How to Sew a Notebook Cover

inside: Learn how to sew a notebook cover to get ready for back to school. Fabric notebook covers are easy to sew and so fun for your school notebooks all year long. Protect and cover your school notebooks with this sewing tutorial.

I can’t believe I’m starting to think about back to school prep, but it’s time! Our school starts next week sand the summer has flown by! I’ve been working on fun back to school crafts and projects for weeks now. This fabric notebook cover is one of my first school sewing projects of the year and I just love how it turned out. I can’t wait to sew several more for my daughter (she loves these pretty things as much as I do!)

Fabric notebook cover for school

I’m so excited to sew these covers for my daughter for her back to school supplies. Grab your favorite fabrics, the notebooks you need for school and this tutorial will help you put those two things together.

I sewed these covers for notebooks, but you could also sew something like this for your text books, or other books. Our school doesn’t allow for fabric text book covers, so I poured my creative juice in to making notebook covers. If you can have fabric book covers, then use this to make book covers too!

Other fun things to sew for school

How to cover your notebooks with fabric

Supplies and Tools:

Fabric {½ yard or scraps of a few prints}
Sewing Machine
Composition notebook
Light/medium fusible interfacing

Ok! Let’s get sewing! After you have gathered your supplies, it’s time to cut the fabric. You will need to cut the following pieces. This tutorial will cover a standard composition notebook. Adjust sizes for other book or notebook.

Cut four 7” x 10.5” {this should be the dimension of your inside covers + seam allowance}
- These are the cover sleeves
Cut two 16” x 10.5 and one of interfacing the same size {this is the size of the entire back of the book/notebook – make sure to include the spine width}
- Front and back of main cover
Cut two 5” x 7” {pockets for inside covers}
- Inside flap pockets

Use a ¼” inch seam allowance for all seams.

Ok! Let’s get sewing!! First, fuse the interfacing to the back of one of the large main cover pieces.

fabric pieces cut out for notebook cover

Next take the two small inside pocket pieces and finish one of the longer edges. This finished edge will be folded over as a hem at the top of the pockets.

Fold over ¾” to the backside of the finished edge of the pocket. Stitch with a straight stitch to secure the hem.

Place the pockets on the bottom edge of each of the sleeve pieces. Baste the sides and bottom of the pocket to keep it in place. With the right sides together place another same size piece on top of the pocket piece. Sew the outer long edge of each sleeve piece. (see where I’m pointing in the photo) Repeat the same on the other side.

Fold the pieces so that the wrong sides are in and then top-stitch the edge you just sewed. Top-stitch ⅛” from the edge to secure.

Do the same to both pieces and you should have two sides that look like this. Now we are ready to add the main cover piece.

Place the main piece with the interfacing right side up. Then line up the two sleeve pieces to the outer edges.

Again with right sides together place the second main piece on top of the others. Pin or clip all the way around.

Sew all the way around the edge. Leave a 3” opening for turning. I left mine in the middle of one long side so it was where there were just two layers of fabric and not where the sleeve/pocket pieces were.

Clip the four corners. Then close the turning hole.

Slide the two sides of the notebook covers into the fabric sleeves.

What will you put in the pockets? Pens? Notecards? Handouts? Now I need to sew up more so my daughter has color coded notebook covers for all her books this fall! I don’t think the boys will go for these, but maybe if I got cool sports fabric they would.

How to Sew a Notebook Cover – tutorial

Fabric notebook cover for school

Other fun things to sew for school

How to cover your notebooks with fabric