Books are kind of my thing. I go through them faster than I acquire them. Sometimes bad covers happen to good books. I am reading a book that will remain nameless. The book is good. The cover? It is not my favorite, at least to my eyes it was a little too trendy to 2002. I’m sorry, author. If you’re thinking I could’ve just found another edition with different cover art, I totally checked. There is no such thing, unless I go to England or something.
And that is how I arrived at this tres neat idea for covering books. It uses fabric, but has a permanent, snug fit compared to those saggy cloth ones I had to buy in middle school.
MATERIALS
- Fabric (I only needed half a yard, but it will depend on book size)
- Spray adhesive (I used Krylon Spray Adhesive All-Purpose 7010)
- Modge podge & a sponge brush (This is optional, it will give your edges some extra smoothness and security)
- Scissors (Every other item had a parenthesis, so I felt this one must too)
PROCESS
- Lay your fabric on a flat surface. Open your book and trim fabric 2 inches outside of book edge on all sides. Spray adhesive on book and tightly push fabric onto exterior, taking care to press in on the grooves of the spine area.
- Slice of the corners, leaving about 1/8 inch fabric from edge to tip of book’s corner. Cut two slits in fabric at the top and bottom of spine.
- Slide flap into spine and close book to adhere. (You could brush a dab of modge podge on the flap before inserting for extra strength).
- Fold excess fabric in on front and back covers, applying extra spray glue or some modge podge if necessary. And you’re done!
At first I struggled to find a fabric I liked. Well, scratch that, I found LOTS of fabrics I liked that were floral, but I didn’t want to reign femininity on my husband if he ever wanted to read this in public. This one is masculine and I still dig it too.
Couldn’t I totally go wild doing fun book covers of old, bad thrift store books? The answer is yes, yes I could. And I think I will go hog wild.