Scripture Cover

I know I made this same tutorial last year but I improved it a bit by adding a button and elastic fastener to keep it together better. It is one of the first tutorials I created so it's is pretty dear to my heart. It is a simple...

Not a case necessarily...

Just a cover with handles to make it easier to tote around.

And, I think it's pretty. :)

I used an LDS quadruple combination but you can use this for any size book, bible, etc. I give the measurements I use but also some instructions on how to adjust it to the book you want to use.

Let's get started. 

Materials:

About 1/2 yard of canvas material
1/4 yard of cotton {or similar} liner fabric
scissors and rotary cutter (rotary cutter not necessary but very very nice to have}
iron
sewing machine
contrasting or matching thread
pins!

1. Cut your fabric.

Main cover piece: 8 1/2 inches by 15 inches

I cut 1 liner piece and two canvas pieces. The second canvas piece is really just for more body and thickness. You could use interfacing instead if you would like.

Side Pockets: 4 1/4 by 8 1/2 inches. 

They will become the sleeves that you slide the cover of the book into.

Strap pieces: canvas piece 2 1/2 inches wide by 46 inches long

liner piece: about 1 1/2 inch wide by 46 inches long

This is flexible. Cut it to the width you want, but I recommend keeping it to 46 inches long so there is enough room for your hands to grab the handles easily.

 ***TO ADJUST to the measurements of a different book:
Measure your scriptures/book by opening it up and laying it flat on the fabric. Then trace the book adding about 1/2 inch all the way around and maybe almost an inch on the short side ends so you can easily tuck in the sides. You may want to keep your book handy as you sew so you can make sure it is fitting well. 
2. Prepare your straps and pockets.

Straps:

Iron the sides of the fabric strips inward. I chose to make the gray canvas piece a finished 1 1/4 inch size and then the contrasting liner piece a finished 7/8 inch piece.

Sew wrong sides together so no raw seams show. Then sew the ends with a wide, close together, zig-zag stitch.

Sew the straps into a loop, right sides facing each other. And, unlike me line up your liner fabric a little better! :)

I sewed back and forth on the sides to insure strength of the handle. Then I sewed the edges of the seam down on each side.

Now for the pockets:

Zig-zag stitch up one long side for each pocket.

Press in about 1/4 inch with your iron.

Then sew.

3. Prepare the main cover pieces.

Pin the side pockets to the liner piece. You are pinning it more to keep in place than to sew the pockets. You'll see what I mean in step four....

Pin and sew the strap onto the top main cover piece. Try to make it as even as possible from all sides.

Then sew over the already existing stitches on the strap.

Sew up to about 2 inches from either side of the case.  Make sure to back stitch at the end of each line you sew to ensure sturdiness.

You will also want to sew on the button now as well. I tried the Disney method and zig zag stitched this in {with feed dogs down}. Now I know why she likes this method so much!

4. Bring it all together.

You should now have two pieces.
a. the liner piece with the pockets securely pinned on
b. the top cover piece with the strap and button sewn on

 

Pin both pieces together along the long sides, right sides together.

Sew along the long sides ONLY.

Pull right side out, removing pins on the pocket liner piece as you go.

Press with iron. You should have something that looks like this.

The only thing that bugs me is the yellow peeking out on the inside of the strap. I moved it up there so it wouldn't be so obvious on the body of the cover...I haven't perfected that part yet. Argh.

Anyway...We are almost done!

Cut some elastic to sew into the side opposite the button. I used a hair tie.

I didn't pin the sides up because this is VERY thick. I simply tucked the raw edges of the fabric in about 1/2 inch per each raw edge and pressed it well with my iron.

Then I sewed up the sides and ALL around the WHOLE cover leaving a pretty narrow/close seam - maybe 1/8 inch? It gives it a nice clean look and makes sure your book will fit snugly.

Oh and...Be sure to not sew the straps again! :)

 
For the elastic, I waited to stick it in until I came to that part and then went back and forth over it a couple of times to be sure it was extra strong.

I also patched up that yellow spot. I still need to figure out a better trick for the handles. But this will do for now.

And that's it! Put in your book and enjoy!

I like that the liner fabric peeks through a bit in the middle.  And that it looks clean from almost every angle.

And!... that you can just undo the elastic and open right up to where you need to go. No zippers, no hassle.

I made one for Owen last year too. It is still holding up quite nicely.

It's very "loved" but still doing it's job.

I hope you are having a wonderful day! Thanks for reading!