Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Fun and Easy Bookmarks – Tutorial

I always have books piled everywhere and, well, you can never have too many bookmarks!  I made these up using scraps and I see a lot more in my future: they’ll make great stocking stuffers.

Fabric Bookmarks

Supplies:

  • 16 different fabrics: 3" by 4 1/2"
  • Backing fabric: 9" by 11"
  • Light weight fabric cut 9" by 11" (I used batiste, but a lightweight muslin would also work)
  • Steam-a-Seam Lite 2: 16 pieces cut 3" by 4 1/2"
  • Fast2Fuse (a stiff double-sided fusible interfacing): 8 3/4" by 10 3/4"
  • Ribbon
  • Dritz Fray Check
  • Decorative thread

1. Lightly press to fuse the Steam-a-Seam onto the backs of the sixteen fabric rectangles

2. Peel off the paper and slice the rectangle into little pieces. (Tip: I used my rotary cutter and sliced them one by one with the fusible side up). 

3. When you have a pile of little pieces, begin to randomly position them, fusible side facing down, on the lightweight 9" by 11" fabric.

4. Keep going until the entire underlying fabric is covered. (Tip: Hold it up in front of a light source to find "holes" you may have missed).

5. Press to set all the little pieces in place.

6. Using a decorative thread, stitch the fused pieces down using random swirling stitch lines.

7. Iron both the fused section and the backing fabric onto the Fast2Fuse. (The front and back fabrics will slightly overlap the interfacing).

8. Trim to 8" by 10".

9. Cut to create 5 bookmarks, each 2" by 8".

10. Create ribbon holders for the bookmarks. I cut my ribbons between 17 and 20 inches each. Slice the ends on the diagonal and apply a little Fray Check to keep the ribbon ends from unraveling.

11. Peel a little of the backing fabric away from the Fast2Fuse. Fold the ribbon in half and place inside the opening. Press to close again. (Tip: If the fabric resists peeling away, you can also open up the Fast2Fuse itself).

12. Satin stitch the edges. You can leave the edges squared off or, what I prefer, slightly round them since that makes it easier to turn the corners. (Tip: Using an Overlock foot – a  #2 on my 1530 Bernina – helps create a smooth edge).

And that’s it!  Time to make up a cup of tea and settle in for a good read . . .

19 comments:

  1. Thats a great tutorial Terrie, thanks for sharing it, definitely great stocking stuffers.

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  2. I love bookmarks, thanks for creating the tutorial. I'll definitely be making some.

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  3. Those are wonderful. I am definetly in need of several bookmarks.

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  4. Awesome idea! I shared the link to it with my scrapbooking friends and Design Team Members here: http://creativelyyourssketches.blogspot.com/2009/10/special-assignment-sketch-1.html TY sooo much- this was awesome and a perfect tidbit to pass on to my friends in Cyberspace. Keep up the great work Terrie! ~Ali MacDonald

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  5. GReat Idea!!!
    Thank-you!

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  6. This is just so cool and very clever. I'll have to try this out. Thanks for sharing.

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  7. Wonderful!!! Perfect gifts for Christmas to teachers or almost anyone! Love it!

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  8. Nice tutorial. These will make great gifts. Thanks!

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  9. Brilliant! Now I'm never going to throw away a tiny scrap of fabric! :)

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  10. Love the colors and the idea! Great tutorial! I'll be making these for my book club members. Thanks, Juanita

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  11. These are just darling! Perfect idea for Christmas gifts for SS classmates, co-workers, stocking stuffers . . . YAY! Thank you for sharing these! :)

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  12. I will be making some of these with my daughter
    to sell at our school bazaar. Thanks for the great pattern!

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  13. How wonderful - I'm planning to make my niece some bookmarks for Christmas and I've been collecting ideas. I linked to this on my link roundup of my favorite scrap buster projects, and if I end up doing these for Christmas, I'll post pics of mine and a link to you on my handmade Christmas post as well. Thanks!!

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  14. these are just adorable and what a fun project
    I just happen to have a pile of strips right here I could cut up and start playing!
    thanks for the tutorial!
    Kathie

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  15. This post was featured in our carnival this week.
    http://www.homesteadblogger.com/teaching4Him/153459/

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  16. I am having a blast making these for Christmas gifts! Have made 20 of them already and am still going strong. Thank you for the excellent directions.

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