Whip up these easy and quick to stitch Easy Reader Book Sleeves with this month’s free quilting pattern with JOANN! Read through my inspiration, design process, and more below!
Hello friends and welcome to another episode of, “Rohn Sews Something Else…”
In our last episode, I shared one of my favorite free quilting patterns to date, the Old Glory Quilted Pillow. You can find the free pattern right here!
Most of you know I love to sew and I love being able to bring free quilting and sewing pattern right here to the blog thanks to my friends at JOANN! This is another sponsored post which means another free and fun sewing pattern!
Today, we’ve got a project that will get SO much use in my house. It was inspired by…well me!
The Inspiration
I travel a lot, as most of you know, and I’m never without my books. On a weekend trip, you can open my carry on to find two to three paperbacks and my trusty Kindle, shoved between the toiletries in my carry on. Books allow me to relax, unwind, and get my mind off the stress of the day.
I also collect them.
I’ve never actually shared how many books I have, so this might be a bit shocking. But, at last count, I have over 500 books in my library and, it’s quite literally a library. My bedroom has floor to ceiling shelving on nearly every wall that’s packed with books.
The one thing I hate when traveling is that, more often than not, my books get a bit of damage. I’m always especially frustrated when one of the advance readers copies (these are copies of books that I receive from publishers to review for you all ahead of the scheduled publication) gets damaged!
BOOK SLEEVE FTW!!
The Design
I wanted to make these sleeves as easy as possible to make. That way, if I needed to whip one up in a few minutes, I could! They don’t use a whole lot of fabric, are extremely quick to stitch, and perfect for the beginner sewer in all of us!
I chose to make three different sizes and have included the measurements for all of them in the pattern below.
The small will fit a standard trade or mass market paperback. We’re not talking Game Of Thrones thick, just your standard Harlequin Romance, my fav. This will also fit most e-readers.
The Medium size is just about the same as the small, but it’s sized to fit a Kindle Oasis, my preferred e-reader.
The Large size is perfect for larger paperback novels, smaller hardcovers, and most YA books. It’s also a great size for an Ipad!
Each of these sleeves is constructed using two contrasting fabrics and a bit of batting. There are just six seams to sew in each sleeve and very minimal cutting. You know the old saying, “Measure once, cuss twice…”
That’s how that goes right?
The Pattern
Finished Sizes:
Small: 6″ by 8.5″
Medium: 6.5″ x 7″
Large: 8.5″ x 10″
Here are all the supplies you need, each available from your local JOANN:
- 2 Fat Quarters of Contrasting Fabric
- Batting cut to measure:
Small: 6.5″ x 18.5″
Medium: 7″ x 15.5″
Large: 9″ x 21.5″ - Rotary Cutter
- Sewing Machine
- 30wt White Cotton Thread
- Cutting Mat
- Large Rectangular Ruler
Sample sleeves use various fabrics in various colors.
Directions:
Step 1 – Cut and Arrange
Cut fat quarters to measure:
Small: 6.5″ x 18.5″
Medium: 7″ x 15.5″
Large: 9″ x 21.5″Large:
Next, you’ll need to decide which fabrics will be your Interior and your exterior.
Make a quilt sandwich layer as follows:
- Interior fabric with WS facing up
- Batting
- Exterior with RS facing up
You may pin the sandwich or baste it in your preferred method. I chose to forgo basting and moved onto Step 2.
Step 2 – Sew
With the RS of the Interior Fabric facing up, sew a 1/4″ seam along one short edge. Fold this edge over once, then again. This will hide the exterior edge of the sandwich and create a nice edge. Sew another 1/4″ seam along folded edge.
Repeat for opposite side of Sleeve.
Flip the Exterior RS’s together and align the previously sewed edges together. Sew a 1/4″ seam long each side of the Sleeve. Don’t worry if this isn’t exact or your seam is a little wonky. We’ll clean it up.
I find that using a walking foot was helpful in this process as you’re sewing through quite a few layers of fabric and batting.
Step 3 – Trim
Next, trim the seam allowance at each side to 1/8″ using your sewing line as a guide. Take care not to cut too close!
Flip the sleeve right side out and that’s it! You have the perfect little book nook to keep those books safe and looking great!
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and remember, if you want to stay up to date on all the content we share here on the blog make sure you subscribe (that little section over there to the right). You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram to get more great crafting content!
Till next time friends!
Happy Crafting,
Rohn
Rohn Strong 