All crafts converge: Making a coptic-bound watercolor sketchbook

I'm taking an introductory watercolor class at a local art center and needed a sketchbook with 100% cotton watercolor paper. This sketchbook wasn't on our original supply list; the instructor told us during our first class that we needed to buy one to bring to our second class in one week.

My local art supply store didn't have any acceptable sketchbooks and there wasn't time to order online from a reputable art supply source.

Every time I googled watercolor sketchbooks, I came across recommendations to have an office supply store spiral-bind paper I cut up myself, or to shop from handmade sketchbook artists on Etsy.

And I did have a block of 12"x16" 100% cotton cold pressed watercolor paper from Arches, a high quality brand.

Since my toxic trait is thinking I can do anything, I read a few posts on coptic binding, a method of book binding that leaves the spine exposed, and decided I could do that.

I used Books Bind Faye's "How I Coptic Binding" tutorial video on YouTube and I didn't need to buy a single supply.

All crafts converge

I had cardboard from the box my newest camera lens shipped in, which I covered in pretty knit fabric I had bought for sewing a few years ago and for which I had no plan. I used my self-healing cutting mat that I use for sewing and an X-Acto knife tracing along an anti-slip straightedge I own for cutting leather to cut the paper and cardboard down to size.

I used a hot glue gun I had from a couple Halloween costumes I had made to attach card stock to cover the edges of the fabric.

I punched holes using my leather awl and I stitched the binding using waxed linen thread I already owned for stitching leather. My hand-sewing skills made this easy and the coptic stitch is actually almost identical to duplicate stitch, a way of stitching over knit stitches, following their lines.

Stitched a few signatures (bundles of paper)

In the end, I came away with a perfectly usable sketchbook using very nice watercolor paper without having to spend a single additional cent. The whole process took me about four hours.

I have a lot I can learn and improve, but I can see myself binding more sketchbooks and notebooks in the future! I'm even thinking about making a refillable leather notebook cover so I don't need to make a new cover for bound pages every time.