Assembling the Books:
Step 1: Lay the cloth with the brighter side down on a hard and clean surface. Be sure to put a paper bag or piece of mat board under the cloth to protect the surface of the table.
Step 2: Place the large (11.25” x 8.5”) piece of Heat-N-Bond paper side up on top of the cloth. Leave an even border of cloth around the Heat- N- Bond approximately one-half inch wide.
Step 3: Using a warm clothes iron, press the Heat-N-Bond, and gently lift the paper off. This leaves the adhesive on the cloth.
Step 4: Place two 4.5” x 5.5” pieces of mat board on the cloth equal distance from the top, bottom, and sides. Be sure to leave a space approximately one-half inch between the pieces of mat board so that the finished book will close properly. When the mat board is placed, gently press the mat board with your hand to keep it from sliding.
Step 5: Fold over one of the corners of the cloth and place it at a right angle on the corner of the mat board. Then press it with the iron. Make all the folds tight to prevent excess cloth around the edges of the mat board. Using the warm iron, gently press the cloth onto the mat board. The heat of the iron will cause the Heat-N-Bond to affix the cloth to the mat board. Avoid touching the Heat-N-Bond directly with the iron. Repeat this procedure until all four corners are affixed to the mat board. Then, fold down and press the sides and ends of the cloth. The book cover is now completed!
Options: Covers can be varied. If plain fabric is used, fabric paint can be used for decoration, or Heat-N-Bond can be put into the shape of another piece of fabric to be affixed to the cover. (Example: Think of how numbers and names are placed on sports jerseys).
Photos or drawings utilizing crayons, colored pencils, or markers can also render cover art. Use a glue stick to tack the picture to a paper frame made of a piece of heavyweight paper, such as that used for the backing page. (The frame is centered and then tacked to the cloth cover using the glue stick. The frame is not necessary but adds a nice touch.) Then affix the picture to the cover with a piece of self-adhesive laminating film. We use pieces cut from individual laminating sheets that are sold in boxes of 50 in office supply stores. These sheets require no heat or tools to apply and work very well. Each sheet should cover the picture, the frame, and about a half-inch border. Clear plastic adhesive such as Contact ™ can also be used efficiently and effectively.
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