We have two diy fabric bookmark tutorials for you today. The first, from blog contributor Kelly is how to make a fabric bookmark. Then, stay tuned below as Nienke shows us the bug bookmark tutorial made from fabric and felt.
DIY Fabric Bookmarks Sewing Tutorials
Sewing a Fabric Bookmark
Hey, Peek-a-Boo readers, It’s Kelly from Handmade Boy and I’m back to share a cute tutorial for how to make fabric bookmarks. This DIY Fabric Bookmark tutorial is perfect for scrap-busting! This would also be a great beginner sewing project for your child to practice sewing straight lines with.
Fabric Bookmark Materials
For this project, you will need:
- Two scraps of fabric cut to 3″ wide by 7″ tall
- A piece of sturdy interfacing cut to 2″ by 6″. (I used Pellon 809.)
- If you would like a tassel, a scrap of cording or ribbon 3″-4″ in length.
Fabric Bookmark Tutorial
Fabric Bookmark Step 1: Iron the interfacing onto the wrong side of one of your fabric pieces. Make sure it is centered.
Fabric Bookmark Step 2: If you are attaching a tassel, baste it in place along the top of the bookmark. You want the part that will extend out the top pointing towards the bottom of the bookmark.
Fabric Bookmark Step 3: Place your fabrics right sides together and stitch next to the edge of the interfacing. Leave a gap several inches long along one side for turning.
Fabric Bookmark Step 4: Clip your corners.
Fabric Bookmark Step 5: Press back the seam allowance along the side with the gap for turning. This will make topstitching the hole closed easier.
Fabric Bookmark Step 6: Turn the bookmark right side. Use a chop stick, wooden knitting needle or something similar to push the corners out.
Fabric Bookmark Step 7: Press your bookmark and then topstitch around all the edges, closing the hole used for turning in the process.
And you are done! Simple right!
If you have some great knit fabric you love, simply interface it with some SF101 and follow the same steps.
You can also sew smaller pieces of fabric together for a patched bookmark.
Sew up a kitty coffee cup full of them! These would make excellent teacher’s gifts, party favors, Mother’s Day gifts or a nice addition to any gifted book.
There you have it – the DIY Fabric Bookmark. Now go bust some scraps!
Bug DIY Felt Bookmark Tutorial
How is your summer going along? Summer holidays have just started over here and we’re planning on a leisurely six weeks, with trips to the beach and lots of relaxing: reading, crafting, having picnics… Since many of those activities will be combined, especially reading at the beach, I needed some bookmarks for the kids that would not immediately fall out of the books when the books get tossed in a beach bag.
So I made some fun bug bookmarks that will absolutely stay put at the right page, due to the elastic that is going around the book. If you’d like to make some as well, keep reading for the tutorial and the free downloadable template for the bugs!
Bookmark Requirements:
- Scraps of felt in the desired colours;
- Nice elastic, fold-over elastic or other coloured elastic, 16″ per bookmark;
- Bug template, which you can download here;
- Matching thread;
- Black permanent marker;
- Usual sewing supplies.
Print the template. The template includes pieces for three different bugs, from top to bottom on the template: a ladybug, a bee and a butterfly. Cut the shapes out of felt. For each bookmark, you’ll need two “bug-bodies” and one of each of the other pieces. All cut-out pieces are pictured above.
Make the Felt and Fabric Bug Bookmarks
Lady Bug Bookmark
Lady Bug Bookmark Step 1: Assemble the top parts of the bugs by layering the pieces as pictured above.
Lady Bug Bookmark Step 2: Sew the loose pieces on top of one of the body-pieces, by stitching along the edge of the pieces with a straight stitch.
Lady Bug Bookmark Step 3: After sewing on the loose parts (except the bee’s wings!), draw dots on the red shields of the ladybug with a black permanent marker.
Lady Bug Bookmark Step 4: Make a loop of the elastic and sew it closed with a wide zigzag stitch.
Lady Bug Bookmark Step 5: Place the elastic on top of the body-part that is still blank. Make sure the stitching on the elastic is nice in the middle of the body.
Lady Bug Bookmark Step 6: Place the other, embellished, part of the body on top of the other one, thus sandwiching the elastic in between.
Lady Bug Bookmark Step 7: Sew along the outer edge of the bug, thus enclosing the elastic and joining front and back body part together.
Bee Bookmark
Bee Bookmark Step 1: For the bee, there are some additional steps to attach the wings.
Bee Bookmark Step 2: Attach the little black head to the yellow body.
Bee Bookmark Step 3: Draw some black lines on the body, parallel to the head. Now create your loop of elastic and sew the bee on.
Bee Bookmark Step 4: Finally, sew the wings on top of the bee. If you’d attach the wings before sewing in the elastic, you would get a line of stitching all over the wings, instead of on the edge.
Butterfly Bookmark
To create the butterfly, the method is similar to making the ladybug: first sew the caterpillar on top of one body piece, than join front and back body, with the elastic loop in between.
Now off to the library to get some summer reading!
We’d like to thank Kelly for the Fabric Bookmark tutorial and Nienke for the Bug Bookmark Tutorial. If you enjoyed this tutorial, you might also enjoy our DIY book sleeve tutorial.
Also, be sure to join our sewing community at the Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop Facebook Group or check out some of these other posts:
8 Responses
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I have pellon 931td and pellon 180. Which would work better in your opinion. I’m banking on 931 personally because I’ve used the 180 for collars before.
Hi, Kim. In case Kelly doesn’t see this question, I thought I’d throw in my two cents. She used Pellon 809, which is Decor Bond, which is VERY stiff, and similar to 808 (Craft Fuse). Of the two you mentioned, I don’t believe either is close to either of these. But you may be able to make this project by fusing two layers of the 931 to the wrong side of one of the fabrics. Good luck!
Perfect! This is exactly what I hoped to make and super handy for those small scraps I didn’t want to part with. I may even go mad and try quilting! ,D
Thanks for the dimensions and instructions.
Thank you for your tutorial. You include some details that really make this a top notch bookmark.
Cheers!
Can you tell me where I can find the heart fabric that you used for the bookmarks? Great project, easy to follow! Thanks!
OMG Kelly, bookmarks are very nice but.. That kitty cup!!! I love it!! Where have you find it?? 😀 thanks if you’ll answer me! 🙂
Nicoletta
Thanks, Kelly FABRIC for this bookmarks tutorial. I am must try this tutorial.It really looks easy.I have always wanted to try feathers! I’ve been too scared! Thanks for the great tutorial and template…there’s no time like now to try!
Warm regards, Marion