The Summer Scrap Elimination 2022: Week 3

Good morning Summer Scrappers! It's week 3 and we're going to be doing something a little different this week! I love this one because it's a great afternoon project that you can enjoy for yourself or make for gifts. Great for a birthday present, or part of a wedding gift, you can personalize these, choose favorite colors, add an applique, and put with any book you choose.

There are multiple ways to make this week's project, so we'll talk about our "cut list" in a few different ways. We're making book covers which I particularly like for hard cover books especially one I plan to travel with, study from, or gift.

How to create a cut list for your book cover with or without pocket:

Begin by measuring the front cover of your book.

Measure the width of the cover from the edge to the fold where the cover board hinges. Mine measures 6".

Measure the length of the cover board from top to bottom. My book measure 9 1/2".

I can base my cut list on these two measurements and you can tailor any of your projects to the measurements of your chosen books with just those same two measurements.

My book cover is 6" x 9 1/2", so I need to add enough seam allowance to make the cover fit and have an inside sleeve and pocket (optional). I add 3/4" to both measurements for the top portions. I also need cut pieces for the inside sleeve and optional pocket. Based on my measurements, my materials list looks like this.

Cover panel pieced and trimmed to measure 6 3/4" x 10 1/4"

Lining piece 6 3/4" x 10 1/4"

Inside sleeve: 6" x 10 1/4"

Lining for inside sleeve: 6" x 10 1/4"

Optional pocket 6" x 9"

Two pieces of leftover binding about 8" long each

I plan to piece my cover panel so I have several skinny strips all about 11" long and I cut my lining pieces out of some leftovers from a recent quilt back.

Step 1:

I chose coordinating brights and some blacks from my overflowing black drawer. As I piece my strips together I press toward the darker fabric. I like my wool mat for this to keep things nice and flat and of course I'm always using my favorite Oliso Pro+ iron.

Piece a cover panel until it can be trimmed to measure 6 3/4" x 10 1/4".

Step 2:

With right sides together, layer the cover panel with the 6 3/4" x 10 1/4" lining fabric and stitch a 1/4" seam on both long sides.

Step 3:

Turn right side out and press

If you would prefer to make an even scrappier cover panel with different sized scraps and the stitch and flip method, you may wish to watch my quick Stitch and Flip tutorial on Youtube.

Step 4:

If you're piecing the optional pocket, press the seams open to make it lay flatter inside the book

Piece the inside pocket until it can be trimmed to measure 6" x 9".

Step 5:

Fold the pocket in half and press so it now measures 4 1/2" x 6".

Step 6:

Aligned the folded pocket with bottom of the inside sleeve, so that the raw edges of the pocket are matched with the raw edges of the sleeve.

Layer the sleeve lining fabric on top of the sleeve and the pocket.

Stitch 1/4" on both long sides of the sleeve.

Turn right side out as you did with the cover panel in Step 3.

Press.

Step 7:

Your pieces are now ready to assemble and what I love about this project is how easy it is to make these units. I can make several examples of this version in the course of an afternoon stitching with friends.

Position the sleeve on lining side of the cover panel. It won't be as wide as the cover panel, so take a moment and center it. You should have about 3/8 of your cover panel lining showing on each side of the sleeve.

Pin the sleeve and the top panel together and stitch 1/4" along the top and the bottom.

Step 8:

Stitch the binding scraps to both ends. I use a 3/8" seam here for a wider binding edge. This requires a 2 1/2" binding to make the 3/8" seam work.

Back stitch as you begin stitching and as you finish, to lock in in the seam on both ends.

Trim off the binding 1/2" on both sides, so you have enough room to turn in the edges as you finish the cover.

Fold in the raw edges on both sides and then finish the binding either by hand or on the machine.

Slide the completed cover on the front board of your book. This one fits the biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, I've been reading (Eleanor by David Michaelis).

You can see how my pocket is great for notes or reminders. If you're making one to go with a cookbook for a wedding gift, you might like to add a family recipe to this pocket.

Step 9:

You may wish to add a ribbon or a piece of embroidery floss to use as a book mark.

Voila! Your cover is ready to use or gift.

This one fits most standard hard covers and I plan to use it for most of my trips this fall. The pocket will be perfect to tuck away business cards and a thank you note for my hosts!

This week's blog is sponsored by Oliso! My husband first bought me an Oliso for Christmas about 14 years ago and I have loved owning Oliso irons ever since. The auto-lift technology means I save effort in my joints every day by not having to lift and turn my iron every time I press a seam.

Since they added the Oliso Mini to the mix of products, I have been using the Mini to prep all of my applique pieces and for some of my travel teaching demos. It's so convenient to travel with.

This week we have another great prize opportunity for you! Oliso is offering two of their fabulous Mini irons as prizes this week. All you have to do to get your name in the drawing is tag a friend in the Facebook post about the Week 3 blog or tag a friend in the Instagram post about the Week 3 Blog. I'll add your name to the jar and we'll be drawing on Thursday July 14.

This week we also have two new guest Designers with exciting scrap projects for you!

Nancy Scott of Masterpiece Quilting is a talented designer. Her innovative piecing includes both modern and traditional projects and you won't be disappointed with her pattern list.

Nancy has added online classes to her portfolio this year and I'm so excited about how much more access this gives you to her education!

She has created a great scrappy quilt for you this week. The sneak peek she sent me is gorgeous, so I know you'll love it too.

Find her project here and ENJOY!

Megan McGuire of Meg's Choice Patterns is also joining us this week and I love her creative spirit. When you visit her site, you'll see a long list of fun engaging patterns for everyone in the family!

Megan is quilting from Indiana and I really enjoy how many of her projects honor farm life and family. It's no surprise when you see how happy she is with her lovely family.

She has a third great project for you this week which you can find here!

Here in my studio, I'm excited to announce that I can finally close my scrap drawers again and I am hopeful that I still have lots to go through while I'm working on the second half of the Summer Scrap Elimination. Keep stitching my friends and have fun as we work through this summer heat together!