January 2025 marks a special milestone for fans of Hitty. Under U.S. copyright law, any book written in the year 1929 is now in the public domain. That includes the book, Hitty: Her First Hundred Years, by Rachel Field and Dorothy P. Lathrop. To celebrate, I designed a miniature Hitty book which contains the entire first chapter. This was created from a scan of the original book. I also used my “Hitty Book Cover Classic” design (see The Book Cover Dresses) to make the cover.
You can print as many of these books as you like or even sell them if you choose, as long as you give credit to A Tale of Two Hittys. The finished size is a mere 1-1/4” x 1-1/2”. MICRO Mini Hitty Books are inexpensive to make, and they are a perfect project for doll club members to work on together.
Download the .pdf file to print your MICRO Mini Hitty Book here!
This tutorial is an adaptation of my MICRO Mini Book tutorial. I changed a few things, so do not try to use the instructions from the previous tutorial. For instance, I used posterboard, instead of cardboard, which makes it easier to crease and fold the cover. I also changed the way the signatures are glued into the book. I hope you will be pleased with this new, improved version of the MICRO Mini Book.
Printing
Print out the .pdf file on a double-sided sheet of 8.5” x 11” paper. If your printer does not have a double-sided option, you will have turn the sheet over and put the paper in your printer manually. Use good quality paper and the best media quality setting available on your printer.
Here is a comparison of books made from a color laser printer (left) and an inkjet printer (right). The laser printer has sharper details and bolder colors, while the inkjet printer has softer colors and more of a vintage feel.
Although you can make two books with one print, the instructions below are written for a single book, and I recommend making one at a time. That way, if you make a mistake, you can correct it for the second book. Please read the instructions carefully before you proceed.
Materials
Printed .pdf file (double-sided)
Sewing needle
White quilting thread
Elmer’s Glue-All white glue
Glue stick
Toothpick
Posterboard
Small utility/craft knife
Metal Ruler
Cutting board
Scissors
Piece of scrap paper
Cover
Measure the scale line at the side of the page. It should be 3.5” long. The scale is not that critical for this project, but if you do print at a different size, make sure the size of your posterboard pieces matches the template.
Using scissors or utility knife (whichever you prefer), cut out book cover along dotted lines. Cut out endpapers. Cut 2 pieces of posterboard for covers 1-1/8” x 1-1/2”. Cut 1 piece of posterboard for spine 1-1/2” x 1/8”. Be accurate when measuring and cutting. A tiny error can make a big difference in the final result.
Apply glue to the spine with the glue stick. Make sure you have a piece of scrap paper underneath to protect your work area. Glue spine to the BACK of the cover (aligned with edges of the printed template). Glue the front and back cover pieces in place next to the spine. Wait for this to dry.
Fold down flaps along the top and bottom edges of the cover. Apply glue with the glue stick, press down the edges firmly and allow to dry.
Fold and make a sharp crease along both sides of the spine. Then fold and crease along inside edges of cover.
Fold down flaps on the outside edges of the cover. With the glue stick, glue down these edges and allow to dry.
Open cover out flat and center endpapers on inside of cover. Gently crease endpapers to fit inside spine. Add glue to back of endpapers, but do not put any glue on the spine area (it needs to stay loose). Press endpapers down firmly onto the center of cover. Lay flat and allow to dry. Next you will work on the inside pages.
Pages
Use the utility knife and a straight-edge metal ruler to cut out the pages. Use a cutting board to protect surfaces. If children are attempting this part, they should have adult supervision: utility blades are sharp! You can use scissors instead, but it will be difficult to get the lines perfectly straight.
First, trim pages along all the horizontal (pink) lines between crop marks. Next, trim pages along all the vertical (blue) lines between crop marks. Your goal is to get these cuts as smooth as possible.
Now you should have 6 pieces of paper (labeled “A” through “F”). These will make three separate 8-page signatures (the name for printed sections) for each book.
Following the green lines, make a “Mountain Fold” on pieces A through F.
Note: “Mountain Fold” in origami refers to a fold that sticks up like a mountain.
There are four dots on each fold to mark the holes needed. Poke through all these dots with a needle.
Place piece A overtop of B. Place piece C overtop of D. Place piece E overtop of F.
This is a good time to make sure that all the pages are in order and none of them are upside down!
Take a 15” long piece of white thread. Any thread will work, but quilting thread is a little stronger. Follow the order of the diagram below to sew in and out of the holes to attach all three signatures together, starting with A-B.
Start sewing signature A-B. When you get to hole 4, start attaching signature C-D.
After hole 8, attach signature E-F.
You should end with your thread coming out at hole 12.
Next take the needle underneath the thread between holes 5 and 4.
Weave the needle under the row of vertical threads (holes 10-11, 6-7 and 2-3).
Go under the thread between holes 9-8. You will be tying both loose ends together, but before you do that, make sure everything is tight and secure. Then tie a square knot and cut the loose ends off.
Your signatures are now ready for assembly.
Assembly
Apply a thin line of Elmer’s Glue-All white glue along the spine of the signatures. Use a toothpick to spread it evenly and scrape off any excess glue.
Place the signatures along the line in the middle of the endpapers and check to make sure that the pages are not upside down inside the cover. Press down firmly.
Carefully close cover. Place a small object on top of book (I used a spool of thread) and wait for it to dry.
Now your book is complete! Repeat the same steps to make your second book.
