The Monthly Make: Sewing Book Sleeves from My Scrap Fabric Stash

This post has been a long time coming because I have sewn roughly 10 book sleeves, and each one has been completely different. It’s been a fun experiment and honestly a real challenge to make them all unique. I got to try out a lot of different skills along the way: quilting, patchworking, and adding pockets, to name a few. I also got the chance to use up a big chunk of my fabric scrap stash. I always knew it would come in handy one day!

This is also the very first installment of what I’m hoping will be a long running monthly series here on the blog. On the last Monday of every month I’ll be sharing whatever I’ve been making, creating, or experimenting with. Some months it’ll be sewing, others might be knitting, painting, baking, or something completely unexpected. I’m so excited to share this little creative corner of my life with you on a regular basis!

Let’s jump into a few of these book buddies and I’ll share more about my fabric, process, measurements, and what I plan to do with them.

Table of Contents

Why Book Sleeves

This started a few years ago when I was always seen carrying around a book. Not just any book, a library book. I accidentally bent the cover so badly in my purse that I knew I needed to either invest in a book sleeve or make one myself. All of the ones I found were so darling, but I was specifically looking for one with a pocket or two for my other items.

I love carrying a pocket journal for passages, thoughts, and book quotes. I also wanted a spot for a pen, highlighter, book tabs, and of course, an emergency snack. 😅

When I couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for, I set to work making my own and these are a few I came up with!

The Fabric

Fabric is a very personal preference. It’s easy to obsess over and even easier to get carried away with. My stash comes from all over. Some pieces I’ve had for years. Over the past few years though, I’ve taken to estate sales, garage sales, and secondhand sources to keep fabric out of landfills.

I’m really proud to say that every single piece of fabric used in this project was secondhand! ♻️

My Process

I started by grabbing a sheet of paper and tracing the outline of one of my library books. I then added a 1-inch seam allowance to account for the book’s thickness. For chunkier reads, especially thick paperbacks like fantasy and sci-fi, I added a full 2 inches to make sure everything would fit snugly around the width. Better safe than sorry!

After I cut my fabric pieces:

2 pieces for the front and back
2 pieces for the batting
2 pieces for the lining
1 piece for the front pocket

I’m not going to write out full instructions here, and honestly that’s because I didn’t take the best notes along the way! In the future I’d love to film my own version, but in the meantime there are loads of wonderful sewing creators on YouTube who have shared their book sleeve tutorials beautifully.

What I Plan to Do with Them

I had every intention of selling these. That’s the honest truth. But here’s what I’ve learned about myself: I’m quite a selfish crafter! I love sewing, quilting, knitting, crocheting, painting, and just about every hobby under the sun. And it turns out, I like making things for myself. I also have this voice in the back of my head that says no one would buy what I make anyway.

Typing that out does sound a bit sad, doesn’t it? I’m working on that. 😊

For now though, I do need to make a few of these for a friend. I promised her at least two and that was roughly two autumns ago. I’m hoping to get those done in the next few weeks so I can get started on April’s craft. Stay tuned!

This was such a fun review to write, friends. I have no idea what April will bring yet but I promise it’ll be something fun. Stay tuned and come back at the end of the month to see what I’ve been up to! 🧵

What have you been working on lately and what are your creative plans for April?