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Quilted and Decorative Notebook Covers

The other day on the Lazy Girls Yahoo group list, someone mentioned making notebook covers, so of course I piped up about mine. In addition to the group book in my earlier post, I have these “notebook” covers. Three are made to fit the usual 5×8 (or thereabouts) mini-legal-pad size pads of paper (I actually prefer the quadrilles, the ones that look like graph paper…which means I can also use the notebook landscape orientation as well as portrait..but we all know I’m a bit odd…).

One of the first things we did in our Frayed Edges mini-group was a notebook swap. There was an article in Threads magazine in early 2005 on these, so we each made one, then took turns drawing out of a paper bag to pick one. I got the one Deborah made from her art cloth. She does all this fun stuff with embroidery floss and beads, and I’m so happy to have this one as my “Frayed Edges” notebook (note the frayed fabric!):

And here is maybe the best part…the inside cover:

I have this thing about nautiluses, so I made one, well, a couple, like this using some cloth I had painted, free-motion zigzagged the nautilus, and quilted the daylights (like usual!) out of everything.

I decided to write up a pattern to sell (but of course still haven’t printed it up for sale…sigh), and used the loon block from my “Loon-y About Maine” pattern (available here, just scroll down) for the cover.

I added a little pocket on the back for a pen, but am not sure I will ever use it!

Then, I recently made this cover for a 1 1/2 inch ring binder. The image of Mount Fuji is a postcard which I stitched on later. First, I cut fabric the size I needed for the cover (the same fabric wraps all the way around from inside back cover to back to spine to front to inside front. The outside is quilted, but the inside-covers are not. Before stitching the “pockets” but after quilting I sewed the fabric postcard and fabric “namecard” to the front. I also added a pocket to the inside front cover.

The Fabric postcards are made using Peltex as a base, fused and quilted, and have yarn couched to the outside edges.

4 Responses to “Quilted and Decorative Notebook Covers”

  1. Anonymous Says:

    Really beautiful AND functional! Looking forward to the turtorial.

  2. Fruit Jar Nicky Says:

    Your notebook cover are great! Thanks for sharing. I love the idea of doing them for legal pads.

  3. Lazy Girl Says:

    Sarah, These notebooks are wonderful. It inspires me to go play and make some. Thanks!

    Joan

  4. kathy Says:

    you have been very proficient with your projects and your postings lately. Nice way for me to spend a saturday morning.