DIY Leather Notebook Cover

Awhile back, I was contacted by the Leather Hide Store, asking if I wanted to sew something with their leather. After taking a peek at their website, I got pretty excited. So. Many. Options. I settled on Dark Copper Mountain Saddle, and they sent me a remnant. And when I say remnant, I actually mean a super ginormous piece of leather.

You guys, this leather is ahMAYzing. Seriously, the smell…. ahhhhh. SO fantastic. It arrived right before Christmas, so I decided to make a notebook cover for my brother [who is now a lawyer, so obviously needs fancy-pants leather notebook covers] and liked it so much that I made one for my husband too. Did I say husband? I meant me. Sorry, honey.

Supplies:

• leather [the amount you need will depend upon how big your notebook is]
• sewing machine/thread/scissors
• Wonder Clips or binder clips

*I didn’t use any fancy supplies – just my regular machine and a fresh needle. You may find a roller foot
or a leather needle helpful [affiliate links]… I didn’t have either of those on hand, but had no problems.

You may also find it helpful to make a mock-up of your cover out of felt. I got this tip from Jodi, and I used the felt to decide how big my leather pieces should be, without wasting any leather in the process.

1. Lay your notebook out flat and cut around it, leaving about an inch of seam allowance around the entire notebook. This will give you one long rectangular piece of leather. You can curve your corners or leave them square.

2. Cut two pieces of leather that will be the inner pockets. These should be about two-thirds as long as your notebook , with the same one inch of seam allowance all around [as you can see in the picture above] Use your long leather piece as a guide, so the leather pieces match up and are the same size.

3. Place the leather pieces right sides together, with one pocket piece on each side. Do not pin the leather together. Use binder clips or Wonder Clips [affiliate link – but I seriously love these things] to keep the pieces together.

4. Slowly sew only along wrong side of both pocket pieces – you’ll sew in a U shape and stop when you reach the end of the pocket piece [do not sew where there is only one layer of leather]. Sew with a 1/4in. seam allowance and trim the seam allowance a bit when you’re done. But don’t trim too close to your stitches! Leave more seam allowance than I did in the picture above.

5. Now carefully turn your notebook cover right side out. Press the corners out gently. Clip all around the edges, including the center, folding over the one layer of leather. Then topstitch slowly around the entire notebook cover and trim your loose threads.

When you’re finished, you’ll have a notebook cover that looks super professional and also smells really, really good. :)

Don’t be afraid to sew with leather! Just remember to go slowly. Lengthening your stitch may also help. Also, the leather from the Leather Hide Store sews like butter. Well, better than butter, because what kind of crazy person tries to sew with butter….

For more leather-sewing tips and project ideas, check out this Pinterest board full of
leather inspiration and DIY tutorials!

You can also use your notebook cover to carry a tablet or e-reader, protecting it from scratches. Slip a small notebook in the other side if you’re like me and need to do all your list-writing on actual paper.

Obviously I’ll be using mine at the coffee shop… or in my house pretending I’m at the coffee shop and hoping someone doesn’t spill my coffee all over my fabulous leather.

Disclosure: Leather Hide Store gave me leather for this project, but all opinions about the leather are my own.