Fabric Covered Notebook

appliqued fabric covered notebook - my first ever how-to!

Posted by blue g.

About

I wanted to try my hand at making a fabric covered notebook, then I thought I'd add some applique. There are a lot of firsts in here for me - first use of Bondaweb, first time I've appliqued, first time I've covered a notebook in fabric and first how-to!

Share

You Will Need (5 things)

  • coordinating Embroidery Floss
  • 3 different Fabric scraps
  • Spray Glue
  • Bondaweb
  • hardcover Notebook

Steps (12 steps, 130 minutes)

  1. 1

    First, lay out your chosen fabric, on the reverse draw round the edge of the notebook, turning it so that you include the spine and back. Make a mark where the spine will be. Cut out leaving about 20mm around each edge.

  2. 2

    Cut out 2 small pieces of your applique fabrics and iron Bondaweb onto the back. Cut out 3 hearts and 3 squares from the fabric. Peel the back off the Bondaweb hearts and place on the contrasting squares. Iron to set.

  3. 3

    On your main fabric, cut inwards where you have marked the spine to be and cut off all but a little tab. We're going to Bondaweb this tab back on itself to stop it fraying.

  4. 4

    Pin the edges in place around the line you've drawn on the front only, this is so you can see where to place your design.

  5. 5

    Position your squares with the hearts on the front of the main fabric and iron to set.

  6. 6

    Now, sew a blanket stitch around the square in a contrasting embroidery floss. Do not not the ends, just hold them when you start stitching, and leave them free. They will be held in place by the glue in step 10.

  7. 7

    Sew around all the squares in contrasting floss.

  8. 8

    Sew a back stitch around the edge of the heart in a contrasting colour. I did the blue heart in aqua with it's aqua square stitched in blue, I did the aqua hearts stitched in blue with their blue backgrounds stitched in aqua.

  9. 9

    Complete for all 3 hearts.

  10. 10

    Put your main material face down, tuck all the embroider floss ends onto the squares. Spray glue all over the back of the material and press your cover down.

  11. 11

    Fold the corners inwards, then the edges, adding more glue if necessary. You can then either glue a piece of fabric 10mm smaller than the notebook all round onto this, or you can glue the first/last pages to the back cover.

  12. 12

    Ta da!