Three-Hole Pamphlet-Stitch Sketchbook

Bind four folded sheets and a cardstock cover with one three-hole pamphlet stitch. The finished sketchbook measures about 5.5 × 8.5 inches.

Size: Approx. 5.5 × 8.5 in (14 × 21.6 cm), with a cover extending about ¼ in beyond the pages.

Materials

Text-weight paper — Four sheets, 8.5 × 11 in each.
Cardstock cover — Cut one piece to 11.5 × 9 in.
Waxed bookbinding thread — Cut about three times the 8.5-inch spine height.

Tools

Bone folder or spoon — Press the folded creases flat.
Bookbinding needle — Use an eye that fits the thread.
Awl — Pierce the sewing holes over a scrap board.
Ruler and pencil — Mark the center and end holes on the fold.
Scrap board — Protect the work surface while piercing.

Steps

Fold the pages and cover

Fold four 8.5 × 11 inch sheets in half and nest them into one signature. Cut the cover to 11.5 × 9 inches and fold it in half. Center the signature inside the cover so the cardstock extends about ¼ inch beyond the pages.
Align the fold and mark three sewing holes

Open the booklet to the center spread and align the creases of the signature and cover. Press the fold flat with a bone folder. On the crease, mark one hole at the midpoint and one hole 1 inch from each end.
Pierce the folded stack

Place the booklet on a scrap board. Use an awl to pierce through the cover and every page at each mark. Keep the holes on the fold and point the awl away from your fingers.
Sew the three-hole stitch

Cut thread about three times the spine height. From the outside, pass the needle through the center hole and leave a short tail. Go out through the top hole, back in through the bottom hole and out through the center hole. Tie both ends around the long spine stitch in a square knot.
Check the pages and trim the thread

Open the sketchbook at the center and turn a few pages. The stitch should hold the signature without puckering the cover. Retie it if loose, then trim the ends while leaving a small tail at the knot.

Make a small sketchbook from one folded signature and a single thread. Four letter-size sheets create sixteen page sides; a folded cardstock cover protects the pages and extends slightly past their edges.

Use paper that folds cleanly and a cover that can bend without cracking. The three sewing holes sit on the center crease, so check the alignment before piercing the stack.

The sewing sequence follows the Library of Congress pamphlet-stitch handout.