Are you feeling stuck while making your first junk journal? Trying to figure out the best way to cover the corners of your journal cover? Don't worry, stick around because I have four different methods that you can try out now.
Method One: Rounded Corners
Using this metal book cover guide, mark and cut off the corners of your book board, leaving them with rounded edges.
Next, use the same metal book cover guide to trace the rounded edge onto the cover material (I am using bookcloth for this tutorial). Then cut small slits on the rounded edge of cover material/bookcloth. Fold the small strips of material over the book board and glue them down.
Lastly, fold each flap of material over the book board and glue it down.
Method Two: Mitered Corners
Miter the corners of your cover material by placing the hollowed triangle area of the metal book cover guide along the corner of your cover board and tracing along the flat edge. Remove the corner of the cover material by cutting along the line you just traced.
Fold over and glue down one flap of cover material. Pinch down and glue the tiny piece of material that sticks out over the board. I find that using my bone folder helps get that small piece of material to stay down.
Fold over the remaining flap of material and glue it down.
Method Three: The Easy Method
This third method is what I consider the easy method and works with almost any material. The only time I would recommend you not use this method is when you are working with a thicker cover material.
To easily cover your corners, simply fold over the corner of your cover material and glue it down. Then fold the side flaps over the board and glue them down as well.
I do not recommend this method when using thicker cover materials, as the corners can end up thicker due to not needing to cut off any excess cover material.
Method Four: Pinch and Cut
For this method, you will need to fold the side flaps of the cover material over the board and pinch the corners together. Cut off any excess material and glue the flaps down.
Final Thoughts
In regards to the junk journal making process, one of the most frequent questions I receive pertains to how to cover the corners without the cover board being visible.
Covering journal corners is a great way to create a durable and secure journal that looks neat and professional! I hope this article has helped you find the perfect method to covering the corners of your handmade junk journals.
Happy crafting!
You can watch a quick video version of this tutorial here.
Are you new to making junk journals? Check out the How to Make a Junk Journal class here.
Additional junk journal making tools and supplies are available here.