How to Make a Fabric Book Cover With Handles

Stitch ribbons into your book cover to mark points to discuss with your book club.

Make a cover for your current reading, and you'll always know what to grab for your commute or lunch break. Use a fabric with some body to it, such as quilted material or heavy bonded vinyl. Start with a simple pattern and add pouches for glasses or note-taking materials to make it even more convenient.

Things You'll Need

• 10- by 14-inch piece of protective fabric
• Scissors
• 1 yard 1-inch webbing
• Ruler
• Dressmaker pins
• Threaded sewing machine
• 1 1/4 yards wide flat elastic
• 1 1/3 yards folded edge binding

Instructions

1. Trim the corners of the base fabric in curves or shallow angles to make binding them easier.

2. Cut the webbing in half and use the ruler to lay each half on one side of the fabric, looping it out evenly over the 10-inch ends to form handles. Adjust the length and width of the loops to suit your comfort and pin them in place. Stitch close to both edges up to within an inch of the edge of the book cover. Turn the handles back out of the way and pin them down while you continue.

3. Cut four strips of elastic, each 10 inches long. Pin one at top and bottom 3 inches and 6 inches in from each 10-inch edge. Stitch the strips to the edges of the cover.

4. Pin the binding around the edge, taking care not to catch the handles, but to cover the elastic bands. Stitch as close to the edge of the binding as possible.

5. Slip the front and back covers of your book under one or both elastic bands. Close the cover around the book and lift the handles to let the book settle into a comfortable carry.

Tips & Warnings

• This pattern fits trade paperbacks best and has plenty of room for thick books. Size the fabric base up or down in either dimension to fit the size of books you carry most often.

References

• Craft Stylish: Paperback Book Cover with Zipper Pouch