Covering books with fabric has been on my to-do list for a long time now, but I was never really sure how to do it. Luckily, in my research, I stumbled across the ahhhmazing Mod Podge Rocks! blog by Amy Anderson. I left a comment on this post asking her about how to use Mod Podge to cover a book and in no time at all Amy responded.
She directed me to this tutorial by Erin Bassett, who apparently has her PhD in Mod Podge. (I mean, how cool is that degree?!! And, hey, where do I get one of those??!!) The tutorial was super helpful and really took a lot of the guesswork out of the how to. I felt fully prepared to tackle the project on my own. Here’s how it went down…
HERE’S THE HOW TO:
Stuff you’ll need:
Fabric
Book to cover
Matte Mod Podge
Paint brush
Card (Optional – I used a store discount card so that it wouldn’t matter if it got messy.)
Scissors
Wax paper (not shown)
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Just a few tips on supplies:
-You can find lots of fun fabric at the thrift store. This fabric is from a shirt I thrifted. Just be sure there is enough fabric in the garment for your project. You’ll also want to make sure no darts, pockets or buttons will get in the way of your project, unless, of course, that is the look you are going for.
-I also got my book at the thrift store, but you may already have some books at your house that you’d like to cover.
Method:
1. Trace your book onto the fabric. You could use fabric chalk. I didn’t have any on hand and found that a pencil worked fine on my fabric.
2. Add an extra inch to the outline you traced to allow you to wrap the fabric around the book cover. Cut the fabric along the outline you drew.
3. Coat the book with Mod Podge. You will want to do one side at a time. If you use a paint brush like I did, be sure to clean it before the Mod Podge dries so that you don’t ruin the brush.
4. Place the fabric on the book and smooth it out over the Mod Podge. You can use the card to help you press the fabric down in the tight spots. Do this for the front of the book, the spine and the back of the book.
5. Cut slits in the fabric on both sides of the spine to allow you to fold in the fabric edges.
5. Fold the edges over the book and adhere with a bit of Mod Podge.
Super Awesome Tip From Erin: Wax paper can be used to keep the Mod Podge from sealing parts of the book you don’t want adhered. Just slip it between the Mod Podged sections and those you want to keep from being glued together. Like so…
6. Snip the extra fabric near the spine leaving just enough fabric to fold it over the spine edge and adhere it with a bit of Mod Podge.
And now, you’ve got a book with some serious style…
I’m completely smitten with how this project turned out and a great big thank you to Amy of Mod Podge Rocks! and Erin for her fabulous tutorial. If you are ever in a sticky Mod Podge situation, these are your girls. These ladies definitely rock (…with Mod Podge)! 😉
Have you had adventures in Mod Podging?