Leather Wrapped Travel Journal

I have been wanting a leather wrapped travel journal for a long time now. I could never find one that I liked however.
Yesterday, I bit the bullet, and bought a leather journal, and some graph paper pads the same size. I then took my brand new journal apart, with a knife, and put it back together again with my modifications.

I forgot to take a photo of the journal before I attacked it with my knife. So, you get to see it tore apart. I cut the strings at the knots, after I had written down the order I thought they had sewn it in.

Here is a new pads on top of a pad that came with the journal.

I sewed it together with 35lb braided fishing line that I colored with a permanent marker. I just held the marker in my knees and ran the line back and forth twisting it so it got colored on all the sides. Be careful not to pull too hard, or you can cut the tip off of your marker. (I knew this, and was gentile, no damage done!)

I used a #1 Milliner needle to sew the book back together. I used the lighter as a thimble to push the needle through the paper and leather. It was also useful for heat-singing the ends of the line.

Here is the finished book! Looks pretty sharp, doesn’t it? You can see the stitches on the spine. I didn’t figure the stitching order right, as I missed a section on the outside in the back. I am guessing that few hundred years ago, anybody literate knew how to sew these together.

And the pages inside.
I think I may try to tool the cover somehow. Brian gave me a meat-brand so I can brand steaks, but I think I may use that to emboss my name on the cover. Not sure how branding the name will look?

When I do this again, I think I will get just get regular paper refills, cut, fold, punch, stitch and trim the pages my self. It will be much cheaper. But, having seen how these pads where assembled, it’s a good to buy them once.

If you don’t want to make one, I suppose you could order one online?