My Hitty dolls loved the Mini Books I made for them. However, Kitty has mentioned that they are a little too big to fit on Hitty size bookshelves. So I decided to make an even smaller version, which I call the MICRO Mini Book. The finished size is a mere 1 1/4” x 1 1/2”. One benefit of the smaller version is that I was able to fit TWO books on one double-sided page. 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.
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. 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 cardboard pieces matches the template.
Download the .pdf file to print your MICRO Mini Book here!
Most of the steps are very similar to the regular Mini Book, except there are fewer holes to sew for the signatures. One thing I learned is that a straight reduction didn’t work very well, because although the pages are smaller in AREA, they are just as THICK as before. So I kept the spine the same thickness, and just made the pages smaller.
Materials
1 sheet of 8 1/2” x 11” paper
1 sewing needle and white quilting thread
Elmer’s Glue-All white glue
Glue stick (Glue sticks work great for the cover because they will not warp the paper as much as regular Elmer’s glue.)
Toothpick (for applying glue to spine)
Thin cardboard (such as for food packaging)
X-Acto blade
Metal Ruler
Cutting board (protects surfaces while trimming)
Scissors
Cover
Cut 2 pieces of thin cardboard for covers 1 1/8” x 1 1/2”.
Cut 1 piece of thin cardboard for spine 1 1/2” x 1/8”.
Cut out cover piece along outer edges. You can use scissors or an X-Acto blade and straight-edge ruler.
Trim off corners at a diagonal along template lines. Use the glue stick to attach the cardboard spine to the BACK of the cover (align with edges of the printed template). Glue the front and back cardboard cover pieces in place next to the spine. Wait for this to dry.
Fold up and crease the top and bottom edges of the cover along the cardboard. With the glue stick, glue down these edges and allow to dry. Crease next to both sides of the spine.
Fold up and crease the side edges of the cover. With the glue stick, glue down these edges and allow to dry. Set cover aside until you are ready to add the pages.
Pages
Using an X-Acto blade or other sharp craft blade and a straight-edge metal ruler, trim pages along all horizontal lines formed by crop marks. Use a cutting board to protect surfaces. If children are attempting this part, they should have adult supervision: X-Acto blades are sharp! Then trim pages along all vertical lines formed by crop marks. Your goal is to get these cuts as smooth as possible. I have added a light outline along the edges of the pages, so you can use scissors instead, but it will be difficult to get the lines perfectly straight.
Now you should have 6 pieces of paper. These will make three separate 8-page signatures for each book. Follow the diagram below to fold pieces A, C, and E with a “Mountain Fold.” In Origami, a “Mountain Fold” is one that sticks up like a mountain. Then fold pieces B, D, and F with a “Valley Fold.” The “Valley Fold” is the reverse of a “Mountain Fold.” Place piece A overtop of B. Place piece C overtop of D. Place piece E overtop of F.
With edges of sheets A and B lined up, poke through the marked holes on both layers of paper with a needle. Do the same for C and D and E and F. You should have a total of 12 holes poked through the signatures for each book.
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 the pages of the signature together. When you get to hole 4, start attaching the second signature. After hole 8, attach the third signature. You should end up coming out at the bottom of hole 12. Now pull the threads on both ends to tighten up and hold the signatures together. At this point, it is good to check that all the pages are in order, and none of the signatures are upside down!
Next you are going to sew the signatures together. Take the needle underneath the thread between holes 5 and 4. Then make a knot to tighten.
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. Before you do that, make sure everything is tight and secure. Then just tie a square knot and cut the loose ends off. Your signatures now are ready for gluing to the endpapers.
Fold the endpapers in half, and make a slight crease along this fold. The crease is where you will be gluing your signatures. With the printed side of the endpapers facing up, apply a thin line of Elmer’s white glue along the crease. A toothpick is useful for this.
Don’t use too much glue, or it may spread out more than you like. Set the signatures along the crease and press down on the spine, making sure the glue makes contact with all the papers. Set this flat and allow to dry.
Assembly
Do a test fit of the papers inside the cover to see where they will sit. Check to make sure pages are not upside down! Apply the glue stick to one side of the endpapers and glue endpaper to cover. DO NOT PUT GLUE ON SPINE. It needs to be able to move freely as the book opens and closes. Allow to dry. Apply glue stick to the other endpaper and stick it down to the other side of the cover. Close book firmly and allow to dry. Now your book is complete! Repeat the same steps to make your second book.
