Monday, March 10, 2014

Book Cover Tutorial

I am an avid reader and a member of a book club for many years. About five years ago, my book club was reading a book I was rather embarrassed to walk around with...It had a curse word in the title and at that time I spent a lot of my time at the rec center pool reading in public, I could not be seen with this book! I improvised and made a book cover. Next, I made book covers for all of my book club friends and then for my students as end of the year presents. Here are a couple I made... These book covers are designed to fit the larger paperbacks known as trade paperbacks (the over sized paperbacks that Target sells).
 
You will need:
1/4 yard of fabric
12" piece of gross grain ribbon
9" x 12.5" piece of fusible interfacing
Matching thread
Optional- button, front cover decoration
 
 
Cut:
Two 9" x 12.5" pieces of fabric for the outside and lining of the book cover
Two 8" x 9" pieces of fabric for the sleeves of the book cover
One 9" x 12.5: piece of fusible interfacing
 1. Fuse fusible interfacing to wrong side of 9" x 12.5" of book cover fabric. (This provides stability for the book cover and applique.)
2. Fold and press both 8" x 9" sleeve pieces of fabrics wrong sides together. They will measure 4" x 9".  Set aside.
 
3. Fold the cover (the piece that has the fusible interfacing attached) with wrong sides together. Optional- center your applique cover decoration on the front cover.
 4. Optional- applique your cover design. 
 I just used a button hole stitch with matching thread.
 
 
 5. With right sides together, place the sleeves along each side of the outside book cover. The fold should be going toward the middle and the raw edges should be aligned with the outside of the book cover. You can see the "V" below the sleeve.
 
 6. Place the ribbon (bookmark) on the top, left side of the outer book cover, near the folded edge of the left side sleeve. Pin it at the top.
7.  Pin the excess ribbon towards the middle of the outer book cover, so it does not get mistakenly sewn into the bottom.
 8. Sandwich the book cover lining piece with right sides together on top of the sleeves and right side of the outside book cover. Carefully pin everything in place and stitch around using a 1/4 inch seam., leaving an opening on the lower edge between the folded sleeves (this is how you will turn it right side out). Back stitch at the beginning and the ending.
 
 Here is how it looks on the interfacing side after it has been stitched.
9. Trim carefully at all four corners to make turning easier and the corners not as bulky.
 
 10. Turn and press. Pin along the opening, slipping the raw edges back inside, and slip stitch it by hand with matching thread.
 
 
 
 11. Stitch a button along the bottom of the ribbon. Now, you have a lovely book cover!
 

9 comments:

  1. Your story is funny! And you are a very generous woman to make cover for all these people. Thank you for the tutorial--easy to follow. I like your idea to stitch a button on the ribbon. This surely helps keeping it in place.

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  2. Thanks so much for sharing! This is the easiest to follow version of a book/notebook cover I have seen! I'm going to give it a try!

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  3. Nice tutorial! I love a book cover!

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  4. What a great idea! Thanks for the tutorial, Tanya!

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  5. this is too cute! Great instructions and your pics really help explain the process!

    Thanks for linking up to Needle and Thread Thursday!

    :) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

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  6. That's great. I'll give it a go.
    Maybe a scrappy one will be first

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  7. Very cute and I love the idea of the ribbon bookmark!

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  8. I giggle at the idea of ya carrying around a book with a title you didn't want everyone to see ya reading....because I've been there...you tutorial gives to perfect and easy solution. So glad you linked it under our Crafty theme at Tuesday Archives. :)

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