In an effort to use up the damaged & small surplus of 2010 calendars I have on-hand, I've been experimenting with ways to repurpose them. These matchbook notepads were this week's project. They are easy to make .... and adorable ... and completely practical. I'll be making these to drop into my customers' packages as a token of thanks. The paper is from the offcuts of my shipping labels. You could use any scrap paper with at least one blank side for this project.
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To make these staple-free matchbook notepads, you'll need:
- a piece of cardstock / coverstock for the outside
- 2 or 3 sheets of paper
- sewing machine or needle & thread
Cut cardstock into 9" lengths and whatever width you desire. In my examples, the colored stock is 3" wide, and the b & w stock is 2-3/8" wide.
Cut sheets of paper into 4-1/4" lengths and the same width as you chose for your cardstock.
Make a 5/8 - 3/4" creased fold on one end of your cardstock.
Tuck a stack of 10 pieces of paper into the fold. Make sure it fits neatly and tightly.
Sew or handstitch across this edge, leaving a 3/8" seam allowance. In my case, I aligned the fold with the very edge of my presser foot - which yielded a perfect 3/8" allowance.
Tip: I experimented with various thread weights and needle sizes. What seemed to worked best was a #16 denim needle and a Coats & Clark Dual Duty XP Heavy thread (it might say 'upholstery thread). When trying out different combinations based on what you have, look at the back to make sure the needle holes aren't too big or unsightly. [edited: I originally suggested using hand quilting thread. A reader advised against this b/c it has a wax coating on it that could adversely affect your tension discs. She's right! I checked some sources, and they concurred. And that explains a whole lot about some of the issues with my machine. Thank you, Cherie!]
Fold opposite edge of cardstock over the paper, aligning fold with edge of paper. Crease. This is basically eyeballed. Just make sure it overlaps a little bit when it meets the stitched side.
Tuck the edge of your cardstock under the lip of your sewn edge. It should come pretty close to the stitches.
The stitching serves as a perforation for your paper - so you can tear sheets out if you like!
These are so simple and fun - try it out!
The calendar pages have designs on the front & back, so the inside of the notepad has a sneaky little design, too! Sweet. These ecofriendly calendars are on clearance for $12.50 in my etsy shop. Maybe you can find a way to repurpose these pages!
