We're almost to the end.
These look like futzy steps, but they make sense as you go along.
1. Cut your fabric on each end of the spine, as wide as the spine.
Glue down each strip over the top and bottom edge of the spine.
2. Then cut a wedge into the fabric at the top of the spine.
What you're doing is removing extra fabric that would bulk up when you wrap the fabric around the book covers. You'll see at step 8 (look ahead if that helps).
3. Lay the fabric-covered spine over the book.
4. Mark glue-guides on the covers with a pencil.
5. Glue up the covers. Again, don't soak the board with glue. Glue is actually stronger than it might seem and too much just gums up the works and squeezes out the edge and gets on the Dog.
6. Glue down the fabric onto the covers.
Don't glue down the spine--leave it free floating.
And don't wrap the fabric tightly around the book! The covers'll jam up against the spine, and it won't open and close easily. But you don't want it floppy either. So, glue it down and...
7. then make a little "gutter" to allow for the covers to bend. It should be about the width of a knitting needle. Use the edge of a blunt instrument to make this gutter.
8. Glue down the edges onto the inside of the covers.
Here's where you'll see why you cut the wedges out.
9. Protect the book block from the glued-up fabric with plastic (or wax paper).
10. Close the book.
11. Press for several hours or overnight. Even I let the book dry for several hours at this stage, as I really want the thing to set up right.
When it's dry, it's done!
Whether or not you go on to cover the rest of the book depends on what you want it to look like and what you're going to use the book for. This cardboard book is now stronger than most paperbacks you carry around.
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