# 10-Minute DIY Pocket Notebook/Planner - review & insight | Gareth B. Davies Source: https://garethbdavies.com/course-insights/10-minute-diy-pocket-notebook-planner/ [← All courses](https://garethbdavies.com/course-insights/) Other · Quick win · Rated 6 /10 # 10-Minute DIY Pocket Notebook/Planner Updated September 2026 Kate Chystykova · Craft Addicted Beginner · 30 min Three real binding methods and an honest mistakes reel make this worth the half hour, if you can tolerate loose, rambling narration. [Get a Free Month on Skillshare](https://skillshare.eqcm.net/c/3155494/298081/4650?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.skillshare.com%2Fclasses%2F10-minute-diy-pocket-notebook-planner%2F528391036) New to Skillshare? Your first month is free, enough to take this course at no cost. This class delivers exactly what its title promises: a small bound notebook made from paper scraps, built and fastened in well under an hour of actual work. The arc is straightforward. It opens with a supply list that asks for almost nothing beyond scrap paper, a cover material, a ruler, scissors, and a fastening tool, then moves through sizing the cover, folding and trimming the interior pages into signatures, and finally binding everything together. That structure suits a beginner audience well, since each step is isolated into its own short lesson rather than blurred together. The most substantial content sits in the fastening section, which is really three tutorials in one. A stapled binding gets covered first, using a punched hole and a stapler reinforced with pliers or a spoon to fold the prongs flat. A hand-sewn version follows, using needle and thread through pre-marked holes spaced a couple of centimeters apart. A machine-sewn version closes out the technique, presented as the cleanest and fastest of the three. Offering all three rather than picking one is the course's strongest decision, since it lets a viewer pick the method that matches the tools they already own instead of forcing a purchase. A smaller but genuinely clever addition is the pre-fastening shortcut, where the signature gets attached to the cover before the final binding pass, cutting out a redundant step for anyone making more than one notebook at a time. The ribbon closure lesson is similarly practical, showing where to tape the ribbon so it stays anchored once it gets sewn into the spine. Where the course earns real credit is its mistakes lesson. Rather than presenting a flawless finished object, it shows a lumpy spine caused by uneven thread tension, a visible gap where the fold sits away from the binding line, and stray leftover holes from switching between stapling and sewing partway through a project. That kind of visible troubleshooting is rare in short craft classes, which usually only show the success case, and it does more to prepare a beginner for their own first attempt than another clean demo would. The weaknesses are mostly about clarity rather than content. Measurements are given loosely, with phrases like "almost six centimeters" standing in for a firm number, so a viewer wanting an exact pattern to replicate will need to eyeball proportions rather than follow a spec. The narration also tends to circle back on itself, restating steps and previewing lessons that then repeat much of what the preview already covered, which stretches the runtime without adding new information. Because the cover-sizing math and hole spacing are described rather than written down anywhere, note-taking or frequent pausing is close to mandatory. As a fast, materials-light introduction to hand bookbinding basics, wrapped around three interchangeable fastening techniques and backed by an honest look at what goes wrong, it holds up. It is not the place to look for planner-page design ideas despite the framing, and it rewards patience with a slightly disorganized presentation more than it rewards precision. The standout The dedicated mistakes lesson, which walks through real spine gaps and loose-thread failures and how to correct them, teaches troubleshooting that most quick craft classes skip entirely. ## What you will learn - · How to choose and size a cover from scrapbooking paper, wallpaper, or fabric so it wraps one to three paper signatures - · How to fold and trim loose sheets into signatures using a paper knife, scissors, or a paper trimmer - · Three separate ways to bind the pages: a stapled pamphlet stitch, hand sewing with needle and thread, and a sewing-machine spine - · A shortcut for pre-attaching the folded signature to the cover before binding so you skip a separate assembly step - · How to tuck in and secure a ribbon closure while sewing the cover and pages together - · Common failure points such as spine gaps from loose thread tension and stray holes left behind after switching binding methods Best for: Crafters and paper-goods beginners who want a fast, low-cost binding project made from scraps already at home and who don't mind following along visually rather than by exact measurements. Skip it if: Anyone hoping for a planner layout or page-design tutorial, or a learner who needs crisp, precisely stated measurements and calmly paced verbal instructions. Organization of Lessons Clarity of Instruction Actionable Steps Engaging Teacher [Get a Free Month on Skillshare](https://skillshare.eqcm.net/c/3155494/298081/4650?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.skillshare.com%2Fclasses%2F10-minute-diy-pocket-notebook-planner%2F528391036)