Book Closure Ideas

The closure on a handmade book is a great finishing touch that brings your book to the next level. Keep the following things in mind when choosing your closure type:

• The book’s cover material
• The book’s size
• The book’s use
• The book’s style

In the Facebook live video below, I talk about 4 different closure types and show you lots of examples:

• Strap closures
• Elastic closures
• Hardware closures

Strap Closure

Using a long, thin piece of material to wrap several times around the book to hold it closed is one of the most popular choices for soft cover bindings. The choices for your strap material are endless – cord, ribbon, thread, leather, fabric etc.

Elastic Closure

This is a popular choice for bullet and traveller’s journals because it offers the flexibility to allow for expansion as content is added. Elastic closures can wrap vertically or horizontally around the book. They can be attached to the back cover or be removable. Consider the size and the anticipated amount of handling when choosing the thickness of elastic.

Tab Closure

A tab closure is an easy way to close a handmade book – one that doesn’t require glue, hardware or even sewing.

Hardware Closure

The addition of hardware, such as buttons, studs, snaps and beads to your handmade books, provides a great opportunity to add personality to your project. Imagine adding handmade ceramic or vintage buttons to your book; a Japanese bone closure or piece of drift wood to a binding. One of my favorite pieces of hardware is the button stud closure. A good source for decorative studs is Springfield Leather.

Below is the video on Facebook. The first few minutes are quiet because I forgot to turn on my microphone 🙂