This tutorial has instructions to make any sized notebook cover and a matching pen. All of my measurements and what not will be in red.
Supplies
Notebook – I used a spiral bound Fat lil’ Notebook by Mead
Fabric (see your measurements to determine the amount needed)
Fusible interfacing ( use appropriate interfacing for the weight of fabric you choose)
Adult hair elastic/ponytail holder
Button
Pen – one that has a clear tube
* Plus the regular supplies like: sewing machine, thread, needle, pins, mearsuring tape, rotary cutter and board, and an iron.
Ready – Set – Go
First off you need to measure your notebook.
Measure from the back side edge, around the spine, to the front edge of your closed notebook. 9.5 inches.
The height  5.5 inches
and how deep you want your pocket flaps to go in. 3 inches
Notebook measurements
Cover/Lining – This is the length around your notebook by the height. 9.5 x 5.5
Pockets flaps – This is double the depth by the height. 6 x 5.5
Cut Interfacing
Cut your interfacing using actual notebook measurements. You’ll need 4 peices cut. 2 cover/lining and 2 pocket flaps.
Cut Fabric
Add one inch to each measurement. 10.5 x 6.5 for cover/lining and 7 x 6.5 for pocket flaps
Cut 4 pieces again. 2 cover/lining and 2 pocket flaps.
I used some thin scrap fabric for the lining , a pieced cover that I cut to the appropriate size and some Kona Curry for the pocket flaps.
Apply Interfacing and Folding Pocket Flaps
Iron on your interfacing per interfacing instructions.
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Fold the doubled length of your pocket flap in half and press, wrong sides together.
Cut and sew in elastic
Set your fabric aside and grab your notebook and elastic.
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Measure elastic on notebook by placing thumb where button will be. Place thumb inside elastic loop and wrap elastic around the back. Pinch elastic about a 1/4  inch on the back side. Do not stretch the elastic.
Cut the elastic close to your fingers.
If your cover piece is sitting in front of you, right side up, sew your elastic onto the left edge of the fabric placing it in the middle, loop toward the center not edge. Allow a little of the elastic to hang off the edge and sew over it about 3 or 4 times about an 1/8th of an inch from the edge. Clip all your strings.
Sew your pieces together.
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Place your lining fabric right side up infront of you.
Place your pocket flaps on top of the lining with the fold towards the middle. Line up edges and corners.
Place your cover piece on next, wrong side up. Your elastic will now be on the right side. Pin at least your corners. I also pin the start stop sewing location as well.
With a 1/4 inch seam allowance sew around your notebook leaving an opening at least 3 inches at the top. Make sure you back stitch.
Finishing Up
Clip your corners.
Turn your notebook cover right side out. Pay attention to your corners.
Press, making sure to fold in the fabric at the opening so it will be ready to sew closed.
Topstitch about an 1/8th of an inch from the edge all the way around your notebook cover.
Now your ready to sew on your button.
Open up notebook as shown and slide front and back covers into pockets flaps. Once , I’m guessing, my seam allowance was off and I couldn’t get the notebook cover in. I simply cut the the cover and back of the notebook a bit smaller so it would squeeze in. No one was the wiser.
Fold your notebook and place the elastic over your button.Â
Now on to the Pen
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You’ll need a pen with a clear tube.
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Unscrew pen and remove ink. Mine was as simple as unscrewing the back. Some other brands are a little more complicated.
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Measure the length of your tube and cut a piece of cordnating fabric that length by 3/4inch. Apply interfacing to the fabric for easier insertion.
Fold the 3/4 inch side of fabric into thirds and slide into tube.
Replace ink and put the pen back together.
Now your all done.
I don’t think I’m officially back but I wanted to post this.
This is my first tutorial so let me know what you think. Any suggestion that would make it better would be greatly appreciated. If you use the tutorial and blog or post pictures, please link back to this post. Also let me know how it worked out for you.
My plan is to do a tutorial for all the projects from my give-away. (except the quilt, that was totally improvised) Its a way to document how I did it so that I don’t have to figure it out again. Any suggestions on which one I should do next?
Very nice and I love the pen. So simple but I wouldn’t have thought of it
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Love this tutorial…just covered a sketchbook for my granddaughter for Christmas!
Thanks so much for this lovely tutorial, very easy to follow! I’ve just made a notebook cover for myself and am SO CHUFFED with the way it’s turned out. Have a look if you like:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahstarmachynlleth/10248338083/ I have posted the link to this tutorial here too!
