Erinzam News

When designing the geek books (posted below), I was on the look out for the perfect closure. Inspired by a button and string envelope, I figured out how to make my own. Here’s how I did it!

You will need these tools and supplies:

1. 5/8 in. - 3/4 in. hole punch or circle cutter
2. 1/8 in. hole punch
3. eyelet setter
4. linen thread or other string
5. 1/8 in. eyelets
6. scissors
7. thick card stock
8. hammer or mallet
9. cutting mat or surface protector

1. Cut out a 5/8 in. - 3/4 in. diameter circle from thick card stock.
2. Punch a 1/8 in. hole in the very center of the circle.
3. Tie a tiny loop at the end of your thread. You may wish to tie the thread around the tip of a pencil or pen to help you tie the right size. Tie a double knot and trim the extra thread. This loop will need to fit around the back side of the eyelet.
4. Punch a 1/8 in. hole in your book cover or envelope.
5. Place your materials in this order: eyelet, circle, thread loop. Place this stack through the hole in your book cover or envelope from the front side. The back side of the eyelet will stick through to the back of the cover or envelope.
6. Place the stack face down onto the cutting mat or surface protector. With the back side of the eyelet showing through the back side of the cover or envelope, use an eyelet setter (and hammer or mallet, if needed) to firmly set the eyelet.
7. Voila! A button and string! You may wish to wrap the string around the book and back to the button to secure, or you may wish to add another button (without the string) and wrap the string between the two buttons to secure.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 19th, 2009 at 1:29 pm and is filed under Bookbinding, Tutorials and Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.