If you like reading as much as I do then this is the project for you! I can never have enough bookmarks. It is easy to whip up a bunch in an afternoon. They make great gifts, especially with a book or a gift card to a bookstore. They are really easy to make and a great opportunity to use up those leftover scraps of fabric you can't bear to throw away.
To get started, pull out some of your scraps. I used two rectangles 3 x 7 inches. One will be the front of your bookmark and one will be the back.
You will need one piece of fusible interfacing, one piece of fabric for the front of the bookmark, and one piece of fabric for the back of the bookmark. You will also need a small piece of ribbon to use as a tassel.
Fusible interfacing adds a structure to the fabric. There is a side that is coated with an adhesive. You line the coated side with the wrong side of your fabric and use the iron to fuse them together.
First fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric you will be using for the front of the bookmark by lining up the textured side to the wrong side of the fabric. Next, take your ribbon and fold it in half wrong sides together (I just eyeballed the ribbon size but it was about 3 inches total). Take your folded ribbon and pin it to the top edge of the right side of the fabric you will be using for the back of the bookmark as you see pictured above. The raw edges of the ribbon should be lined up with the top edge of the fabric.
Line up the right side of the front fabric and the right side of the back fabric with the ribbon sandwiched in the middle. You will be sewing around the entire perimeter leaving a 2 inch opening at the bottom for turning inside out. I sewed the top with the ribbon first and then removed the pin. Make sure your pin is beneath where you will be sewing so that you don't accidentally sew over it.
It is hard to see in the picture above but I have sewed the entire perimeter of the bookmark leaving an opening at the bottom for turning it inside out. I used my presser foot for the seam allowance, which is 3/8 inch.
Trim the edges and clip the corners being careful not to cut into the seam you just sewed.
Turn the whole thing inside out and press. I turn in the opening slightly and press.
Carefully sew close to the edges around the entire perimeter of the bookmark. I go really slow stopping at the corners and pivoting. I begin at the side with the opening and go all the way around. Once I'm finished, I press one last time. That's it!
I experimented a little further by substituting the interfacing for other materials. I tried felt and it was a thicker, more quilted feel.
Here is an example of a bookmark with felt in the middle.
I also tried card stock but it was really difficult to turn inside out.
Pictured above is a bookmark with card stock in the middle. It was very difficult to turn inside out and came out a little wonky at the bottom. An interesting experiment in what NOT to use.
I also tried a little embroidery in the above example. This was fun and adds a more home-made touch. If you want to add a little embroidery, do this step before sewing the front and back together so that you will hide the stitches in the back.
Hope you give it a try.
Thanks for stopping by.
Warmly,
Pam