Estimated reading time: 11 mins

Sew a book cover: How to turn old jeans into an upcycled book jacket

15.11.2022 by Sabine Schmidt

Buchhülle nähen: So verwandelst du eine alte Jeans in einen Upcycling Buchumschlag

Sewing a book cover is a super project for beginners. With this tutorial, you can transform old jeans into beautiful book sleeves with a used look – no sewing pattern required!

The most important things at a glance

With this tutorial, you can sew a simple book cover with a Velcro fastener
suitable for books of various sizes
You can easily adapt the size to the measurements of your desired book cover
great gift idea for all enthusiastic bookworms
Sewing level: easy
Sewing time: 1 - 2 hours

YouTube Video Sewing a book cover

Why should I sew a book cover out of used jeans?

Regardless of whether you have to wait at the hairdresser or the doctor, are passing the time at the swimming pool, or are sitting on a train, reading a good book never goes out of style. This figure clearly proves it: 273 million books were sold in 2021!

To ensure the corners and edges don't look totally scratched up after a short time and the pages don't get creased, protecting a beloved book is a good idea. The indestructible denim fabric is perfect for this.

In this tutorial, my colleague Birgit Kühr (you can check out her website Quiltreise here) shows you how to sew such a beautiful and practical book cover yourself.

If you find denim upcycling as brilliant as I do, you can find more inspiration here:

Furthermore, it is, of course, a great gift idea for young and old.

What do I need to be able to do as a beginner to sew a book cover?

Since the sleeve is closed with a Velcro fastener, you save yourself the effort of sewing in a zipper. This simplifies the project immensely.

Read the tutorial completely first and follow it step-by-step. Then, even as a beginner, you will certainly manage to make your book cover well.

Do you need tips on how best to sew over thick spots without despairing?

If you make mistakes, don't get annoyed. Small mistakes aren't bad. They make your work individual. For bigger mistakes, only the seam ripper helps. But you will learn from it and hopefully be able to avoid the mistake in your next project.

READING TIP: The big SewSimple seam ripper test

Which needles are suitable for sewing denim fabric?

For denim fabric, I recommend a jeans needle. If you don't have one on hand, you can also use a size 100 sewing machine needle. Titanium needles are also a very good alternative.

READING TIP: Sewing machine needles – everything you need to know

Calculating individual measurements for the book cover

Do you want to sew a book cover with your own measurements? And are you asking yourself how you should determine the measurements for it? Here is the answer including an example:

Book height plus seam allowance at the top and bottom, 0.75 cm each, plus 1.5 cm of ease at the top and bottom each.

Width: front width, plus 1.5 cm ease at the top and bottom each (3 cm in total) plus 0.75 cm seam allowance each (1.5 cm in total) plus 3 cm space for the Velcro fastener.

You can ignore the depth of the book unless it is larger than the width of your side panels. Otherwise, add 1 cm of allowance for the right and left sides each.

Example: Sabine's book Näh doch einfach! Overlock^*

For this book, you need the following measurements:

Book width 19.5 cm plus 3 cm ease plus 1.5 cm seam allowance plus 3 cm Velcro fastener results in a piece of fabric 27 cm wide.
Book height 25 cm plus 3 cm ease plus 1.5 cm seam allowance results in a piece of fabric 29.5 cm high.
Thus, for the outer side, you need 2 pieces of fabric in the size of 27 x 29.5 cm.

That was easy, wasn't it? :)

Sewing a book cover: Required accessories

Ruler^*
Marking pen^*
Sewing thread^*
Tape measure^*
Pins^*
Fabric scissors^*
Thread snips^*
Iron^* and ironing pad
Fabric clips^*
if necessary, corner and edge shaper^* for shaping the bag corners
Jeans needle, size 100 – 110^*
Fabric marker^*

Fabric consumption and other materials

Outer fabric: one pair of jeans or several, as desired
Inner fabric: you can use almost anything you like here, for example cotton fabrics, canvas, coated cotton
Vlieseline H250 fusible interfacing^*
Velcro tape ^*in the length of the bag opening

What other fabrics are suitable for sewing the book cover?

Do you want your book cover to be particularly sustainable? Then simply take a discarded pair of corduroy pants or holey pants made of sturdy cotton fabric.

For the lining, shirts or blouses that are no longer wearable are suitable.

Combining different fabric materials creates a wonderful contrast. Especially with such a small project, you can play with colors and also try out unusual color combinations. Dare to do it!

