Fabric journals can take several forms. Some are simple conventional blank books with an applied fabric cover. Others comprise of pages fashioned from fabric which are then embellished, stitched, embroidered or written upon. Another variety has fabric covers and watercolor pages. These are the sort I prefer.
I recently discovered a method of creating these little fabric journals from Teesha Moore's inspiring Youtube videos. The covers are crafted from little squares or rectangles of fabric, made into pillows and then quilted by hand before being stitched together. A signature (several sheets of folded paper) is then sewn into the cover and the book is complete. Further embellishments can be added, such as buttons, ribbons, fibres and silver bells. Teesha demonstrates how she makes an interesting fibre spine for her journals by using a strip of rug-making canvas.
So inspired by these gorgeous creations, I went in search of supplies. Trawling eBay, I found a wonderful online shop which sells nothing but Kaffe Fassett cotton prints, ready cut into 4 and 6 inch squares. It is hard to describe the wonderful colours and riotous designs. Just opening the little packets is heart-lifting. Perfect for fabric journals.
The method of creating pillows is very simple. Place two same-sized pieces of contrasting fabric together, wrong sides facing. Baste them, leaving the fourth side open. Stuff some polyester filling into the pillow 'case' and sew up the last side. Don't under or over-stuff.
Decide which side you want as the facing side and begin to fold one edge of the fabric forward and over-sew, leaving the raw edges showing. So you end up with a pillow with contrasting edges. I like to use a good thick thread and often use two colors at once. The object is to get a home-made look, so raw edges and mismatching colors are good things. I told you this was easy.
When your pillow is done it needs quilting. With the Kaffe Fassett fabrics, this is easy as I simply follow the printed design, or pick out elements within the design. Start near the center and make small stitches right through the pillow. Keep them around a quarter-inch apart. It is good to leave small areas unquilted so that the pillow ends up with an interesting texture. These fabric journals are extremely tactile.
Decide on the size of journal you want and then sew the appropriate number of pillows together, forming a pleasing patchwork. All that remains is to sew in the paper - be careful, this bit can be tricky. Use an awl to make holes before you try to sew. Add any embellishments you like and your journal is ready to use or to give as a gift.
See a step-by-step method with detailed photos at Fabric Journals.
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