Inspired by the likes of Aaron Draplin and his Field Notes, a few years ago I started making my own pocket notebooks.
They weren’t very good! Eventually, I took a break. Had another kid. Recently, I started making them again, and I’ve improved my process. It’s funny how our hobbies come and go. Now, I might be obsessed.1
It requires some tools and practice, and these are definitely not perfect, but I am frankly surprised at how well I can get these little notebooks to turn out. I think if I can do it, anybody can!
Here’s a video illustrating how I make mine:
Here are the tools I used in this video2:
Cover: French Paper | 80 lb Cover in “Jelly Bean Green”
Insides: Finch Paper | 24 lb bond / 60 lb Text Opaque Digital
Self-healing cutting mat
X-acto knife with #11 blade3
Metal ruler/straight edge
Small binder clip
Brayer4
Bostitch booklet stapler
Small corner cutter/rounder
Sandpaper
Optional: A custom stamp!
Eventually, I plan on getting a heavy-duty guillotine cutter. But for now, I am enjoying being gloriously inefficient. If you are also going to be inefficient, I recommend keeping bandaids nearby.
Happy making! If you make a pocket notebook, I’d love to see it.
Thank you for reading! I mean it.
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Until next time,
—Nathaniel
I’ve started buying very specific paper online.
Note: I learned after making this video you can use the back of a butter knife to score card stock before folding.
I use a cheaper off-brand blades for this because I use a new blade for each notebook. Having a sharp blade is important here. I save the X-Acto brand blades for collage!
You can (or maybe should) use a bone folder. I just don’t have one.
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