DIY Embroidered Book Cover

This tutorial will walk you through the process of creating a DIY embroidered book cover, which is not as complicated as it might seem. Whether you’re looking to customize your favorite book or journal, or you’re creating an embroidered gift for a friend, this is sure to be a fun activity!

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DIY Embroidered Book Cover

There are several different ways you can create an embroidered book cover. This will depend on the time you want to devote, the supplies you have, the condition of the book, and if you want the fabric cover to be permanent or not.

One way to cover the book is to secure the fabric to the cover using glue. You can do this on an existing case or create a brand new hardcover for your book. The book I used was damaged so I decided to take it apart and bind it again, but it isn’t necessary to completely disassemble the book to do this project.

Sew a cover that slips over the book – this may be a better option if the fabric you are using is thin or slightly see through, as it will allow you to add interfacing behind the fabric. It’s also a great option if you’d like to keep the original cover intact. (This video is a good one to learn how.) Today’s tutorial focuses on glueing the fabric to the case, but some of the tips listed below will still be helpful.

Supplies

If you plan to cover a book that doesn’t need to be bound, you’ll need:

• Mod-Podge or book glue
• a paintbrush or sponge
• cotton, linen, or muslin fabric – large enough piece to cover the entire book + add at least a 1/2 inch margin
• embroidery floss
• embroidery hoop
• embroidery needle
• fabric scissors
• embroidery scissors
• water soluble or heat erasable pen
• 2 pieces of card stock that are slightly smaller than the front and back of the book case (omit if you are binding the book)
• Super Solvy (optional)

In addition to the supplies listed above, you’ll also need the following to completely re-bind the book:

• book binding cloth – I didn’t have this on hand, so I used muslin fabric as a substitute
• large pieces of card stock – they need to be big enough that you can fold in half to create the end pages of the book
• book board (if you’re creating a new case)

Embroidery Patterns To Use

You can design your own patterns, but there are many patterns that would look great on a book. Just be sure to compare the finished dimensions of the embroidery with the measurements of your book.

Helpful Tips Before Getting Started

• Select a fabric that is a darker color or is slightly thicker. If you’re covering a book that has bold colors or a colorful design on it, it may show through thinner fabrics. I ran into this problem with my book cover. It’s not the end of the world if that’s all you have though! I covered the original case with white card stock before I secured the fabric onto the case which seemed to do the trick.
• Select a natural fabric such as linen, cotton, or muslin. Synthetic and/or stretchy fabrics won’t be as durable in the long run and are generally harder to embroider on.
• Make sure you have enough fabric to cover the entire book and leave a little bit extra to fold along the edges. It’s always a good rule of thumb to leave more than you think you need!
• Keep the back of the embroidery neat so that no trailing threads or knots show through to the front.
• Trace the opened book onto the fabric and mark where the spine will be before you transfer the embroidery design. This will ensure that the design doesn’t end up misplaced or crooked.
• Use an embroidery hoop while you’re stitching the design – this will prevent the fabric from gathering and becoming distorted. The smoother you can keep the fabric while you’re embroidering, the easier it will be to secure it nicely onto the book.
• Iron and steam the fabric if necessary to get out any wrinkles or hoop marks before you secure the fabric to the book.

Binding The Book

If you don’t plan on binding your book, you can skip to the next part of the tutorial.

I loosely followed this book binding tutorial for re-binding my book. I highly recommend you check it out (and probably follow more closely than I did!) to set yourself up for success. But I will share what I did, which worked relatively well!

The spine of my book was already broken and detached from the book case so I removed the old book cloth and cut a piece of muslin to use as book cloth to reinforce the spine.

Cut the muslin so that it is slightly shorter than the length of the spine. Secure the muslin along the spine of the book with Mod Podge. Then add more more on top of the fabric to really saturate it. Set aside and allow to fully dry.

Once the spine is dry, attach the end pages. Fold the pages in half and place a small line of glue along the front page of the book close to the spine. Secure the pages to the book. Then flip over and repeat for the back of the book with the other end pages.

Prepping The Fabric

Lay the book case open on top of the fabric and cut the fabric, leaving an inch or 2 of margin around the book. (If you’re covering a book that is already bound, you may want to wrap the fabric around it to measure out how much fabric you should use.)

Before you transfer the design, it’s helpful to mark where the front, back, and spine of the book will be on the fabric. (I used a heat erasable pen) This will help you more accurately place the embroidery design.

Use your favorite transfer method to place the design onto the fabric. I used water soluble Super Solvy, so I pinned it to the fabric so it wouldn’t slip around. Then I placed both layers in the embroidery hoop.

Once I was happy with placement, I got to stitching! I highly recommend that you embroider in a hoop. This will keep the fabric laying smooth which will make it easier to cover the case when you’re done!

Make sure to avoid trailing the threads along the back and secure each piece of loose thread before moving on. It’s important to prevent excess bulk on the back.

Covering The Book With Fabric

Once you’ve completed the embroidery, it’s time to cover the book case. Remove any marks or stabilizer from the fabric.

To remove wrinkles, iron and steam the embroidery well.

I added white card stock to the book case before I began covering it to prevent the red from showing through the fabric, but this step is optional.

Coat the outside of the book with glue. It’s easiest to work from one panel to the next, making sure that the fabric is centered and smooth along each.

Double check that the embroidery is placed where you want it to be and that there is enough fabric along the edges to fold to the inside of the book.

Press the fabric along each of the panels and along the grooves of the spine. Press out any bubbles or wrinkles using your fingers or the flat side of a ruler.

Flip the book over. Coat the inside edge of the book case and fold the edges of the fabric along the inside of the case.

To finish the corners, fold them similar to how you would wrap a present. Fold the fabric into a triangle, then fold the sides to form a nice neat point. Make sure to use enough glue to secure the corners.

Allow the glue to fully dry before proceeding to the next step.

If you bound your book, it’s time to attach the end pages and book cloth back to the book case. Coat the book case with glue and secure the book cloth to the inside of the book case.

Then coat the end page with glue and secure to the inside of the book case.

If the book is already assembled, secure the piece of card stock to the inside of the book case to cover the edges of the fabric.

You’ve successfully made an embroidered book cover! Make sure to allow it to fully dry before handling the book.

I absolutely love how this turned out and I can’t wait to make more!

I hope this tutorial added a stitch of happiness to your project…keep weaving love into every stitch!

More Tutorials

If you love book related things, I think you’ll love this embroidered book corner tutorial.