A Cover for a Hedi Kyle Panel Book

Yesterday the CBBAG Saskatchewan book swap took place. Participants met in the Davidson Town Hall —well, those that weren’t either ill or off holidaying someplace warm!— and books were exchanged. Here’s one box of books before distribution,

some of one person’s collected swap books,

and some of the books I took back to Saskatoon. (I was collecting for three other people as well as myself.)

Since the swap is now over (except for final deliveries in Saskatoon), I can show you my book.

I chose Hedi Kyle’s Panel Book as my structure. Last year I posted instructions for making a blank model. Today I am offering a DIY version of my swap book with matching cover. I revisited an older work for some of the text. You can find the instructions for making your own copy of that book, Grid Road Poems, here. The new book is called simply Grid Road.

I spent a lot of time fiddling the layout so that the panels would match on the front and back when the book was cut. This may not work on all printers. If you want to try using card stock, as I did, download Grid Road 1.pdf and Grid Road 2.pdf. (The PDFs should work on both A4 and 8.5 x 11″ papers.)

To print, use the manual/bypass feed on your printer. Print the first side, then flip the paper side for side (not end for end) and print the second side.

If you can’t get the registration to work, or don’t have any card stock, you can print the two sides on two different sheets of lighter weight paper, then glue them together using a light table or window to make sure the square panels match. If that solution seems too tricky, I have prepared a third alternative.

Print the first side from the link given above, then print Grid Road 3.pdf, following the first set of instructions for printing on card stock. This will give you the front image with just the grid road pattern on the back. The panels for the text and photograph are on the same PDF as the cover, and can be cut out and glued on after the book is cut and folded. You will find the link to the cover page here. (If you have done one of the earlier variations and want to make a cover for the finished book, you will also want to print out the PDF for the cover page.)

To assemble the book, follow the instructions from the original DIY model.

The full written instructions for making the panel book can be found here. All the guides are on the first (colour) page. You will have to measure and mark the spaces for the hinges yourself. The panel edges follow the edges of the colour pictures.

To make the cover, print out the cover PDF on a sheet of card stock, if you have not already done so. Cut the cover section off, making sure that all the scoring guides stay with the cover section. Score all the folds. Mountain fold all the folds.

Mark and cut the shaped tab on the right hand end. (I put my marks on the inside of the cover.)

Make a small pencil mark on the top and bottom edges 1.25 cm (0.5″) from the last fold line. Make two more marks about 2.5 cm (1″) apart centered on the end of the cover. Cut off the two corners using the pencil marks as guides. You should have an end flap shaped like a truncated triangle.

To cut the slot for the flap, fold the cover closed around your book with the triangular flap on the outside.

Make two small pencil marks for the ends of the slit just a bit outside the angled edges of the flap and 2.85 cm (1.125″) from the folded edge of the flap (the part under my fingers).

Open the cover and remove the book. Pierce a small hole through each pencil mark, then cut a slit between them. Here are images of the cover in stages of opening.

Helpful hint: it is easiest to close this kind of cover by laying it flap side up on a flat surface and gently pulling back the tip of the flap until the slit is revealed. (The card stock should curve evenly and smoothly under equal pressure from both hands.) Ease the tip into the slot, which will have opened a bit because of the pressure on the near side of it. This method reduces the risk of accidentally creasing the flap or tearing the slot.

---

In knitting news:

I was given a beautiful pair of hand knit wool socks on Saturday. The toe shaping is one I haven’t seen before as the increases are made evenly all around the toe rather than just on the sides. The pattern is Estonian lace and I may have to buy some new shoes to show them off because the only footwear I own that fits with them on are pairs of heavy boots or my exercise running shoes, and they cover most of the pattern! David has suggested a nice pair of ballet slippers.  ; ]

Save

Save