DIY Fabric Covered Books
While walking through Restoration Hardware last weekend and I noticed one accessory repeated throughout the store. Fabric covered books. They were everywhere on shelves, benches, and coffee tables.
I picked one up to check it out. When I opened the cover, I realized they were covered in fabric which was literally just glued to the inside of the covers. These books aren’t for sale in Restoration Hardware as far as I know, I believe they are used as props. Of course, I was then inspired to make my own DIY book covers. I have plenty of books around the house, but I needed to find some fabric. I did not have any fabric samples in neutral colors, but I did find left over drop cloth from the college dorm apartment makeover I did for my daughter. This drop cloth* was the perfect neutral color I wanted for this easy project. I cut the cloth, leaving about 1-2″ extra around the sides.
Using Fabric Fusion (my new favorite DIY tool), I glued the fabric to the inside cover. Be sure to fold the cover over, as if closing the book during this step because the fabric needs to stretch out a little wider when the book is closed.
Do the same thing on the inside of the back cover.
Be sure to trim the fabric well on the edges or it will be too bulky when its closed.
And that’s it! It really couldn’t be any easier. It took me under an hour to cover three books. I love this look so much, I plan on covering some more of them. It looks much nicer than having all the random book covers mixed together on the bookshelf.
You could also tie twine around them to create a little bundle. I used a ribbon that I had saved from a blanket that I had bought. Does anyone else save those ribbons? They are too nice to throw out, I knew I’d use it eventually!
The drop cloth book covers worked well for this, but you could use any fabric that you have on hand. The possibilities are endless! It’s also less expensive than buying those book sox if you need to cover your kid’s school books. These book bundles really make the most versatile decorating accessory!
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This is PERFECT. Thanks for the idea, I’ve been stuck on a certain shelf for weeks now, but this is what I’m doing. Thank YOU!!
Thanks April, I’m glad this was helpful to you!
I LOVE your idea! It looks pretty neat and clean. I’ll find my old books and cover them with fabric. I’m excited for the outcome. =)
Great Idea Roxanne I have a few books that I could do this too.