Jordan Book Sleeve

Skip the read and get to the important stuff…

Materials:

• Main Outer Fabric – 12 1/4″ x 9 1/2″ (qty 2)
• Lining Fabric – 12 1/4″ x 9 1/2″ (qty 2)
• Outer Pocket Fabric – 10 1/4″ x 9 1/2″ (1 lining & 1 accent fabric)
• Leather Tab – 3″ x 1″
• 15 mm snaps
• Hammer
• Awl

The Story:

I love a homemade gift! Their personal and so much thought goes into them. This book sleeve is no different. My friend’s birthday was quickly approaching and I knew for sure a book sleeve was going to be perfect for her. Something that would protect her books and kindle while on the go.

As per usual, I went to Pinterest for inspiration. The sleeve itself was going to be easy, but I wanted this to have a closure. Most patterns I came across either didn’t have a closure or had a button and elastic closure. Although cute in some instances…it’s just not my style. After some thought, I ended up deciding on a leather strap with snap closure. It’s was an easy solution while also being classy. Let’s get to sewing!

Preparation:

Step 1 – Cut out your pieces. To help you visualize each of the pieces, see below. Starting in the top left we have our curve punch tool, hole punch tool and snap tools. Next to them are the 15mm snaps and the leather strap. Below that are the front pocket pieces. Moving forward they will be referred to as piece C and piece D. Piece C is the accent, while piece D is the pocket lining. One the right are the main book sleeve fabrics, pieces A & B. Piece A I used black canvas fabric to provide structure to the finished product. Piece B are printed cottons which will make the lining. Not pictured is the hammer and awl.

Step 2 – Place right sides together for pieces C & D. Sew 1/4″ from the top edge.

Step 3 – Flip the piece so wrong sides are now together. I like to iron the new seam at this stage to have a nice clean edge to work with. Then sew 1/8″ and 3/8″ from the top edge securing the new seam in place.

Step 4 – Grab one of piece A. Lay flat with right side facing up. Then grab the finished front pocket, right side up, and place on top of piece A aligning the bottom and sides. Sew along the sides at 1/4″ seam allowance. This secures the pocket to piece A.

Step 5 – Before we move any further, let’s prep the leather tab. First, round out one edge with the curved punch tool.

Step 6 – Next we make room for the snap by punching a hole on the rounded side. The hole should be centered 1/2″ from top, bottom and side edge to look like the below.

Step 7 – To complete the leather strap we need to add the female portion of the snap and secure it. The below image shows both sides of the strap so you can confirm you’ve assembled it correctly.

Step 8 – The male portion of the snap should be secured to the completed front piece A. It should be centered between the sides and 1 1/4″ down from the top edge. My personal preference is to use an awl rather than the hole punch for this stage. It makes room for the snap without cutting into the fabric. The weave then tightens back around the snap giving a secure hold. Note, I cut out two canvas circles to provide additional leverage for the snap. You can see this better in the next image. I’ve accidentally hammered the snap a few too many times and cut right through my main layer before. The additional canvas layers help avoid this.

Step 9 – Next step is to assemble the outer portion of the book sleeve. Take both pieces of A and place them together, right sides facing each other. Sew the sides and bottom with 3/8″ seam allowance.

Step 10 – To give the book sleeve a boxy base we need to cut out the corners. Cut a 7/8″ square from both bottom corners.

Step 11 – These corners now need to be sewn. Before we do this, they need to be prepped. Open one of the corners, making sure the front pocket stays against the front lining. Then pinch the base and side seams together keeping them centered. If the seams aren’t perfectly aligned your base will not be square. Pin and repeat with other corner.

Step 12 – Sew the corners in place with 3/8″ seam allowance. Our book sleeve is finally taking shape!

Step 13 – Repeats steps 9-12 with the two B pieces. This completes the inner lining.

Step 14 – Next we have to secure the leather tab to the main outer piece. The wrong side should still be facing out. on the back of piece A, NOT the side with the snap, find the center and clip the leather tab in place. The right side of piece A and the right side of the leather tab should be facing each other, like the below image. Sew 1/4″ from top edge. I went back and forth a few times to make sure it was very secure.

Step 15 – We are in the home stretch! Take the completed lining (pieces B) and flip right side out.

Step 16 – Place the completed lining inside the completed shell. The right sides should be facing each other. Match the side seams and pin in place. Then pinch both side seams and stretch. This will allow the lining and outer fabrics to align. Secure with pins.

Step 17 – Pick one of the sides and use pins to leave a 2 1/2″ opening. Then sew 3/8″ along perimeter leaving the 2 1/2″ opening.

Step 18 – Using the side opening, flip the bag so the right sides are now facing out. The lining can be stuffed inside. The book sleeve will be pretty wrinkled at this point so feel free to iron it.

Step 19 – Pin/clip the side opening to prep for sewing. Make sure the side seams of both outside and lining match up.

Step 20 – Last step! Sew around the top perimeter. Once at 1/8″ and then again at 3/8″.

Congratz! I hope you…your friend or family member loves the finished product. Hope you’ll share the completed project with me. Use @shychameleoncrafts or #jordanbooksleeve so I can see it!

Below are some photos of the book sleeve I made for my friend. Happy reading!!!