How to Make Fabric Book Covers for Children
Fabric book covers offer colorful ways to protect your child's schoolbooks, favorite novels or personal journals from wear and tear. Fabric comes in various colors, prints and finishes, allowing many possibilities for your book sheath. You or your child can machine or hand stitch the fabric or bind the cover with hemming tape. The crafts are so eye-catching you may decide to make additional book covers for your child's friends.
Things You'll Need
- Book
- Tape measure
- Tailor's chalk
- Cotton fabric
- Pinking shears
- Iron
- Sewing machine or hemming tape
Instructions
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1
Measure the book's height with a tape measure. Add three inches to that measurement to determine the height of your fabric piece.
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2
Measure the width of the book's cover and spine. Multiply the width by three and add the width of the spine to determine the fabric width. If the book measures 10 inches high by 5 inches wide and the spine is 2 inches wide, you will need a fabric piece measuring 12 inches high by 17 inches wide.
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3
Mark the measurements of the book cover onto a piece of cotton fabric using tailor's chalk. Use pinking shears to cut the material to the required size.
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4
Position the fabric horizontally on your work surface. Fold the fabric down one inch across the top and up one inch across the bottom. Iron the folds to create a sharp crease.
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5
Secure the folds by machine stitching across the length of the fabric 1/2 inch from the edge. Place a strip of hemming tape under the folded fabric as an alternative and iron it to melt the fusible tape.
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6
Create flaps for the front and back cover of the book. Divide the cover width by two. If the cover is 6 inches long, fold each side of the fabric up to make a 3-inch flap.
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7
Press the flaps to crease. Secure the flaps by machine stitching 1/4 inch from the edge across the top and bottom. If you use hemming tape instead, affix a strip of it under the top and bottom edges of the flaps and iron it.
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8
Open the front cover of the book and slip it into the left flap. Pull the fabric taut around the book and bend the spine back slightly to slip the back cover into the other flap. Close the book and place it under a heavier book to help stretch the fabric if the cover fits too snugly.
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Tips & Warnings
Use fabric paint, iron-on patches or self-adhesive gems for cover embellishments.
Direct heat will melt hemming tape onto the bottom of your iron. Situate the tape between the layers of fabric before ironing.
