PIANO HINGE BOOK

To make this book, you will need card, wooden barbeque skewers and thin cord or waxy flax. This tutorial uses waxy flax.

First of all, decide what size book you want to make and how many pages you want. This one is 6 x 6 which is easy to do, using 12 x 12 card. You can make the book any size you want though.

Step 1. Cut your card to the height you want and double the width. If using 12 x 12 card, just cut each sheet in half. Fold your card in half and using a bone folder, make a nice crease.


Step 2. Score your card ¼ inch each side of your main crease and fold along these score lines, again using your bone folder to crease them.


Step 3. With each page folded in half along the centre crease, measure along in ½ inch increments and then cut down on each mark to the ¼ inch crease.


Step 4. Now, holding your card, push every alternate section inwards. You are making valley and mountain tabs.




Step 5. When you have done all your pages, put them all together and then turn every other page so that your tabs alternate down the spine. i.e. valley, mountain, valley, mountain. Lay your pages in a pile as you want them to appear in your finished book.




Step 6. OK, so far so good. Now, take the first 2 pages and hold them firmly together. Take one of your skewers and thread it through the mountain tabs, doing one tab from each page alternately to the end of the page. Repeat with each pair of pages and then check again that your pages are in the correct order.




Step 7. You’re going to bind your pages now. Take your waxy flax and leaving a bit of an end, weave in and out and around the skewers, pushing each ‘row’ into place as you go. Weave a minimum of 4 rows, but 6 or 7 is better. You can see that a thinner cord is better for this. Finish weaving at the same skewer that you started with.


Step 8. When you have finished weaving, tie your ends into a tight knot (I use a double reef knot). You may want to cover the knot and/or the weaving with a clear glue to make sure it’s secure. Cut and trim your skewers to leave approximately ¾ to 1 inch at each end. If you’re absolutely sure of your finished size of book and weaving, you may cut your skewers to size before you start.


Step 9. Now you can decorate your book in any way you please. You can hang beads or charms from the cord if you want, or trim close to the knot and leave the ends undecorated.