THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 22, 1995 TAG: 9508220071
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E4 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Mom, I'm bored
SOURCE: Sherrie Boyer
LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
SCHOOL IS JUST days away and once it begins, summer memories fade. So bind a book with the children, one they build, then fill with their thoughts, pictures, drawings and dreams of summer.
To start, you'll need a cool piece of fabric 15 inches wide by 11 inches deep.
Allio, 6, and her cousin Sari, 7, both picked animal prints from the swatches I tossed down from the closet shelf. Allio picked horses galloping across a green plain; Sari chose dogs scattered across a tan field.
Then we collected thread, needles, cardboard, scissors, buttons and lace.
At the dining room table, each girl counted out five sheets of typing paper. We folded the paper in half and I ran my nail down the edge to help deepen the crease.
Then we threaded the needle; an intense challenge. Start the sewing by opening the paper stack. Push the needle through the outside crease and into the inside crease of all of the pages. You'll want to start at one end, then sew long stitches in and out, along the crease to the opposite end.
The children will be able to do this, once you do just one stitch to demonstrate what you mean. Allio struggled to push the needle through five sheets; four sheets was easier.
The two sewed along their pages while I stacked more sets of four sheets. Their conversation, dotted with an ``ouch'' here and there, reminded me of a quilting bee. Mostly, they discussed the feel of a pin prick:
``A cat's bite'' Sari said.
``Or a pinch from a (hermit) crab,'' Allio added.
``No. I think it was just a dog's molar,'' Sari concluded.
They sewed to the end, I tied their knots and both threw down their needles. So much for thick books. Each girl had two sets of pages (five sheets and four), for a book of 18 pages.
But a good size could be five sets of pages at five sheets per set or a 50-page book.
Then, doing one child's book at a time, hold the page sets together so that the sewn binding is on top. Run white glue along the edge thickly and sort of smear it in a little with your finger. This will hold the sets together. Set between heavy books or use clips to hold together during drying.
While it drys, make the cover.
Let the child help measure and cut a 15-by-11-inch swatch of fabric. With the wrong side up, center two pieces of cardboard, 6 inches by 9 inches, with a space in between. The space should measure 1/4 inch if you are binding two or three sets of pages.
If you are doing the larger (five sets) book, I recommend a strip of cardboard, 1/2 inch by 9 inches, as the center strip. This will add shape to a thick book. Just leave 1/8 inch between it and each cover piece so you can close the book.
Glue the cardboard to the fabric. Then, mitering the edges the way you would make a bed, glue the excess fabric over the cardboard.
While it drys, cut a piece of paper in half and have the children decorate a front and back inside cover for their book.
When the cover and page binding are dry, center the pages over the center seam of the book cover. Glue it to the cardboard strip if you are making a thick book.
Lay down one sheet in the front, snip a large triangle from the two outside corners, lay the front inside cover on top and glue it down. Repeat for the back, using the back inside cover. The inside covers will cover the fabric edging for a finished look.
The finished book needs nothing more than an inside, which the children can do when everything is dry.
Sari and Allio both wanted eagle and deer buttons on their covers, though, so we sewed one button to each front cover, on the center of the outside edge. On the back, we sewed a loop of cording. The cording circled the button as a loop, so their books could be ``buttoned.''
You could do the same by tying a big piece of glossy ribbon around the entire book.
Either way, you'll end up with a treasure book they'll fill with their own treasures. A keepsake that won't let summer slip away. by CNB