A new year calls for a fresh set of mini notebooks – clean, blank pages for dreaming big, starting over, or getting organised. Take time out this month for a bit of folding, stitching, and painting to create a neatly bound notebook set in a matching portfolio case. Each of the three books inside is bound using a variation of pamphlet stitch, which looks impressive but is so simple to do. Rachel Hazell's mini notebooks are perfect for throwing in your bag for on-the-go notes or for organisational bullet journalling.
To customise your bound notebooks, you could attach beads, tags, or feathers to the tail ends, add an affirmation to the cover of each book in loopy lettering, or personalise the portfolio with your initials. Add washi tape or little photos and notes for a scrapbook effect and treasure your mini notebook as a place of all your hopes and dreams.
Now over to Rachel! Let's learn how to make mini notebooks...
Materials
- Five sheets of A4 copy paper, 80 or 100gsm
- Three 15 x 37cm (6 x 145/8") strips of thick watercolour paper, 160gsm minimum
- One 38 x 55cm (15 x 215/8") piece of thick watercolour paper, 160gsm minimum
- Watercolour ink or paint in blue, yellow and pink
- Small paint brush
- Metal ruler
- Cutting mat
- Craft knife
- Sewing needle
- Waxed linen thread
- Bone folder (optional)
Using a paint brush, watercolour inks or paints and the main image as a guide, paint the covers with inky patterns and leave to dry.
For each book, fold three sheets of the paper for the pages in half along the width and nest together. For Book One, use the templates from 
Finally, come out through the middle hole, making sure the needle and thread and the tail are on opposite sides of the long stitch before tying a double knot. Trim the ends to roughly 3cm (11⁄4").
