you are here: Fabric Covered Journal
submitted by LYC Reader, Brandy
This is something my mom and I used to do to all my journals when I was little. It's a great way to dress up a scrapbook or poetry book.
- a binder or hard covered note book
- enough thin foam batting to cover the outside (approximately ¼ in. to ¾ in. thick, depending on how plush you want it)
- enough material to cover the outside AND enough of a lip for you to easily work with
- 2 large pieces of cardboard (either a little smaller than one side of your binder/book or enough to fit flush depending on preference)
- lightweight fabric to cover the cardboard
- hot glue and glue gun
Instructions:
- Get the binder or notebook you want to cover.
- Glue the batting to the outside of the binder or notebook, and cut flush with the edge.
- Measure the dimensions of your binder/book and add a few inches. (at least 2 extra inches)
- Cut the material to your desired size.
- Lay the material down on your table/counter with the wrong side up. Then lay your binder/book batting side down, and open it. Make sure you have cut enough material to cover the book and provide a lip.
- Glue the overlapping material to the inside lip of your binder/book. Fold down the edges like you were making a book cover to make them smooth. You may need to do some snipping to get it to fit right.
- Take the pieces of cardboard and cover each one in material, gluing down the edges smoothly like you just did with the binder/notebook.
- Now, glue the covered pieces of cardboard, ugly side down, to the inside of both covers to cover the inside edges.
- For a more personal touch you can hot glue embellishments like sequins, flat beads or other materials. Or, you can use fabric paint to design an image or saying on the front.
Alternative Idea:
You can easily achieve a personalized look with paper as well. Grab some children's paint, glitter paint or water colors (or mix and match) and paint a design on some finger painting paper. Cut the paper a little larger than one side of your notebook and glue it down to cover the front. Repeat the same process for the back. Like the above idea, you can make additional pieces to cover up the folded over edges on the inside if you wish.
Related Crafts:
Altered Love Journal
Dream Journal