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Thanks for your tutorial! It is one for the easiest to understand! it even worked great on a much larger (8.5×11″) size! I just made a cover for my work planner; it is plain black and ugly and I have to use it every day! Now I can’t wait to break it out in my work meetings! I even added a pocket inside to put pens, sticky notes, and other little things!
[…] you need some directions on how to make the cover there are a couple tutorials here, here, and here that will […]
I just love your tutorial – have just made 6 for the firls in the family to choose from on Christmas Day. Thanks so much for the time you put in. I have a problem with measureing and in the end used metric as most of our notebooks are all in metric measurements and added two cm instead of the inch and as the machine has metric measurements on the plate this made it all a lot easier and I just love the results.
Hello, I made this journal cover for my daughter for our future trip.
Your turtorial was very easy to understand. Thank you so much for sharing your talent 🙂 My next project is making your camera strap!
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would it be fine to just use a stif material instead of interfacing?
I bet it would work just fine. I would cut the interfacing the same size as the outside and lining fabric though.
Beautiful, and so inventive! Super tutorial.
Love it. I will be trying this one! Its the best tutorial for a notebook cover out of all the craft web sites. Thanks so much for sharing!
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i am so going to make this with one of my daughters over spring break. question, tho – would wonderunder work as the fusible interfacing? make it a bit stiffer?
Thanks, I wish you success.
About the wonderunder, yes and no. If you used half the size of interfacing for the pocket flaps, applied it to half and than folded the flap over and fused them together that would be fine. Since you need to have the lining and the outside fabric separate from each other so you can turn the whole project right side out (this is in order to hide all the seams inside the journal cover) wonder under wouldn’t work. Unless maybe you didn’t apply interfacing to the lining and then fused the lining to the outside fabric together once the journal cover was finished. Hmmm. You’ve got me thinking. It sounds like it might work. Leave a note here if if works for you.
thanks … i’ve been thinking, too! lol. what if i used wonderunder but only fused it to the one sides – like used a piece on the outside cover, used more on the liner … to make the cover stiffer?
I think that would work fine. Its the timing of the removal of the paper that I keep wondering about.
Wow. You’ve put a lot of work into this tutorial. What a beautiful use of A.B. fabrics! Very sweet!
[…] EDITED TO ADD: i found the tutorial i used Notebook cover tutorial by small means […]
Thank you for this tutorial i made a cover for my diary, i love the fact that this can be used to cover any book 🙂
Here is my diary makeover
http://sewchicandunique.com/2010/01/my-diary-got-a-makeover/
Its a great tutorial 🙂
I love this tutorial, thank you so much! I posted my notebook covers here:
http://sewmuchado.blogspot.com/2009/12/notebook-covers.html
Thanks again, I’ll be using this tutorial often!
To Carrie Kiser, the 3 inch gap is so you can turn the cover from inside out, to right way out. 🙂
I know you posted that in september…
Anyways, good job on the cover!!! 🙂 i love it.
That’s so awesome! I know what my nieces are getting for Christmas present this year 😉
The pen idea is one of the most clever I’ve seen. I am literraly smacking myself on the forhead for not thinking of it myself! Excellent tut.
wow!
great idea! congratulations!
thanks!
[…] cover tutorial Following By small means tutorial with minor […]
What a great idea! I’m thinking about making some of these as Christmas gifts for my friends.
Also, I’d love for you to come check out my blog
lubirdbaby.blogspot.com
Thanks!
Hopefully, you can help clarify one statement for me in the instructions. When you’re sewing around the fabric 1/8 inch you said to leave about 3 inches open at the top.
i just made this and i LOVE it. your tutorial was really easy to follow. thank you so much! i’ll be posting it on my blog next week sometime.
thanks!
I will be trying this one soon . . .woohoo!
My best friend and I are marvelling over the fabric box that I won and would love to see a tutorial for that one!
– Thanks again!
– donna
Hi! I haven’t checked in for a while, because I knew you were on break.
I love the tutorial. The cover you made is beautiful!
I’ll have to try one.
How about the library tote next?
I’m excited that you’re posting tutorials for everything! This one looks fantastic. My vote for the next tutorial is the library tote.
I think that’s an excellent first tutorial! Thank you 🙂
(and thank you too, for my lovely magnets which arrived safely in their tin last week!)