A to Z Challenge - 2019 - Z is for Zutter Bind It All

It's here!!!  The last letter in the 10th Anniversary A to Z Challenge is finally here.  I don't know about you but I've had a really good time with this year's challenge.  I haven't had a chance to visit all 600+ participants but I have gotten to a few dozen.  I expect next month I'll start making some more visits since it won't be that busy.  I'm trying to think of a theme for the month.  Sometimes it seems like a letdown when April's rush is over.

Anyway, for my letter "Z" I'm going to talk about the Zutter Bind It All machine.  When I talked about tools for the letter "T" I forgot about this one because it is something that I have had for a while but don't use very much.  It is a machine that you can use to make your own books with wire binding.  I got it from Blitsy (an online creative supply store) during a sale for a steal. 

It came with instruction booklet, measuring guides and wire cutters,

Wire cutters

as well as several different sizes and colors of wire binding.  There was also a project idea book with so many cute ideas for making different kinds of books and albums.  Look at that boot! 

It even came with some wood chip board covers and pre-cut pages so you could start making something right away.

I got this cover set on sale and thought it would be a great one to use to make a book.

I can use those recycled pieces of cardboard and plastic that I keep saving to make something! 

The first thing is to decide how long your project is and then use the guide to figure out how many holes you need.  Then you put the paper in the machine with the edge of the paper at the edge of the machine and make your first punch.

You slide the paper along until you have enough punches for the whole length.  For this 11 inch paper I needed 20 holes.  

Once the holes are punched then you get the wire binding you want and cut it to size.  After putting the wires through the holes, you set it in the machine again and squeeze the wires together.  That's one of the tricky parts, you don't want to squeeze it too hard and you want it to be even all the way up.  

Here's my finished binding.  It looks like some are a little looser than others but I think it will be fine.

Whew!  Done!  I hope you have enjoyed reading about my crafting experiences and that you've had a chance to visit my Etsy shop.  Please keep me in mind if you ever want something made especially for you or have an idea for a unique gift for someone else.  If you saw my Studio tour yesterday, you know I have A LOT of supplies for almost any theme.  Stay tuned for May 6 when we do a reflection post of our experiences this year.  One more big thank you and Happy Anniversary to Arlee Bird, the founder of the A to Z and all of his cohosts and helper bees.