A New Cover for an Old Book

 
As I mentioned in an earlier post, my husband and I keep a journal together, which (fortunately) has had a lot of handling. As a result, the cover started looking dingy and dull, and I thought something so important to us deserved a better cover. I envisioned a fabric book cover, but I wanted the ease of a folded paper book cover - like the ones I used to make in school. In the end, I got the best of both. 

First, I cut a rectangle of muslin to size, used a disappearing fabric ink pen to mark out my design, and embroidered a simple heart and initials using a basic backstitch for the initials. I was going for something almost primitive (like the carving on a tree), which is about the level of my embroidery skills. (In case you're wondering, the initials stand for "Howard and Wanda," our nicknames for each other. Who can explain how these things happen?) After that, I used iron-on adhesive to attach the fabric rectangle to a piece of heavy brown kraft paper, then trimmed the paper to size. Lastly, I folded the book cover together and used fabric glue to secure the folded flaps together. 

I was inspired by how easy the entire process was, and I think it's a great way to make covers for books. You don't even need to embroider. Instead, use a fun, printed fabric to cover any book that's seen better days, needs extra protection, or just needs a little personalization. 

Comments

[ally]

Wanda?! hah that cracks me up but it sounds familiar, are these characters from a classic novel?

[Greg Bulmash]

That's fun. My wife and I came up with "Earl and Trudy" when we were dating.

[Whitney @ Whisker Graphics]

I don't know what I love more...
the book cover or the nicknames. both are so sweet!