{DIY Tutorial} How to Create a Plantable Single-Section Book Using Seed Paper

Hello all, hope everyone had a fabulous week. With the weekend coming up we wanted to share a fun DIY project for you to dive into this weekend.

We’re going to show you how to make a plantable single-section book using just a few materials and no glue. Botanical PaperWorks president, Heidi Reimer-Epp, first featured this DIY tutorial in one of her books, The Encyclopedia of Papermaking and Bookbinding, and it forms the basis for many other book structures that use multiple sections. We hope to share some of the other structures another time.

For this project today, follow these easy directions to make a book that looks like this:

Here’s what you’ll need:
Supplies

• 1 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of plantable seed paper
• 4 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of copy paper
• an embroidery needle
• a metal awl (optional)
• embroidery threads
• paper cutter and scissors

Let’s get started!

Step 1 – To begin, take the copy paper and trim in half to measure 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches. We’re using a Fiskars trimmer but you can also use a cutting mat with an X-Acto knife and ruler.

Step 2 – Fold the copy papers in half using a smooth pen or a bone folder, so that the booklet measures 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches.

Step 3 – Smooth out the copy papers with good pressure to get a nice, sharp crease.

Step 4 – The fore edge of the book will be uneven, so trim the edges using your paper cutter.

Step 5 – Using a sheet of plantable seed paper, trim and fold a piece to match the inner pages. For Heidi’s original book she used cream Making Memories 12×12 paper. For our 3 books we used 8 ½ x 11 Marigold Yellow Seed Paper, Tangerine Seed Paper, and Hot Pink Seed Paper.

Step 6 – Using an embroidery needle or metal awl, pierce two holes equal distance from the head and tail of the book. We’ll be sewing through these holes to bind the book.

Step 7 – Select a piece of embroidery thread, around 20 inches and thread the needle. Start with the top or bottom hole and pull the needle from the outside spine into the center of the book.

Step 8 – Pull the needle and thread through the second hole, exiting the book and leaving two strands of embroidery thread. Tie it in a bow or knot to complete the binding.

And there you have it! A Single Section Book that’s easy and fun to make. By varying the size, cover, materials and binding thread you can create many different looks. Hope you enjoyed that as much as we did. Let us know how your books turn out, we would love for you to share photos of your finished books with us on our facebook page.

Have a great weekend and stay in touch with us for more fun DIY projects coming soon. We also have a whole section of Crafts and DIY Projects if you find some more free time.