Here is a selection of suitable fabrics for the book cover

Fabric type	Tips & Notes	Source
Sturdy cotton (woven)	– versatile all-purpose fabric – universal needle, size 70 – 80	You can order cotton here^*
Cotton batiste	– firm and thin, tightly woven – universal needle, size 60-70	You can order batiste here^*
Denim	– great for upcycling – universal needle, size 70-80
Coated cotton	– does not fray, wipeable – universal needle, size 70-80 – use a walking foot if necessary	You can order coated fabrics here^*
Canvas	– firm woven fabric for robust little bags – universal needle, size 80 – 90	You can order canvas here^*

Conclusion

Since the self-sewn book cover manages without a zipper, it is also a great and easy project to implement for beginners. And the fact that you can use up a couple of old jeans for it right away is something we think is super anyway! Perhaps you have now also gotten the itch to sew such a beautiful book cover yourself. With a video and picture tutorial, you have two cool guides directly at your disposal.

By the way, the book cover also works well as sustainable gift wrapping the next time you want to give a book as a gift... :)

I wish you lots of fun sewing.

Happy simple sewing, Sabine & Birgit

Links marked with * are affiliate links: If you make a purchase through them, we receive a small commission. The price remains the same for you.

Sew a denim book cover

Finished book cover size

20 cm high x 24 cm wide

Fits a book measuring 12 cm wide, 20 cm high and 4 cm deep

Fabric pieces

2 fabric pieces of denim, each 21.5 x 25.5 cm, including 0.75 cm seam allowance
2 side pieces of denim, 7 x 12 cm, including 0.75 cm seam allowance
2 fabric pieces of inner fabric, each 21.5 x 25.5 cm, including 0.75 cm seam allowance
2 side pieces of inner fabric, 7 x 12 cm, including 0.75 cm seam allowance
2 pieces of Vlieseline H250, each 20 x 24 cm
2 pieces of interfacing for the side pieces, 7 x 12 cm

How long does it take to sew a book cover?

Choosing the right fabric pieces, cutting them out, ironing on the interfacing and sewing until you're holding the finished book cover in your hands takes about 2 hours.

Don't let the time estimate put you under pressure. You take as long as you take and get to your favourite book cover at your own pace.

Step-by-step tutorial for a handmade book cover

Before you can relax and stitch up your book cover, you need to make a few decisions:

What size would you like?
Should the outer fabric come from just one pair of jeans?
Do you need extra jeans pockets for storing house keys or tissues?

Step

Almost everyone has old jeans at home. This high-quality, sturdy material deserves a second life.
I'll now show you the best way to work with it and how to make your book cover look extra stylish in the end!
My measurements:
Denim outer fabric:
Tabs. 10 x 7 cm
Step

If you'd like to include more jeans pockets, the parts from the waistband down are perfect for this.
Cutting isn't all that easy because of the thick jeans seams and the rivets that are often set in. Keep your fabric scissors well clear of all metal parts.
If you'd like more information on scissors, I can warmly recommend this post: These scissors really cut well
Step

One side of the jeans cover is made from a trouser leg, so cutting and sewing are no problem there.
Step

Once you've decided which parts of your jeans you want to use, remember the seam allowance. That means that especially at very thick spots, such as jeans pockets, you should cut along at a distance of 2 cm. You'll be doing yourself a big favour later when sewing.
After choosing the individual pieces, first straighten them.
Step

Place the jeans template on the jeans leg and cut it out.
Step

Here you can see my leftover trouser legs.
My brain is already whirring with ideas for what else I can make from them :)
Step

You can make the template for the side panel yourself in no time.
I drew the curves at the bottom right and left into the one-centimetre square.
Take a piece of paper measuring 7x12 cm. Mark all corners at one centimetre. Draw two lines from the top, as you can clearly see in this picture and the next one.
Step

Cut along the line with your paper scissors.
Now you have your template for the side panel.
Step

These are the fabric pieces you need:
Step

There, all side panels are marked and waiting to be sewn.
Step

Sew the front and back together. Beforehand I recommend reinforcing them with Vlieseline H250. It gives the book cover more stability and simply looks better. If you're interested in this topic, read my blog post: Non-woven fabrics and interfacings,
Step

Next up are the tabs for the side panels.
Press the long side of your strip to the centre. Unfold the fabric and fold one side of your fabric to the centre again for another pressing mark. Do the same on the other side.
Tip: Instead of an iron, you can also make the crease with your fingernail.
Step

