DIY Planner - Holding ALL Your Places: Making a Multi-threaded Bookmark - Comments

Local bead store--

Brandi — Fri, 1 Jun 2007 16:29:54 -0400

Local bead store-- unfortunately, I don't know who makes them. The trick with beads is to a) make sure the hole diameters aren't too small and b) have any ribbon or flat stuff cut on a taper to help thread it through. (Actually, one of those needle threaders might help as well.)

Very nice

ygor — Fri, 1 Jun 2007 15:44:11 -0400

'specially the celtic knot dangly bits
Where did you get them, please ?
-----------------------------------
"I think the surest sign that there is intelligent life out there in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us." (Calvin and Hobbes/Bill Waterson)

Very nice~! I'm glad your

Sara — Fri, 1 Jun 2007 13:48:01 -0400

Very nice~! I'm glad your father liked it - I can see that being a hit for anyone. :D

my artwork | my blog

I made a 10-place(!)

Brandi — Fri, 1 Jun 2007 01:59:41 -0400

I made a 10-place(!) bookmark for my dad as a birthday present, using a copper ring to hold the thin, flat suede cord. (Picture here.)

In this case, it was easier to tie each of the five knots separately instead of making one big knot, as otherwise the outer strands got shortened too much. A ring lends itself particularly well to this treatment.

While I probably underestimated the length a bit (after all, I don't know what the largest-dimension book in Dad's library is), he was very pleased with it!

notebookism.com

LisaPT — Tue, 22 May 2007 08:07:02 -0400

This article just showed up on notebookism.com also. Congratulations innowen on a great idea and an exellent write-up.

Instead of floss or ribbon

Dionne — Mon, 21 May 2007 18:03:36 -0400

I used hemp and leather strips. Brilliant idea these! I was so inspired I rushed off to the craft store straight away and dreamed up the endless possiblities. Made some using the letter charms spelling out names for several of my mates. Lovely little gifts to add to a book store gift certificate.

blush

innowen — Sun, 20 May 2007 23:06:34 -0400

Awww shucks, you guys. you know i do it for you. it's all about sharing the hacks and the tips!

*hugs*
/innowen

Bravo Inno~! Have I told

Sara — Sun, 20 May 2007 19:24:14 -0400

Bravo Inno~! Have I told you how mar'velous you are darling? :D

my artwork | my blog

Lifehacker.com

Tournevis — Sun, 20 May 2007 11:02:32 -0400

So you know, lifehacker.com has just featured this post as a useful hack!

Similar hack for hardcovers...

Saibot — Sun, 20 May 2007 09:36:23 -0400

I made something similar for a few family member's Bibles (note the capitalization ;) a couple years ago. Rather than a floss & a washer (or Japanese 5 Yen coin), I used multi-colored ribbons & a long, thin piece of cardboard a little smaller in all dimensions than the spine of the book.

After attaching ribbons to the end, I slid the cardboard down into the gap between the spine cover & the pages. I found it was useful to cut the cardboard to fit pretty snugly, so that it doesn't slip out easily - a standard freebie bookmark might work well for this, but may be too flimsy).

I also recommend a high quality ribbon that will resist fraying. And while the charms make for a more (ahem) charming appearance, they should not be necessary with ribbons, and it seems they would likely cause your tail-ends to become entangled.

end of the strings

BB_Queen — Sun, 20 May 2007 08:52:47 -0400

Hey,

You could also bend the strings at the end, after putting the little metal hearts on it and enwrap it in sowingthread, going round and round until you have it circled a centimeter wide. Then you cut of the rest of the string and you have a very neat end of the string.

I hope the way I descibed it makes sense, otherwise I might have to do it and make a pic of it ;)

thanks

innowen — Sat, 19 May 2007 21:47:11 -0400

Thank you for the correction. I do have a bunch of Chinese coins but for some reason, when I was constructing the prototype... I wasn't able to find them. However, the link in the materials list gives users a cheep way to find coins for use in this exercise.

A friend gave me the coin without explanation of origin.

/innowen

Great

Anonymous — Sat, 19 May 2007 20:41:36 -0400

This is so neat an idea. I will use it more with my magazines I read then books. I find so many great ideas, web pages, recipes and when I reading it don't want to tear out the pages. I can make a few of these so when I am completed with the magazine I can tear out the pages that are marked.
thanks again

Just a small point...

lost in ube — Sat, 19 May 2007 20:10:50 -0400

Great idea!
Just so that people aren't misled, you're using a Japanese 5 yen coin in the pictures, not a Chinese coin. Since 5 yen is roughly 5 cents these days they'd be much cheaper than a collectible anyway.

