Pages, Ties and Tiny Bows: Ribbon Makes for the Bookish

There is a special kind of pleasure in a book that has been read and re-read: the cracked spine, the folded corner (sorry), the old train ticket still marking chapter four. Ribbon fits into that reading life beautifully. Not as gift wrap, and not as a festive flourish, but as a small, useful, everyday thing: a marker that stays where you put it, a journal tie that keeps loose notes together, a band that makes a secondhand book look like it was meant for you.

This is a guide for the bookish — the library regulars, the journal keepers, the people who come home from a charity shop with three paperbacks and a faraway look. You do not need a sewing machine. You do not need a long afternoon. You need a few short lengths of ribbon, a pair of sharp scissors, and about five minutes per make.

A Reader's Ribbon Kit

Before you start, gather a small kit. It will live happily in a drawer or on a shelf beside your books.

• 6mm grosgrain or satin ribbon for slim bookmarks and clip-on markers
• 10mm cotton or grosgrain ribbon for fold-over bookmarks and book bands
• 15mm cotton ribbon for journal ties
• Bondaweb or fusible hemming tape (for no-sew folds)
• Fray Check or a tiny dab of clear nail polish (to stop ends fraying)
• Paper clips, a pencil, sharp scissors
• Kraft paper, an old map, or a piece of patterned paper for book bands

UK haberdasheries and ribbon shops usually sell these by the metre, so you can buy exactly what you need. A metre of each width is plenty for a whole set of makes, and it leaves room for a few happy experiments.

Make One: The Five-Minute Fold-Over Bookmark

This is the classic reader's ribbon bookmark, and it is genuinely no-sew.

1. Cut a 22cm length of 10mm grosgrain or cotton ribbon.
2. Fold the top 3cm to the back. Tuck a thin strip of Bondaweb or fusible hemming tape inside the fold, press with a warm iron, and let it cool. If you prefer no iron, use a thin line of fabric glue and leave it to set.
3. Trim the bottom end into a shallow V or a neat angled cut.
4. Slip the folded loop over a page. The ribbon hangs down the spine, marking your place without clipping or creasing.

For slim paperbacks, use 6mm ribbon; for hardbacks, 10mm feels just right. Avoid wire-edged ribbon here — it can press into the pages and leave a mark.

Make Two: The Journal Wrap Tie

Journals are for lists, sketches, half-finished thoughts and the good pen you keep hidden from everyone else. A wrap tie keeps it all together.

1. Measure around your journal and add 20cm. Cut a length of 15mm cotton ribbon to that measurement.
2. Wrap the ribbon around the journal and bring the ends to the front.
3. Tie a simple bow or a double knot. Trim the ends at an angle.
4. Seal the cut ends with Fray Check or a tiny knot so they stay neat.

Cotton ribbon is the best choice here because it holds a knot well and feels lovely in the hand. Grosgrain is a good second. If you are making this for a friend, choose a ribbon colour that matches their journal cover or their favourite pen — small details, big delight.

Make Three: The Secondhand Book Band

A secondhand book is already full of story — sometimes literally, if the previous owner left notes in the margin. A simple paper band and a ribbon tie make it feel like a found treasure.

1. Cut a strip of kraft paper, an old map, or patterned paper about 5cm wide and long enough to wrap around the book.
2. Wrap the band around the middle of the book and secure the overlap at the back with a small piece of double-sided tape.
3. Tie a 10mm ribbon around the band in a neat bow.
4. Keep the band removable so the book stays in good condition.

This is not gift wrapping in disguise — it is a book band, a small piece of theatre for a charity-shop find or a car-boot-sale prize. It also works beautifully for a library book you want to carry home in style, as long as you remove it before returning the book.

Make Four: The Clip-On Ribbon Marker

Some readers do not want to fold a page or tie a bow. They want a marker they can move from book to book. This is that marker.

1. Cut a 15cm length of 6mm ribbon.
2. Tie one end to a paper clip with a small, tight knot. Trim the other end at an angle.
3. Seal the cut end with Fray Check.
4. Clip it to a page and let the ribbon hang down the spine.

Make a set of three in different colours — one for the bedside book, one for the commute, one for the reading journal. It is also a kind choice for library books, because it marks your place without damaging the spine or the page.

For the Bookish Friend: A Reader's Ribbon Gift

If you have a book-loving friend, these makes turn into a thoughtful little gift without a roll of wrapping paper in sight. Choose a secondhand book — something you have read and loved, or a charity-shop find with a beautiful cover — and pair it with a fold-over bookmark, a clip-on marker, and a journal tie. Add a handwritten note on a library card, a book token, or a small card from your local bookshop. The whole bundle says: I know what you like, and I have been paying attention.

This is the opposite of a big festive production. It is a reader-to-reader gesture: small, useful, and quietly personal. If your friend keeps a reading journal, tuck in a few extra ribbon lengths in colours that match their pen. If they are a library lover, add a clip-on marker and a pretty ribbon loop for their library card wallet. It is a gift that fits in a tote bag and gets used straight away.

A Few Readerly Ribbon Notes

• Match the ribbon to the job: 6mm for slim books, 10mm for hardbacks, 15mm for journals.
• Choose cotton, grosgrain or satin. Save the sparkly, stiff ribbons for other projects.
• Keep short leftover lengths in a jar or tin. They are perfect for clip-on markers and page tabs.
• Press folds with a warm iron and a scrap of cloth to protect the ribbon.
• Make a few extra bookmarks and leave them in your local book-swap box, little free library, or staffroom book shelf. A small ribbon can travel a long way.

Ribbon is not just for the outside of a gift. For a reader, it belongs between the pages, around the journal, and on the book you found by chance. Five minutes, a few centimetres of ribbon, and a good book — that is a very fine afternoon indeed.