How to make a scrapbook cover by hand
For a separate-board cover, make a full-size card dummy first. Test overhang, hinge and binding holes with the loaded pages, then cover matching boards, line the insides and dry them flat.
This is the cover as an object: board, a covering and a lining. The method suits a book bound on rings, posts or stab stitching, where front and back are separate boards.
Make it once the pages are planned, so you know their size and how deep the stack will be.
Make a digital scrapbook
Add your photos and keepsakes in tbf scrapbook, then arrange them on the pages.
Board and grain
Greyboard or chipboard about 2 mm thick suits a book that stands on a shelf. Thinner board bends; much thicker board is hard to cut cleanly with a craft knife.
Cut both boards so the grain runs top to bottom, parallel to the bound edge. Flex a corner each way: board bends more easily along its grain.
Make several light passes with a sharp blade against a metal ruler rather than one hard cut. A ragged board edge shows through the covering.
Give the front board a hinge
A separate ring-bound board may rotate around its rings without a hinge. A hinged front can help a post-bound book; test a card dummy before cutting a narrow binding strip.
For a hinged version, keep the finished outer dimensions unchanged when dividing the board. Test a gap suited to your board and covering, then locate holes on the narrow binding strip.
Paper, bookcloth or fabric
Cut the covering 15 mm larger than the board on every side. Brush thin PVA onto the board, lay it on the covering, turn it over and smooth from the centre out.
Plain cotton lets glue soak through to the front. Bookcloth has a paper backing that stops this; otherwise back the fabric with thin paper before covering.
For a padded cover, glue a thin layer of wadding to the board face only, under the fabric. The board edges then stay sharp.
Corners that stay neat
Corners take the most wear. Contrast paper or metal corner pieces can go on after covering to protect the points.
- Cut each corner of the covering at 45 degrees, leaving about one and a half board thicknesses beyond the board's point.
- Glue and turn in the long sides first, then the short sides.
- Before turning the second side, press the small tuck at each corner in with a bone folder.
- Rub each turned edge down so no air sits under the covering.
Lining and a title panel
Line the inside to cover the turn-ins and balance the outside covering. Test the adhesive and covering on spare board; lining helps but does not guarantee a board will stay flat.
For a title panel, glue a smaller piece of card to the front. For a recessed one, cut a window in a second thin board, glue it on before covering, and set the title in the recess.
Dry the boards between sheets of waxed paper under heavy books overnight. Punch the binding holes only once they are flat and fully dry.
Steps
Measure and cut the boards
Page size plus 3 mm at the top, bottom and outer edge, flush at the bound edge. Cut both from one sheet with the grain parallel to the bound edge.
Cover the outside
Glue the board, lay it on the covering, smooth from the centre, then turn in the long edges and the short ones over mitred corners.
Add the panel and the lining
Glue on the title panel or fill the recess while the covering is fresh, then line the inside of each board.
Press, then punch
Dry flat under weight overnight. Mark the holes with the same guide used for the pages and punch through board and lining together.
Questions
What board should I use for a scrapbook cover?
Test board around 2 mm thick for a larger separate-board cover. Choose it to suit your tools, hardware and page weight; a small book may need less.
Why does my cover curl after gluing?
The covering shrinks as the glue dries and pulls the board. A lining on the inside pulls back the other way; keep the boards under weight until fully dry.
Can I cover a scrapbook in fabric?
Yes. Use bookcloth, or back cotton with thin paper first so the glue does not come through to the front.