The book by the Lambs...

jonglass — Sat, 19 May 2007 05:47:50 -0400

is an excellent book, and we have used it in home schooling our children.

-Jon

Holding ALL Your Places: Making a Multi-threaded Bookmark

innowen — Thu, 17 May 2007 02:10:18 -0400

Picture this, you're reading a book and you come across a passage or page that you want to recall for later. Maybe it's for your college studies, or maybe it's a recipe you want to cook up later in the week. As you continue reading, you find YET ANOTHER passage you want to mark. What do you do?

So, you hunt down for a slip of paper, maybe you remove it from your planner or notebook. Or you grab a sticky note and start jotting down notes and comments about the pages you're bookmarking. Then the nagging starts. Slowly and silently at first... appearing in the farthest corner in the back of your mind. That environmentalist guilt trip that reminds you that all this paper, those sticky notes, will do nothing to help the environment. That using more paper just creates more waste. That you'll lose the slips and lose your place and never find it again. There, you sit... paper in hand, wishing there was a better alternative to keeping track of multiple spots than using junk mail, index cards or sticky notes.

One bookmark cannot possibly hold two places, right? Wrong. Instead of ripping up valuable sticky notes that you'll trash or recycle later, why not create a multi-threaded bookmark to save your places in those books.

Materials
Most of these items can be found via the links or in your local art supply store for a small fee. Sometimes you can find the coins at a store selling "world products" or the local flea market; while many bead stores carry a wide selection of interesting and specialty charm designs.

Cross-stitch Thread (also known as floss) or flat ribbon (if you use ribbon make sure your charms will fit through the ribbon)
6 Charms (or more or less, depending on how many place holders you want)
One Chinese coin or a gemstone donut to keep all the threads together

Construction

Measure out three strands of the floss so they are about an inch (or more) longer on both side of the biggest book you want to use. Fold the floss over and then cut the strand.
Thread two charms onto the floss.
Tie a knot at one end of the floss. You may need to double or triple the knot so the charms don't slip over and off the floss.
Carefully test your knot by sliding the charms down toward the knot. If it looks like they are going to slip off, add another knot or two to the pile.
Tie a second knot at the other end of the floss. Adjust this knot so that the charms don't slip off the string here as well.
Slide the charms so that one sits next to either side of the knot.
Put all three strings next to each other. Fold the strands around a finger so they make a 3 string loop. All six charms should now dangle next to one another.
Carefully push the loop through the center of the coin or donut. Thread the coin through an inch or two to give yourself room to work with.
Make sure that the loop has all three strands appearing on both sides. If you don't check to make sure the loop is complete with all the strings, then when you make the knot, one or more strings will slip through.
Tie a slipknot around the coin by pulling the loop over the coin and through the other edge.
Pull the charmed edges tightly to complete the knot.
Viola! You have made your multi-threaded bookmark. You can now cut off any excess floss that's dangling over your charms or you can fray the edges for a creative look.

Note: The charms hanging from the floss are prone to winding and knotting at this stage. You may need to spend a few minutes (I know I did) carefully pulling them apart before using the bookmark to hold up to 6 spots in one book. It's because of the winding habit that I recommend you try using heavier ribbon. But be warned, many decorative charms do not come with holes large enough to thread through wide ribbons, therefore you might want to use beads instead of charms.

Another Application
Now that you've made your own multiple place bookmark, why not apply it to your planner or Moleskine? With this design you can even modify a Moleskine's tassel or a bible's single silk page-holder. Carefully remove or cut out the old bookmark by cutting it out. Then follow the steps above to make your new bookmark-- but do not use a coin to give the top ballast. Instead, just knot as many strands together as you want to hold places for and then use E-6000 or a hot glue gun to reattach your new bookmark at the top of the notebook's spine (or if you're really careful, slip the knot down INTO the spine and then glue it there).

As always, your mileage may vary and you may need to create and attempt a few of these bookmarks before settling on a design and pattern that works best for you. I know that after my first attempt with the floss, I think I'm going to go back and see how I can make a few with ribbon. And maybe beads. Feel free to post your attempts and suggestions of making your own multi-threaded bookmarks down in the comments.

D*I*Y Planner - Holding ALL Your Places: Making a Multi-threaded Bookmark - Comments