How to Make a Cloth Covered Book for Pressed Flowers or Nature Journal

Making a Cloth covered Book

You will need:

• 2 pieces of 6 ½ “ x 9 ¼” cardboard
• An embroidery needle and thread
• 16” x 12” piece of fabric an old dress, T-shirt, or pillowcase will work well
• 8 pieces of 8 ½ “ x 11” paper
• 1 piece of fancy or coloured 8 ½ “ x 11” paper
• Wide packing tape and regular tape
• a ruler
• fabric glue
• 12” of ribbon
• Scissors

Instructions:

• Fold the plain paper and the fancy paper in half.
• If the fancy paper looks different on the front than on the back, fold it so that the “front (the prettiest” side is on the inside.
  
  
  
  
  
• Put the folded plain paper inside the folded fancy paper, like a book, then use your needle and thread to sew the papers together in two places, about an inch and a half from the top and an inch and a half from the bottom.

You have completed the book section.
Set it aside and proceed to the book cover

• Cut your fabric to about 16” by 12” and lay it out, wrong-side facing up.
• Place the two pieces of cardboard in the middle of the fabric, leaving about a quarter of an inch between each piece.
  
• Tape the cardboard pieces together and maintain the quarter inch separation.
• Coat the back of the cardboard lightly with fabric glue and the glue the cardboard to the cloth.
• Fold and glue each of the corners first and then use tape to secure the fabric if necessary; just make sure the tape does not stick up close to the outer edge.
  
  Now you’ve made the fabric book cover.
  
  
  
  

Next:

• Cut your 12” ribbon in half.
• Use your ruler to find the center of the left side of the fabric cover and glue the end of one ribbon there (starting about two inches from the end of the ribbon).
• Try not to over glue, but also try to make sure you glue right to the very edge so that the ribbon is firmly attached.
• Secure with tape.

• Do the same thing on the right side of the cover with the other ribbon.
• Open your papers and place them in the middle of the cardboard and fabric so that the fold of the paper is right in the center of the tape between the cardboard pieces.
• Using the fabric glue, glue the outer paper (the fancy paper) to the inside of the cover and let it dry.
• Once the glue has dried, tie the ribbon to close your book.

It’s not as secure an a lock and key, but it is a pretty way to keep safe your handmade journal, should your choose to use it as a secret diary.
It could also be a pretty Nature Journal for your nature studies or a place to save your pressed flowers.

May this glorious Orange Tuesday bring you much happiness while you endeavor to make this personal Cloth Covered Book!

Kathleen