February Helmar Creative Team Project
by Nicole
Hi everyone and welcome to my April 2023 project. I am sharing with you a cute coptic stitched journal this month as these are one of my favourite kinds of journals to create and write in. One of the great things about Coptic stitched spines is that they are super flexible and always lay flat which is fantastic whether you like to write, draw or even use for watercolours/painting, and they come together relatively quickly.
You don’t need too many supplies to create a journal like this, I used some 1400gsm boxboard for the covers, some fabric that I decorated and made into book cloth, of course some wonderful Helmar products, and also a quality thread such as waxed Irish linen as it is super strong and will withstand a lot of opening and closing throughout the years!
So let’s get to it, firstly, the Helmar adhesives that I used -
Secondly, this is how I put it together….. I cut the boxboard to size, placed it onto the fabric and marked the perimeter with masking tape so it would be easier to add my design.
Next I chose my design and cut it out, I then used the fabulous Spray Adhesive to tack them to the fabric to make it easier to sew them on without the hassle of pins.
I backed the fabric with paper using Heat ‘n’ Bond, which is something I do for all of my fabric covered creations, it just takes the risk out of the adhesive bleeding through. To attach the fabric to the boxboard I ended up going with Tiger Grip as I wanted to ensure that the adhesion was super strong as the book cloth ended up quite thick!
Next I needed to line the inside cover and for that I went with a contrasting colour. To attach the cardstock I used my all time favourite, Professional Acid Free Glue, seriously, you wont find a better glue on the market for all of your papercrafts!!
Now that everything is glued it is ready to be assembled. For this I made and pierced the signatures, punched holes to add eyelets to the front and back covers, then……. yep, time to stitch.
I hope that you have enjoyed this project and that I have inspired you to get your craft on. I look forward to sharing with you all again next month, until then….. take care my beautiful crafty friends xxx
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