List of materials created and curated by @spellboundwithsydney on TikTok , Instagram and YouTube 🤍

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I hope you find this helpful! I do receive a small commission if you decide to purchase through these links (which I’m so grateful for, but by no means do you have to!)

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Tools that are needed:

  1. Mull cloth – used to reinforce the spine of your book
  2. PVA Glue – this type of glue is necessary because it is acid free, flexible, and dries clear. It won’t ruin your book and it will lasts over time!
  3. Silicon paint brush – many bookbinding toolkits you’ll see on Amazon come with bristle brushes. I find that those are hard to clean and don’t spread glue nearly as well as silicon brushes.
  4. Cutting mat – From Amazon, or Michael’s sells one too
  5. Bone folder – really important for getting clean folds and smoothing out air bubbles on the cover
  6. Binders board (also called chipboard) – at least 2 mm thick
  7. Cork-backed ruler – the cork backing is important so your ruler (which you’ll use as a line guide) doesn’t slide around as you’re cutting board pieces for your book cover
  8. Exacto knife – for cutting through the board
  9. Scissors
  10. Book cloth – I like to order mine from Hollanders, but you can also find it cheaper on Amazon! What’s important is that your book cloth has a paper backing to glue onto the book cover. You could make your own with fabric, acid-free tissue paper, and Heat N Bond. Here’s a tutorial!
  11. Decorative cardstock for end papers – I recommend getting size 12x12 so you have room to cut it down to size and still leave a couple millimeter overhang (so the book opens easily). I mostly buy mine from Hobby Lobby, but you can get some from Amazon, Walmart, Michaels, etc!
  12. Regular cardstock – for creating the spine hinges

Not needed, but nice to have:

  1. Book press – I made my own book press using wood and screws from Home Depot, no need to buy an expensive one! A book press is nice for standing your book up while you work as well as compressing your book when finished so it lays nice and flat.
  2. Paper cutter – I use this one for cutting my end pages straight and precise
  3. 90 degree angle ruler – handy for getting straight lines and measurements