Feb 7, 2008

Making a Quilted Book or Fabric Journal Cover



I dearly love journeys, journaling, and journals...so it is no wonder that I also love to make journal covers. I have decided to share this book cover project which incorporated my own favorite "With Heart and Hands" theme and was a perfect February project, as well!


1. I used leftover warm toned scraps and strips to co-ordinate with this Heart in Hand image.
 

2. I then used the simplest of random log cabin stripping around the center block image and pieced them together to form the front section.


3. For support, add a piece of interfacing or fleece between the layers, and then sew the front section (right sides together, fleece against a wrong side) to a back section. This creates the entire outside, or visible wrap-around the book, section.


4. Use an additional three pieces for the inside lining section. The center sections uses about 2/3 of the area with two hemmed side pieces to create the 'self-facing' or 'tuck in the book flaps at each end. (Note: at this point you can also add a ribbon bookmark, which can either be hand tacked down or incorporated into the bottom seam....visible or invisible :)

5. Hand quilt, bead or use any decorative stitcheries at this point, before making your final seams. Stitch around all exterior edges, flip and turn to the outside. If you look carefully at the photo above, you can see that the open flap sections are less than 1/4 of the way in from each side. (If you make them too deep, hard back books will not 'bend' enough to be able to insert into the book cover.)

I hope to use my quilted journal to record my sewing and quilting projects. My plan is to include a photo of each project, the project date, a description of the project and/or swatches of fabric, and a record of whether it was given as a charitable donation or a gift, plus any other fun notes, reminders, or momentos of the project.


A book cover that's easy to make, fun to use and whose photos worked nicely as a blog post, as well ;)

7 comments:

Jeanne said...

I love your journal cover! I hope it is filled with lots of wonderful projects in the near future. Thanks for sharing your steps.

Paula, the quilter said...

This probably comes as no surprise: I keep a sketch book journal. I am always doodling and writing notes to myself and lists. I have found that a sketch book or any book with unlined pages works well for me. I've also slapped paint on the pages of those b&w comp books to hide the lines *s*. I also make covers for them because that gives me a place to stash the pen and any ephemera I collect during the day.

Tanya said...

What a lovely book cover! I ought to get a record of some of my quilts down in one place and this is an excellent place to start! Thank you for the idea.

Holly said...

Great idea, Michele. The general idea has been on my to-do list for a while. Thanks for the step-by-step instructions.

Enzie Shahmiri said...

These are soo neat. Please come check out my One World One Heart Giveaway of "Masquarade"

Quiltdivajulie said...

I love journals... my quilt journal is actually a gathering of photographs, Word documents, and notes stored in page protectors and a 3-ring binder (one for each calendar year).

I've been wanting to make a fabric journal cover, but just haven't done it. Your instructions are so good, maybe I'll have to give it a try!

Your heart in hand cover is GORGEOUS!!

Anonymous said...

Hi, how can you use ribbon and interlace them to create a complete covering for a book?

ancompton@hotmail.com