Ok, I am about 2 seconds away from screaming at the top of my lungs. I have spent almost an entire day trying to make a fabric book cover for a journal that I am giving someone. I know that I am not craftily gifted, but I figured that even *I* could make a book cover, right? WRONG!

I've made 3 of the damn things, and all of them keep coming out too short for me to put my book in. Here are the instructions that I am following: http://www.sew-whats-new.com/book_cover.shtml . I swear I'm measuring the fabric the way it says. What am I doing wrong here? Someone please help me. Please?????

Are there any easier instructions out there? Some that even a slow person like me could get right?

>:o(

which part is turning out too small? (the height, the width?)

one thing I found confusing on first read.... by 'depth of the cover', I think they mean the width of the cover. ie, for a paperback book, that would be ~2.5-3 inches, not a couple milimeters, which is what I first thought....

It's the height (from the top of the book to the bottom) that's bugging me right now. I haven't been able to check the width because I can't get my book in it. Maybe I need some other directions. I've done a search on here and on the net, but I can't find any that are simple enough, and I am not good enough to wing it. Blah!!!!!

Dear Dawn,

It may be you need to measure the book closed, not open. Take a piece of paper and tuck it inside the book flap. Fold it around the outside of the book aroung to the other flap and tuck in be sure to mark the edge of the book this way you are sure to all for the ease.

tastic260

I was a little confused with those instructions too...although I admit I didn't read them very carefully. maybe you could just try covering it like a school textbook and sewing where the tape would go?

I'd go with mabel's suggestion....

re-reading those directions, it almost sounds as if the book isn't supposed to fit inside the cover height-wise, that the height of the cover is supposed to match the height of the book, not be able to go over it. and that the cover is held on just by the flaps over the edge (width-wise) of the cover.... (if that makes any sense at all?)

you might check you local library for bookbinding books.... mine has a whole pile of them, and they show how to do this sort of thing, with better instructions, and best of all, pictures.

Well, I took a deep breath, read all of your suggestions, and tried again. I was determined not to be beaten by a book cover! I finally figured out what was wrong with those instructions. It took me 2 more tries to get it right, but I have finally got it.

I put a picture of the covers as well as what I hope are coherent directions about how I made them here: http://personal.mem.bellsouth.net/mem/d/r/drv1913/bkcovers.html . The green one is the one I'm giving away.

May no one else ever have to make 6 faulty book covers in order to get one good one.

:o)

yay!

I love the fabric you used.