More journal covers!

I'm loving making journal covers right now!

The covers are designed to fit the Radiant Recovery Your Body Speaks journal (or a book of a similar size). All of the covers are softly padded to protect its precious cargo. And every single one is unique. I never make two the same.

The vast majority of the covers are created from preloved fabric - I love using preloved fabric as it not only gives new life to a piece of fabric that might otherwise not have a home, but the fabric tends to have more unusual patterns than you can generally get from a fabric shop. Texture, pattern and heritage are important to me!

I've even made some journal covers from faux fur too for a bit of fun!

Some journal covers have one magnetic snap fastening while others have two to allow for two books to be covered - you may like to have a diary or notebook in there too to keep the journal company!

Here are the latest creations...

Poppies Journal Cover:
I fell in love with the fabric for the Poppies journal cover as soon as I saw it.  It was created from a skirt that was refashioned into a child's swing top for a while.  It has also been used as a bucket bag.

It's one of those fabrics that always brightens my day whenever I see it.

Razzmatazz:
Created from a preloved skirt (which was also used for a bag and the appliqued 'Joy' journal cover) and some satin. The sense of connection is important to me - how one piece of fabric is connected to another, maybe across the world.

Madras:
Created from a fabulous pair of two-tone curtains that shimmer in the sunlight. This fabric was also used to create a tunic top that is sitting in my wardrobe.

Oranges and Lemons:
I discovered a beautifully lacy top that was begging me to take it home.  There was such a pretty pattern on it!  Whilst the lace was used to trim my apron, the remainder was refashioned into this adorable journal cover.

 

Patchwork:
I found a gorgeous preloved patchwork skirt on one of my forays into a charity shop.  This was one of the first journal covers I'd made as I was still perfecting my technique back then!  After much tinkering and unpicking it became the Patchwork journal cover! 

The patchwork itself was from an a-line skirt which flared softly giving the resulting journal cover its characteristically quirky asymmetrical appearance.

Pink butterfly:
I just adore butterflies! They are so symbolic, aren't they?  This Pink Butterfly cover was created from a preloved top and some satin. 

Joy:
I hadn't appliqued anything before - but decided to put the fabric from the Razzmatazz bag (and now journal cover) to good use again.  Created from two skirts discovered in the same shop on the same day, these colours were meant to be together!

Happy Days:
Happy Days was created from a fabulously printed tea-towel.  Another one of those patterns that brightens my day just by looking at it!  Happy Days was teamed with a red cotton lining for yet more colour.

Baroque:
Baroque was created from a preloved throw which was love at first sight for me.  Its three stripes harmonise effortlessly and the gold lining is from the same throw.  Sometimes you just have to be a bit decadent, don't you?

Flocked journal cover:
Made from a flocked leatherette which was a planned-over from a previous project, this sturdy cover will protect your journal like no other!  It is lined with the same gold lining as the Baroque (above).

 














And a lot of fun was had with faux fur journal covers...

Big Cat:
This short furred journal cover is wonderful for all those moments when you want sleek design and something tactile.  Big Cat is lined with gold satin from the ubiquitous throw.

Caveman:
This chunky fur journal cover is lined with felt and sure to become a talking point!  Not a journal cover to be hidden away!

Brown Bear:
Another chunky journal cover - a good way to give your journal a hug.

And there are more in the pipeline too!

Next...

Flocked journal cover

I don't like to throw fabric away - you never know when it will come in handy!

So when I remembered that I still had some of this flocked leatherette/suedette (I'm not really sure of its technical name!) on another project I thought it would make a fabulous journal cover.

I really must try harder at cataloguing my fabric supplies.  I vaguely colour coded it into huge bags a while ago but that has somewhat gone awry!  But I don't think that's a bad thing - you never know which colour will go with which pattern until it's next to each other.  Well, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

You can get an idea of the textured surface from the above picture.  Methinks it will be quite hardwearing - well, my daughter has had no problems with her bag modification using this fabric!

It is lined with the gorgeous gold throw fabric that I have used elsewhere.  I do love using preloved fabric from the same source on a variety of projects.  I then get to imagine the different pieces of fabric family dotted around the world.

And it is perfect for a journal!

Next...

Golden Sanderson journal cover

Now I'm 100% happy with how to make padded journal covers, I've been making a lot of them!

This particular cover was created from a pair of Sanderson curtains that I discovered in a charity shop.  Recycling/upcycling at its best!  Why throw something away when you can give it a new lease of life as something else?

I like to make unique items so as I have already used the Sanderson fabric to make another journal cover, I used a different lining for this one.  The interior fabric came from a rather beautiful throw that I discovered one day.  I've used the middle of this throw as the interior in another project. 

I had fun trying to centre the interior flaps on a pattern and make sure they were up the right way because it wasn't always that obvious!

And of course it fits the journal it was designed to fit.

Ta-dah!

Next...

Cushion cover bag

So you find a wooden handled bag which has a stain on the fabric but you buy it anyway because you know those handles will come in handy at some point.

Then you spot a rather fetchingly thick cushion cover that appeals - you know it's a rather good one because it has a few real soft downy feathers still inside.

Then you come across a rather sumptuous throw.

And a zip...

Put them all together and what do you get...

Why, a cushion cover bag of course!

 

The interior is made from silk from the middle of the throw.  How do I know it's silk?  From the way it smells like pork scratchings when you set light to a little piece LOL (a real test, apparently!) 

The bag itself also has a zipped pocket for all your bits and pieces.  And those wooden handles are really comfy to hold too!

I had so much fun making this one!!

How to use an Ikea throw

I'm the kind of girl who thinks that texture and fabric is really important.  So when I spotted a bright red fleece throw with a wonderfully cut-out border, I just knew that it had to come home with me.

But after a while I decided to convert it to a skirt (as you do!) 

It was super easy as it didn't fray so I just sewed up the back, added some elastic and wore it!

The story isn't over... it was too hot to wear as a skirt and it clung to my legs.  So it is now being used as a cushion cover and as a fleecey lining for the mini-bucket bag I made earlier. 

I have some more of the throw fabric just crying out to be used on my next project!