July 23, 2012

Christmas in July! A Book Cover Tutorial



I am very proud to be a part of Stringtown Home's Christmas in July! YAY!!!!! For my part I am going to show you how to make a cute book cover for a gift. :) They are very easy to make and you can customize them for your friends and relatives by the different fabrics and embellishments you use.







What you will need -

1/2 yard of main fabric (will make both covers)

1/2 yard of contrast fabric (will make both covers)

Any embellishments that you might want to add

Hot glue gun to add embellishments

Step 1 -



Take out a large book and use it as a guideline when cutting. When you cut leave about 3/4" at the top and bottom for seam allowance. The measurements are about 23" by 11".

Step 2 -



Make sure that your fabric will cover it just right, with the sides going over the cover of the book.

Step 3 -



Use the part you just cut as a pattern to cut your contrast fabric.

Step 4 -



Remove the cat from the fabric and dust off the cat fur.... SIGH.....

Step 5 -



Pin your main fabric to your contrast fabric, right sides together. Then sew the seam on 3 sides, leaving one end open.

LOL! You can see my messy pin cushion! I always end up with tangled threads in it!

Step 6 -



Turn right side out and press.

Step 7 -



Fold in the ends that you left open about a 1/4" and press.

Step 8 -



Top stitch along the top of the entire cover.

Step 9 -



Cut 2 pieces of your contrast fabric 10" long by 6" wide.

Step 10-



Fold over the side edges 1" and press. Fold down the middle and press. Top stitch down both sides.

Step 11-



Place your handles where you want them and pin, making sure NOT to pin the flap that is tucked inside the book.

Step 12-



Stitch your handle end on with it facing down toward where the spine of the book would be. Do that to all 4 ends.

Step 13 -



Fold the handle end over the part you just stitched and top-stitch it into place. Do that to all 4 ends.

Step 14-



Fold over the ends of the book cover and press. Pin in place and stitch just down the sides.

Press.

ALL DONE!!!! :)



Hmmm... Looks like my handles are a little off.. I'll have to fix that....

The small book covers are even easier. Follow the same steps but omit the handles. :)

So, what do you think?? Would they make good presents?

As always, let me know if the tutorial was easy to follow or not. And I am always happy to answer any questions! :)

Thanks!

And thank you to Heather!! This was so much FUN!! :) This was my first ever guest slot! :)






20 comments:

  1. What a cute idea.. I will have to make some for the grandkids. They would love them.. I love the cupcake fabric..so cute..[Is that flannel fabric?] Happy sewing.

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  2. Thank you!!!
    Yes, it is flannel! I used what I had left over from D's pj pants. I got it on sale at Joann's. ;)

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  3. Such a great idea! Thanks for sharing at the All Star Block Party.

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  4. I love those... I've made one before, but it's starting to wear out, so I guess it's time to make another, lol! Plus, one for my hardcovers would be very nice.

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  5. Thanks!!!
    I'm thinking about adding a little tab with Velcro to help keep the large ones closed....

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  6. Lucky recipient of the gift exchange to receive this great project. Thanks for sharing at the All Star Block Party.

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  7. Those are awesome! It's a great way to carry around books, and the fabric makes it fun and cute! Thanks so much for sharing this at The Fun In Functional!

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  8. Thank you!!! :) I had a lot of fun making them.

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  9. This is AWESOME!!! I want one!!

    Thanks so much for sharing this at The DIY Dreamer.. From Dream To Reality!!

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  10. LOL!! Thanks, Christine!!! That is an awesome compliment!! :)

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  11. Cute project! And your cat reminds me of my dog. She has to get in the middle of every sewing project. Thanks for sharing at I Made It! Monday. Can't wait to see what you link up this week.

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  12. Thank you so much, Amanda!!

    Aren't they rotten?? LOL I just had to remove her from my fabric AGAIN!! It looked like she was trying to dig through it to reach China! LOL

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  13. Love them, Stacy! I do think the Velcro tab you mentioned would be a great idea!

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  14. Thanks, Cathy!!! :) I will definitely be adding it to the new ones I make! And maybe some little pockets inside? If I can work it out...

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  15. [...] and http://stacysewsandschools.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/christmas-in-july-a-book-cover-tutorial/ [...]

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  16. […] else would work? I bet you could make a fabric cover for them, too. You could probably even use my book cover tutorial to help with that! LOL Then there’s tying ribbons to the spiral section like I listed in my […]

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  17. […] here is the sewing cover tutorial that I did a while […]

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I <3 comments!! Thank you so much for taking the time! :)