Fabric Covered Binder

Fancy making a super cute fabric covered binder?

I thought you might!

What you'll need:

Sewing machine (not pictured... incase you didn't notice)

Scissors

Pins

Fabric

Flimsy Binder

Cut fabric roughly 1/2" around your binder. You could measure your binder, adding the 1/2", and draw your very own rectangle on the fabric and then cut that out, but I chose to put my binder on the fabric and just cut around it... (creating your exterior piece)

Measure one of the binder covers, to the metal clips in the middle, adding 1/2" on 3 sides and cut out 2 of these pieces (the interior pieces).

Lay these pieces flat, lining up one of the edges to the metal clips and marking where the bends for the binder covers are.

Fold the fabric over and iron along your marking indicating the bend in the binder. Pin and sew along this line (creating a finished edge for your interior) do this on both interior pieces. 

Lay your interior pieces on top of your exterior piece, right sides of the fabric facing each other, and pin. 

In the middle of the exterior fabric (where the spine of the binder will be located) cut 1/4" slits and fold the small fabric tabs under, top and bottom (this will finish the middle spine area of the cover while you attach the exterior to the interior).

Once you have sewn all the way around, snip the corners to decrease bulk, turn right side out and iron so it's all nice and flat like. 

Since you have a flimsy binder you should have no problems just slipping it into your new fabric slip cover!

Now just fill your binder up with some lovely papers and let your life become more organized!

Want to put a pocket into your cover?? Easy-peasy my friend!

Decide how large you would like your pocket to be and cut out a piece of fabric twice the size of your desired finished pocket. Fold the fabric in half, right sides together, and sew up the sides, leaving the bottom open. Flip the fabric right side out and press flat (ta-da! a double sided pocket!) pin the pocket into place on your interior panel and sew up the sides of the pocket again, securing it in place. Now continue on per usual. When you sew the interior to the exterior the bottom of your pocket will be closed with the stitches attaching the interior and exterior.

And then Beautify!

I made a flower and leaves with felt and hot glued them on the front.

Enjoy!