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Homemade Book Covers

If you have a piece of pretty fabric left over from a sewing project, consider using it to fashion a one-of-a-kind No-Sew Fabric Book Cover. In this version, shown at left, the need for sewing is eliminated through the use of fabric glue; there is also an optional attached bookmark, always handy to have, which you can make from ribbon.

We have two styles of book covers that use recycled denim, one of my favourite recycling materials. At right, check out this Recycled Denim Diary Cover made from the pant leg of an old pair of jeans. A little piece of the waist band is put to use as a fastener.

Here’s a Blue Jean Covered Journal or Photo Album shown opened, from the back, so you can see details of the construction. The photo at right shows what the book looks like closed, from the front.

Here’s another two book covers, this time made from craft foam, which is such a versatile crafting material, perfect for kids.

The Kid’s Diary , at left, is one of our older crafts, but is still lots of fun to make. You can print blank pages, and a pattern for the cover, or simply use standard sizes of lined or blank paper to create the diary. There’s also a pattern to make a craft foam flower, although inexpensive pre-cut foamies now come in all kinds of shapes, colors and themes, so buy a nice assortment, especially if you’re planning to make this as a group craft.

The yellow Craft Foam Book Cover can, of course, be made in any color, and is useful as a cover for notebooks, photo albums and similar books. This one is decorated with foam shapes stamped with a kitty theme, but there are many other creative options for decorating all of these book covers. Let your imagination be your guide.

Did you come home with a beautiful piece of scrapbook paper, or do you have some gorgeous wallpaper scraps to spare? Make the Paper ‘n’ Ribbon Book Cover, shown here, which fits a standard hardbound book. There are step-by-step diagrams to follow and the result is surprisingly hard-wearing, as well as good looking.

Finally, here’s something a little different – Crocheted Book Sox, in two different designs, both super simple to crochet for yourself or a friend.

The first pattern is just a flat crocheted bag to slip a book inside, but the other one is a crocheted version of a traditional book cover, with flaps on either side to fit the cover around your book whether the book is closed, or opened to read.