Valentine's Day Fabric Bookmarks

I always love making small Valentine's Day gifts for all of the women in my life and the one thing that they all have in common is an avid love of reading. So, after purchasing these adorable Valentine's Day fat quarters on sale at Joanne's today I thought I would take a shot at making hand-sewn bookmarks for all of the ladies on my list.

They were super simple to make - even for me who still does all of my sewing by hand!

Step 1: Cut two pieces of fabric 2 by 6 inches (on some I used brown felt as the backing and on some I used two corresponding fabrics). Then cut out a piece of thin cardboard 1 1/2 inches by 5 1/2 inches.



Step 2: Pin the fabrics (right side together) and trace a rectangle (using the piece of cardboard measuring 1 1/2 inches by 5 1/2 inches) onto the center of one of the pieces of fabric. Next, insert the cardboard cut out between the pieces of fabric and sew around three sides of the cardboard - following the pencil line traced onto the fabric.

**To add a seamless ribbon at the top, lay a piece of looped ribbon INSIDE the fabric layers (on the 1 1/2 inch side that will be the top of the bookmark when turned right-side out) with a small portion of the bottom of the loop sticking out and sew the three sides as mentioned above. (You would do this much like you would sew on a tag).**



Step 3: Once three sides are sewn shut, remove the cardboard cut out and turn the material right side out. Re-insert the cardboard cutout into the bookmark sleeve you have just created.

Step 4: Pin the last side shut (which will be the bottom of your bookmark) and top stitch.

Step 5: The possible embellishments are endless! I think I will make a few with applique initials and can't wait to see how they turn out. I really like the one with the button but after I did it, it occurred to me that it might be a bit too thick between the pages of a book.







Happy Crafting!

P.S. I couldn't leave the guys out so I made them some bookmarks out of incredibly soft flannel my good friend gave me when she made pajama pants for her husband. I really wish you could reach through the screen and touch this material...it's amazingly soft.