Handmade Journals: Garden Journals

Gardeners maintain gardening journals for many reasons. First, these books can be an annual record of the gardening activities -- whether vegetables, flowers, shrubbery, bonsai or other. A garden journal is a valued keepsake as well an item that serves a functional purpose.

Gardeners use journals:
-- to store photographs
-- to plan the spacial layout of the vegetable or flower beds and other gardening elements
-- to store receipts, equipment warranties, growing information, magazine clippings, web site printouts, seed packages, etc.
--- to keep records of growing times, fertilizers, insecticides, crops, plant specimens used
-- to manage to-do lists by season
-- for recording reminders, successes, things to avoid
-- year end summary
-- to record a dream list of things to try sometime
-- and more.

There are various approaches to binding hand made journals, which of course includes garden journals. The following four types of binding are ones that I use personally.

Coptic Stitch Binding
Coptic stitch as a means of book binding has been around for a long time. It involves punching small holes through the books cover and the signatures (i.e groups of pages) and then using a strong thread to perform a "coptic stich". The picture shows the first coptic bound book that I made. Instructions for doing coptic stich are at this link.

Wire Binding
This is the binding method I use most often now that I have the Zutter binding tool The garden journal pictures shown elsewhere on this page utilize wire binding. There is a video demonstrating how to use the Zutter Bind-it-all at this link.

Ring Binding
Ring binding is simple to do. You simply punch holes through the covers and pages, then slip binder rings through the holes. You can purchase binder rings at office supply stores and at various craft stores. This link has a picture of a handmade journal bound with rings

Binding with Ribbon, String or Other Fabric
This type of binding involves punching holes through the covers and the signatures or pages. Bind with a fabric such as ribbon, thread, twine, yarn, lace or other. This link goes to a picture of a Hand Made Journal Bound with Twine

There are others approaches to binding. Many books are available on that topic. As mentioned earlier, these three types of the ones I use most often.