Folding an Accordion Book From Scrap Paper

In this project, you'll learn how to fold an accordion book from scrap paper. The project example is a tiny book made from offcut strips of art paper, but these same instructions can also be used to make larger books.

Paper, preferably in long strips (the paper I used was heavyweight art paper left over from previous projects)

Ruler / straight edge to help tear paper

Bone folder to help score paper

Glue for joining strips together to make a longer book

Waxed paper to interleave between glued pages as they dry

This project can be made using any sort of paper. The easiest option is to use long strips of art paper, although you can modify any smaller pieces of paper and the project will still work.

I'm a printmaker, and I usually buy paper in large sheets measuring around 56x76cm each. I often end up with long, thin offcuts of paper that aren't particularly useful for regular projects. Instead of throwing these away, I like to keep them and turn them into small books.

If you want to join multiple strips of paper together, be sure to select strips of paper that are the same height.

There are multiple ways to fold an accordion book, and this is my preferred method, which allows for a customised book size without needing to measure.

Start by folding one end of the paper strip to the page width you want for the book. If you have a bone folder, you can use this to score the fold sharply. If you don't have a bone folder, simply score the paper as best you can with your hands.

To make your second fold, bend the paper and line it up visually with the edge of your book, then score the fold. Go back and forth like this along the strip of paper, checking every couple of folds to make sure you're keeping the edges aligned and pages at a consistent width. This type of folding will give you the most accurate, even result. Have a good look at all the video and all the images here to see how I line up the edges.

An alternative method for folding is to fold your strip of paper in half, then each half in half again and so on until you're happy with the width of the pages, then go over all the folds again to make them go back and forth. This type of folding is quicker, but can produce a less accurate result.

You can join two or more strips of paper together to make a super long accordion book. In this step, I'll explain how to join two pages together so that the seam is invisible.

First, tidy up the ends of your folded strips so that the pages on the edges you are joining are slightly shorter than the general page width. We'll be gluing the two end pages together so that each end page completely overlaps the adjoining page, with the edges of the page sitting in the valley fold of the other strip.

Apply glue (any type is fine, including glue stick) to one of the faces that will be stuck down, and stick the adjoining strip to it. While the glue dries, place a small piece of waxed paper on the glued pages so that any glue that seeps out doesn't stick to the rest of the book, and weigh the book down with a light weight.

Accordion books are very flexible in terms of design, and you can have a lot of fun by breaking the rules and getting creative with your folds.

Feel free to fold all your pages at different widths, to sew other pages into your book, or come up with different cover styles for your book.

Have fun!