Decorating Book Covers

A recipe book with all your favorite recipes handwritten in it makes a great gift for family and friends to treasure for years to come. But you want to make it even more special by decorating or embellishing the cover which is usually pretty plain, well this project will do just that.

First you will need to measure the length of the book cover and then double that measurement. Add another inch (1") or so for joining the fabric. Now either use a piece of Aida fabric or Aida band cut to your final measurements. Fold the strip in half to find the center. Start stitching food and kitchen motifs working from the center out and only stitching the length of the front of the book. (Tip: make sure you choose designs that fit the width of the strip your stitching)

After all the stitching is complete you can iron a piece of lightweight interfacing to the back of the stitched strip to help hold stitches in place (this step isn't mandatory). Now place the strip on the book and turn the ends under the front cover and just slip stitch to join fabric together. Thats it, all done!!

Using other designs you can also decorate wedding albums, baby books, journals or a special christmas photo album.

Happy Stitching!!