Whether your kids have headed back to school and been given the task of covering their books, you’re tired of looking at your boring bookshelf or plain journal, or you need a quick and custom gift, this simple fabric book cover project has got you covered. Sure, you can make the classic brown bag cover and get creative with markers, but opportunity truly abounds for creative expression when you up the ante to fabric. After all, choosing sustainable fabric options means thinking outside of the box: You can use scrap fabric, multiple pieces of scrap fabric sewn together, a t-shirt you were thinking of tossing, or even a faded towel or pillowcase. Just be sure to choose colors and patterns that’ll make you actually want to crack open that text book or pick up your journal and write through the writer’s block!

Materials: Book you’d like to cover, piece of fabric (scrap fabric, old t-shirt, handkerchief, etc.), ruler, marking chalk or pencil (that will show up on your fabric), sewing machine set up to sew (or needle and thread if you want to sew by hand), scissors, straight pins, iron (optional, but helpful)

1. Place your book on top of your fabric (patterned side face down). Measure two inches beyond the top and bottom of your book and mark with your marking pencil or chalk. Measure four inches (or more if you prefer a larger seam allowance) beyond the right side of the book and mark, then open the front cover, flatten the spine and measure four inches beyond the left side and mark. Cut where you’ve marked. At this point, you should have a rectangle that is four inches taller and approximately eight inches wider than your book.

2. Turn the edges of the long sides of your rectangle in approximately 1/4 of an inch, pin your seams, and sew.

3. Open the book on the fabric with the patterned side now facing up. Fold in the edges that will become the flaps of your cover. Make sure that the flaps are even on the front and back covers. Mark with your marking pencil at the top and bottom edges of the book directly on the flap, carrying the marking a bit off of the flap onto the patterned side of the fabric to help you sew later. Pin your fabric to make sure that the flaps stay lined up. Then, using your pencil or chalk marking as a guide, sew at the pencil line along the top and bottom of each flap. When you’ve finished sewing, you can iron your fabric to secure your seams.

4. To get rid of some bulk and extra fabric from your flaps, cut all four corners at a diagonal, being careful not to clip into the stitches that form the corners of your cover. Turn the cover right side out, fold in the extra fabric at the top and bottom of the cover along your seam, and slide your book into the flaps, cutting away any dangling threads. Note: You may have to bend the book back a bit to fit into the flaps, as the cover will fit snuggly.

New Life Journal’s Maggie Cramer and Abby Underwood are reluctant crafters—they come up with creative ideas and set off full-steam, only to usually end up with something completely different than what they intended. But, after their successful soda bottle birdfeeder project in the June 2008 issue, they’re getting the hang of it and are excited to share more DIY sustainable projects for you and your home.

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