Junk Journals: What Are Signatures And How Do I Make One?
This article is a follow on in my junk journal series. Last weeks post is ‘ What is a junk journal? ‘ To make a junk journal there are three essential parts. The cover, the binding and the signatures. Today we are going to look at what a junk journal signature is and how to make one. Signatures are also called sections in bookbinding circles. They are a collection of paper that are stacked and then folded in half to form what looks like a book. These signatures are then bound into a cover to form your book.
Signatures can be made up of any type of paper you want and any size you want. This is because you make the cover to fit your pre-made signatures. Common paper to make signatures out of are:
- Card stock patterned or not
- Tea or coffee dyed paper
- Newspaper
- Letter writing paper
- Plastic sleeves
- Envelopes
- Fabric
- Collaged paper
How A Signature Is Made
Signatures are really very simple to make, and depending on how big you want your junk journal to end up dictates how many signatures you make. I like to have a minimum of 4 signatures each containing eight to ten pages in them. Watch the video below to see how easy they are to make.
Signature don’t have to contain just folded paper or card. I usually include brown paper bags folded in half to make pockets. Paper doilys are another nice addition to your signature. You can also make different types of inserts such as the one show in the below video.
If you are stuck for ideas of what to put in your signature I recommend going to youtube and doing a search for junk journals. There are many talented people out there that make junk journals and video them for you to get inspiration from.
You can also buy kits of paper and ephemera from etsy if you want your junk journal to be one theme. My favourite is My Porch Prints. She makes gorgeous kits and add ons for any junk journal.
It’s really that simple to make your junk journal signature. If you have any questions email me at lee@sweetbujo.com.
Originally published at https://sweetbujo.com on April 30, 2020.