Secure the small fabric pieces with pins.
Now you can edgestitch on the right and left. If you do it in one go, it's even quicker. In patchwork this is called chain piecing.
Step

Attach the tabs 3 centimetres from the top edge of the side panels.
Step

Sew the tabs in place close to the edge with a so-called staystitch. That way the tabs can't slip when you sew on the side panels later. That would be annoying, wouldn't it?
Step

In the picture you can clearly see that I've marked the centre of all pieces. The easiest way is with small scissors: I just make a little snip.
Step

We continue with the lining fabric. It's easier to work with than the thick denim.
This way you can practise sewing the side panels with the curve on thinner fabric.
Sew the front and back together with a 1 cm seam allowance.
Step

Remember the turning gap. I almost forgot it. This one is 11 cm long..
Step

Mark the centre on both sides of your side panels and place it exactly on your seam line.
I sewed the lower rounded edge in place and snipped into the seam allowance up to the stitching line. .
Now fold up side panel 1 and outer edge 1 and pin them in place. It works the same way on the other side, 2 on 2.
20

Step
It will then look like in the picture.
Mark your stitching line with a clearly visible pen
Check that there are no wrinkles on the back
21

Step
Feeling unsure about the curve? Then I have 2 tips for you:
Mark the stitching line with a pen.
Sew the seam by hand with small stitches. That way your hands are free at the sewing machine and you can concentrate completely on machine sewing. The result will convince you..
Step
Step

The procedure for the denim is exactly the same as for the lining fabric.
Place the denim side panels on the denim outer fabric. The centre of the side panels must meet the seam of the two outer pieces exactly.
Step

Then place the two outer pieces flush against the side panels
Step

To avoid creating wrinkles on the back, I made several small snips at the curves. Be careful: never cut into the seam!
Use several pins, especially at the curves. You can also draw in a stitching line, as shown for the lining.
Sew the seam with a stitch length of 3.0.
Step

This is what it looks like sewn.
Step
Step

The back is very plain, but that's about to change!
Step

You can create a decorative eye-catcher without much fuss using a piece of the waistband of your jeans. I cut off the buttonhole and the button. Play with the length and test where you'd like to attach it best.
Step

This step is optional, as the cover gets a hook-and-loop fastener in a later step.
Step

I placed the piece of jeans waistband right sides together and then edgestitched it in place.
Step

Slide the outer and inner fabric into each other right sides together and pin them in place.
Can you see in the picture that my fabric pieces again have a snip exactly in the centre? This helps you orient yourself when placing the fabric on top of each other and everything lines up nicely.
Step

Now both fabric pieces are joined. My stitch length is 3.0.
Step

When you get to the side panels, a marking helps you. The blue line in the picture shows you where to sew.
At the blue line, lift the presser foot and continue sewing along the side edge.
Step

Sew on to the next blue marking.
Step

Here you can follow the stitching line. The picture also shows you where to make a few small snips now.
Also trim the seam allowance at the side panels.
You'll see that trimming the seam allowances and the snips make all the difference. When you turn the bag right side out, the fabric will fold over beautifully there too.
Step

Close the turning gap, either in a relaxed way by hand (for example with a ladder stitch!) or with the sewing machine.
Make sure you use the same matching thread colour for the top and bobbin thread. Then it looks really neat on the inside too.
Step

The turning gap is now closed.
Step

Shape the corners of your book cover well. Use a point turner, tweezers or scissors for this.
Pin everything well and sew once all the way around the outer edges plus side panels.
Step

Cut the hook-and-loop fastener to the length of the opening minus 1.5 centimetres and attach it.
Tip: If you find hook-and-loop fastener with an adhesive back in your stash, please don't use it. It gums up your needles and the thread can break.
Step

To sew on the hook-and-loop tape, I positioned it so that it lay directly below the stitching line of the outer edge.
That's how I sewed the hook-and-loop tape on without any extra visible stitching line.
Step

When sewing the hook-and-loop tape, I again followed the stitching line of the outer edge.
Step

In the picture you can also clearly see the hook-and-loop tape,
Step

Done!
Step

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About the author

Sabine

I come from Siegen-Wittgenstein, where I spent my childhood breaking in cows, jumping off haystacks and scraping a D- in needlework class.

Today, being creative feels like indescribable happiness to me – and it grows even more when I can share it with others. Since 2016 I have been celebrating my passion for sewing on this blog, and I love that sewing connects so many people.