Do you have tons of old books that you just don't know what to do with? How about just one that you want to keep, but you need something grand out of it? This DIY book folding craft is perfect for turning those old books into works of art.
What Is Book Page Folding?
Book page folding is merely folding the pages of your book to create an art piece. In this instance, we're going to be turning those pages into a heart, and once you get the hang of it, this is a really simple craft. You can do other things with those pages, as well. Just use your imagination.
Do You Need A Hard Back Book For Book Page Folding Art?
It's really easier to get the book to stand on its own if you use a hardback book. You can try this with a paperback, but again, if you want it to stand up to display, a hardback is going to be a much better option.
Where Can You Find Old Books For DIY Book Folding Art?
I happen to have tons of old books on hand. If you don't have any old hardback books or you just don't want to fold the pages on the ones that you do have, you can find these really cheap at:
- Thrift Stores
- Yard Sales
- Bookstores – My local bookstore sells old books for less than a dollar each!
- Flea Markets
Or, just as friends and family if they have any old books that they want to get out of the way.
DIY Heart Shaped Book Folding Video Tutorial
Learn how to turn an old book into a work of art with this book page folding tutorial. Create a heart shape with those pages to display your book anywhere beautifully.
Materials
- An Old Hard Back Book
- Pattern – I’ll show you that!
Tools
- Sheet Folding Tool
- Ruler
- Pencil
Instructions
Before you begin actually folding the book pages, you have to divide your book into three different parts.- You need 40 pages for this project, so divide separate 40 pages from the middle of the book.
- You want the front and back pages to be the same, so divide evenly. Just count the pages, and you can decide how many pages should be on each side of your 40 folding pages.
- Using your ruler, you should begin to make marks on the 40 pages that you are going to be folding.
- The marks should be at these intervals: Page 1: 7.7 cm & 8.9 cm, Page 2: 7.1 cm & 9.6 cm, Page 3: 6.8 cm & 10.1 cm, Page 4 values: 6.6 cm & 10.5 cm, Page 5: 6.4 cm & 10.9 cm, Page 6: 6.3 cm & 11.2 cm, Page 7: 6.2 cm & 11.6 cm, Page 8: 6.1 cm & 11.8 cm, Page 9: 6.0 cm & 12.1 cm, Page 10: 6.0 cm & 12.4 cm, Page 11: 6.0 cm & 12.6 cm, Page 12: 6.0 cm & 12.8 cm, Page 13: 6.0 cm & 13.1 cm, Page 14: 6.1 cm & 13.3 cm, Page 15: 6.1 cm & 13.5 cm, Page 16: 6.3 cm & 13.7 cm, Page 17: 6.4 cm & 14.0 cm, Page 18: 6.6 cm & 14.2 cm, Page 19: 6.8 cm & 14.4 cm, Page 20: 7.1 cm & 14.6 cm, Page 21: 7.1 cm & 14.6 cm, Page 22: 6.8 cm & 14.4 cm, Page 23: 6.6 cm & 14.2 cm, Page 24: 6.4 cm & 14.0 cm, Page 25: 6.2 cm & 13.7 cm, Page 26: 6.1 cm & 13.5 cm, Page 27: 6.1 cm & 13.3 cm, Page 28: 6.0 cm & 13.1 cm, Page 29: 6.0 cm & 12.8 cm, Page 30: 6.0 cm & 12.6 cm, Page 31: 6.0 cm & 12.4 cm, Page 32: 6.0 cm & 12.1 cm, Page 33: 6.1 cm & 11.8 cm, Page 34: 6.2 cm & 11.6 cm, Page 35: 6.3 cm & 11.2 cm, Page 36: 6.4 cm & 10.9 cm, Page 37: 6.6 cm & 10.5 cm, Page 38: 6.8 cm & 10.1 cm, Page 39: 7.2 cm & 9.6 cm, Page 40: 7.7 cm & 8.9 cm
- Make sure that you get all of the marks on your 40 pages and that you measure carefully.
- Once you have all of the marks made, you can begin folding your book pages.
- Each book page will be folded two times – one at the top and one at the bottom. This will create the heart shape.
- Once you have finished folding all of the pages, there should be a heart shape in the center of the book that looks something like this:
What Else Can You Make With Old Books?
One of my favorite things to do with old books is to turn them into Christmas trees. I’ve shown you this repurposed book Christmas tree craft. You can also make a romantic bouquet from an old book, turn an old book into a centerpiece, and if you want to completely remove the pages, you can make DIY book page roses, which are gorgeous and can be used in so many ways!
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Kate
Great tutorial on a popular book craft, and at a beginner level. Thank you!
I will have to convert the measurements to English for my workshop, so I appreciate the list of intervals to mark the pages. I look forward to watching your other tutorials.
Darlene
Loved how the book was done