump of beeswax or a candle before stitching, it works beautifully.

I like way the washi tape and the yellow thread worked on this one to make a nice pattern on the spine.

Boom 308 - "Danger in the Desert" - Recycled Children's Book Journal/Notebook - Soft Double Spiral Binding

Here's Another Vintage Kid's Book transformed into a blank book/journal. I enjoy making these recycled book journals. At least I know I am giving new life to a previously loved but worn book.

I love the cover on this one. It's a young adult book called "Danger in the Desert," with a great vintage graphic of two boys fighting the snake so big it looks more like an Anaconda you'd find in the Amazon rain forest than any critter I've ever seen here in our Arizona desert. But since there's a prickly pear in the foreground and a giant saguaro cactus in the background, I have to assume that Arizona is where it's meant to be.

The usual drill here: I cut the covers from the spine and glued down end papers of dark card stock. I bound the cut edges of the covers with washi tape. I folded up the sigs, plain white text paper, and poked the holes for the sewing stations.

The binding is like a Japanese stab binding but without a hinged or folded cover. It's basically a double spiral binding, but with ribbon instead of wire. You sew down the spine in a spiral from top to bottom with the ribbon, then sew back up again, creating a cross-stitch pattern. The trick is to not get the stitches too tight (or the book won't open flat) or too loose (or the book will be floppy).

This one worked out well.