Fabric Notebook Cover with Baby Lock Serger Victory

I was going to buy a notebook, then I saw a good old partially used notebook laying around in our office. I decided to whip up a notebook cover to make it more pretty. When I say "whip up", it literally means quick and simple and it was possible with my Baby Lock Victory. I didn't exactly time myself, but I would say this whole project took me 30 minutes or less. If you are looking for an easy peasy, pretty and practical sewing project (and gift) idea, this is it!

* You Will Need

Notebook - The notebook I used was 9 3/4" x 7 1/2" x 1/2"
Main fabric (at least 24" wide and 11" tall and it goes for the liner and interfacing too)
liner fabric
Fusible Interfascing (I used Pellon 950)
14" long ribbon that is complimentally to the front fabric

* How To
1. As I mentioned on the supply list, the notebook I used is a pretty standard size. If you are using a smaller or larger notebook, please adjust your fabric measurement accordingly. Cut the main fabric, liner fabric and fusible interfacing to 10 1/2" x 23 1/2".

2. Fuse interfacing to the main fabric by following the manufacturer’s instructions.

3. Lay the fused fabric with liner fabric wrong sides together. Make sure the corners and seams are perfectly matched and pin.

4. Use the serger to sew the edges of the 10 1/4" seams on the both ends.

5. Lay the Main fabric side up on the table. Fold 4" from the ends and pin. Pin the Ribbon in the middle. I am showing the ribbon up, but you want the ribbon attached onto the top middle under the fabric going towards the bottom. I am showing what not to do in the picture. haha. I cut off the ribbon at the first attempt and realized I did it wrong.

6. Hide the thread ends for a clean finish.

7. Fold the ribbon out and give some stitches to make it more secure.

8. Pull out the corners. Use a pin or other tools to pull out the corners to have a nice crisp finish. Press with iron.

9. Fold the seams on the middle part of the notebook cover and press with iron. To secure the seam, you could either handstitch, use fabric glue or stitch with a sewing machine. I didn't want the stitches showing on the front of the notebook cover; I decided to hand stitch.

10. Insert the covers of the notebook to the sleeves and you are ready to enjoy the notebook with personality. I fell in love with this Windham Fabric Lush Life designed by Jennifer Moore.

There are other methods to create book covers, but I love how easy and quick my version is. Using my Baby Lock Victory definitely speeds things up and I love how clean those serged edges look.:)

Waterfall Wedding Veil with Baby Lock Victory ~ Tutorial with Diagram

Hi all! I can't believe we are already starting February. I hope everyone is doing well.

Me? I am pretty busy because my one and only daughter is getting married at the beginning of March! If you have been reading my blog for a long time (Thank you so much for visiting this humble place.), you have known my daughter since she was a baby. It's surreal that my kids are old enough to be married and adulting.

Starting with my eldest son, we have been having weddings every 10 months. So far, I have made some flower arrangements. I am in the process of making her wedding quilt, altering her dress, making a send off dress and she wanted me to make her a couple veils. One long cathedral veil for the bridal photos and a short one for the reception. We were going through images online to see what style of veil she wanted and she really liked the waterfall style veil with blusher. I knew I could rely on my Baby Lock Victory to add the delicate details for her special day.

I was confident that using 3-Thread Rolled Edge, I could achieve the exact look I was going for. To tell you the truth, I have never used this stitch before, but with the reference guide, it was pretty easy to set up my machine for the narrow rolled edge. There is a recommended stitch length and width, but I played around for a bit to create a very thin and more delicate edge than the usual rolled edge.

I couldn't find a pattern and tutorials for the exact style we wanted, so I came up with my own measurement as I went. I created a simple diagram for you to use along with my tutorial. Spring and Summer will be the wedding season; do you hear wedding bells, anyone? Let's get started!

* You will need

Tulle---- 60" wide x 56" long
Threads that matches your fabric
4" comb
* How to

1. Take the 60" w x 56" long fabric and fold it a couple times length wise. Trim the side edges to give it a clean look. After the trimming, the fabric is 55 1/2" wide.

2. Open the fabric and fold it in half length wise, and then fold it again width wise. Cut the corner to give a nice rounded edge. I used a cutting mat and rotary cutter, it is so much easier to create clean lines.

3. Unfold the fabric. This time, fold it so that the bottom fabric is longer and the top layer is 27" from the folded line to the edge. Cut off the top corners as the diagram shows. Then cut the rest of the folded edge open.

4. Sew and gather 10" in the middle of the top edge. Pull the thread to create a 4" (width of the comb) gathered edge.

5. Use 3-Thread Rolled edge, serge the two layers of fabrics. I was very happy with the stitches.

6. Cut 2" x 4" tulle and fold it in half. Sew it to the gathered edge from step 4. Fold the tulle in half to the other side and stitch. Sew comb on by hand.

7. Here is the finished veil.

We are very pleased with the finished veil. I know she will look so beautiful with her dress on with her veil and I can't wait to see it. I am very happy for her, but I also feel a small sting in my heart. My little girl is moving on to the next stage of life. I am going to cherish whatever time I have with her planning her wedding together.