A5 Sketchbook Covers

I enjoy using Stillman & Birn sketchbooks, but the covers are not that cute. I thought I’d make a cover for my A5 sketchbook.

I followed this bookcover tutorial for the base pattern. I first made a simple quilted cover (this strawberry one) to make sure I was happy with the dimensions.

The tutorial suggests adding 1" to the width and height of the book, so I cut my main fabric pieces to 12½" x 9½". The flaps I cut to 8½" x 9½".

The measurements turned out to be perfect, even though I topstitched around the perimeter, rather that closing the cover with ladder stitch.

Then I made the cover I really wanted to make: a vibrant patchwork design! I made the patchwork for each half of the cover 6½" wide, for a total of 13" x 9½". I think I could’ve made the patchwork panels even larger before truing them up, since I always seem to lose tiny fractions of an inch here and there.

The front cover features an Economy quilt block, aka my first foundation paper piecing block and what seems to be launching an FPP obsession!

The inside of this one is cobalt blue with yellow flaps.

All in all, great way to use cotton scraps!