How to make a notebook cover

Making a cover for a notebook/sketchbook is super easy, can use up small bits of fabric and would make someone a lovely gift.

STEP ONE: Measure the notebook you want to cover (if you are using a ring-bound notebook you need to also measure around this).

STEP TWO: Choose your fabrics. I chose lots of different fabrics to patchwork together but you could just use one. The length of your fabric(s) will be the length of your notebook +seam allowance ( I used 0.75cm seam allowance) and the width of the fabric needs to be enough to go all the way around the notebook covers, including the inside of the covers. This will be roughly 4x the width of the notebook, but remember to add extra for the spine or ring-binding!

STEP THREE: If you are using lots of panels patch-worked together then stitch your panels together until you have one long strip. 

Then iron your seams flat.

You should now have a piece of fabric that is slightly more that the length of the notebook and wide enough to go around the covers. 

STEP FOUR: At this stage I added some elastic (in a fabric tube) to the front as a handy place to store a couple of pens, but this is not essential.

STEP FIVE: With the two length ends (usually the shorter two) you need to hem them so that you don't have raw edges showing.

STEP SIX: Try your length of fabric on the notebook so that the good side is facing the notebook. Mark where the fabric ends (the ones you hemmed earlier) meet the fabric on the outside of the notebook, but make sure that you can still open and close it! Now stitch the fabric with right sides together to create two pockets (one for each cover). It should now look something like this...

You will notice there are raw edges still showing, so you need to hem those down and then it will look like this...

STEP SEVEN: Now all you need to do is insert the notebook into it's new case. You will need to bend the covers right back to do this. 

FINISHED!

And why stop there? The same method could be used to cover your favourite read or could be personalized with an applique, embellishment or ribbon ties. 

Have fun sewing, Millie x