They asked for notebook covers. I ended up making five! M has two teachers, L and R have one each and a teacher they all like is moving on so it seems he needed one too!
I don't mind really as I have a fair amount (*cough-cough*) of fabric sitting in the loft and the notebooks are inexpensive. Also they're pretty quick to make, even for me!
All it takes is
2 pieces of fabric 24x34 cm (contrasting or coordinated)
2 pieces of matching fabric 24x24 cm folded in half & ironed
1 length of ribbon approx 28cm
1 piece of iron on facing approx 20x30 cm
The 2 pieces 24cm square, folded & ironed will hold the notebook in place. The ribbon is your page marker.
Iron the facing onto your plain piece of fabric (or whatever you want for your inside)
The lay that wrongside down, rightside facing you.
On top of that position the two folded squares at the edge to form the flaps that will hold the note book in place. Pin.
Position your page marker ribbon to the right hand side, about 1cm from the edge of the folded piece. Secure in place with a pin.
You should have something that looks like this........
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| This is how it will look once completed |
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| Tuck the end out of the way |
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| all rightsides will be on the inside, all wrongside will be facing out. |
I always backstitch a little at the start & finish and over where the ribbon is at the top.
Before turning out. Clip the corners & trim any excess fabric from the edges except from the bottom edge as you will have to turn this in to finish the item.
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| Clip your corners |
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| Turn out with care. Fold in open seem and press, all over with an iron |
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| Stitch closed on the machine |
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| Add an A5 notebook |
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| Finished! This one's for Mrs Downie |
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| Oops! Ribbbon on the wrong side! Pink sparkly swirls for R's teacher |
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| Butterflies for Miss Hamilton, with purple lining, as requested by M |
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| Bright oranges & yellows for L's teacher |
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| Bold tribal type patterns for Mr M who's off to pastures new |
The children were quite pleased with my efforts when they came home from school. I just hope their teachers like them. I see so many 'Best Teacher' mugs when I go into schools, piled high in communal cupboards in staff rooms. And from speaking to staff I know they often dread the boxes & boxes of chocolates they receive. So hopefully these will make a welcome change & last a little longer too!
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| Cover to cover |
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| Piled up and ready to go |
This might sound awful but this habit of teachers gifts is one of my pet hates, I just think its a waste of money buying things they don't really want. Think it should be stopped and a homemade card would do.
ReplyDeleteHowever, these are very lovely and very practical, and I could see these being welcome and cherished. Very nice! x
Thank you, and I agree! It's all got a bit out of hand. In my children's last school it was crazy! Class collections of £5/£10 per child for vouchers for the teachers or parents taking in bottles of Champagne! It was almost competitive! When we moved here I decided that we'd go homemade & practical! Last year I made drawstring cloth bags & filled them with a few chocolates. The bags could be used for all sorts of storage.
ReplyDeleteMy eldest wanted to give her teachers their Notebooks after her performance last night. They both came up to me & said how much they loved them & how they'd use them for years to come. They cost me very little but were very much appreciated. Homemade's the way to go!
What a lovely idea. Will remember that for next year! I love the fabrics as well - really pretty. I'd have loved any of them when I was a teacher.
ReplyDeleteAh Thanks! The children chose which fabric for which teacher! So simple to make too x
ReplyDeleteThese are lovely! I'm not going to buy covered notebooks again! Thanks : )
ReplyDeleteThank you! Have fun making them :o)
Deletethey are amazing, I cant even get cotton on my machine ;) xxx
ReplyDelete