Paperback Book Covers

I saw THIS paperback book cover on Etsy last week and loved the design so much I bought it from Kim's shop. I love listening to audio books, but lately I've been reading to fall asleep faster.

I was going to make one myself, but really liked her unique design so I just bought one of hers. Then, I thought about all the different paperback book sizes there are now (when did that happen?) and decided to look for a free pattern online and make one too. But, I couldn't stop at one and made three! - one is for a hardcover book.

It was fun looking through my fabric stash and coordinating fabric choices. I found the free pdf pattern to download HERE. And of course I made a few changes to it.

1. I didn't quilt mine. I used a heavy fleece as the "batting" (padding) instead and it worked great.

2. I top stitched all three of mine once I'd finished them for a neater look. You must check first though to see if your book will fit after you do that. You may decide not to do it or change how far you stitch in.

3. I turned in the tail of the bookmark and stitched it shut so there wouldn't be a raw edge.

4. And, I basted, basted, basted. Since you are pinning so much together before you stitch around the whole book holder, I basted everything together first. I did it piece by piece, building up the layers and then basted all those layers together before the final stitching. I don't see it as that much extra work to be able to sew fast and stress-free knowing it'll all look great when it's turned right side out.

5. After I used pinking shears on the long sides of the lining I did turn the edges under slightly and top stitched.

I hope all that makes sense. After reading my changes and editing them several times for clarity, I know why I hate writing out my own patterns for others to follow.

Finally...After years and years...

I read a book - Not the kind you listen to, but an actual hardcover book from my library of MANY books.

So, I see another list forming...Books I've Read...

1. House Rules - A Memoir (2008) by: Rachel Sontag **** stars - I really liked it - at times I could relate...



2. On the Island by (2011) by: Tracey Garvis Graves - Finished June 2012. *** stars - I liked it although at times the island stuff was simply far-fetched.
Yikes, it was a whole year before I actually read another book?!?


3. The Diary Of Ellen Rimbauer-My Life At Rose Red - I finished this book quite awhile back and just never added it until today - 1/1/2013. I give it **** stars. I was a bit disappoiinted to find out later that it was actually all fiction. I think I picked this hardcover book up at the library book sale for like 50 cents.

My Audio Book List - Count Down To 100

Audio books make it possible for me to "read" a lot...
This is my "I've read it" list that I'll be continually adding to.

1. Skinny Dip by: Carl Hiaasen - Abridged
2. The Notebook by: Nicholas Sparks
3. Not Even For Love by: Sandra Brown
4. Dogs Never Lie About Love by: Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson
5. The 10 Second Kiss by: Ellen Kreidman, Ph.D.
6. The Guardian by: Nicholas Sparks
7. My Sergei by: Ekaterina Gordeeva - Abridged
8. Men Are From Mars - Women Are From Venus by: John Gray, Ph.D.
9. Vanished by: Karen Robards
10. The Christmas Shoes by: Donna VanLiere
11. What Remains by: Carole Radziwill
12. Pretty Woman by: Fern Michaels
13. The House On Hope Street by: Danielle Steel
14. Blackbird by: Jennifer Lauck
15. In The Cut by: Susanna Moore
16. Cat Stories by: James Herriot
17. Dog Stories by: James Herriot
18. Animals As Teachers & Healers by: Susan Chernak McElroy
19. Open House by: Elizabeth Berg - Unabridged
20. French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating For Pleasure
by: Mireille Guiliano - Abridged
21. Converstaions With My Dog by: Zig Ziglar - Unabridged
22. Good In Bed by: Jennifer Weiner - Abridged
23. Wolves in Chic Clothing by: Carrie Karasyov and Jill Kargman - Abridged
24. Chill Factor by: Sandra Brown - Unabridged
25. Sam's Letters To Jennifer by: James Patterson - Unabridged
26. Night by: Elie Wiesel - Unabridged
27. The Sunflower by: Richard Paul Evans - Unabridged
28. A Short Guide to a Happy Life by: Anna Quindlen - Unabridged
29. Don't Eat This Book - Fast Food and the Supersizing of America by: Morgan Spurlock - Unabridged
30. She Is Me by: Cathleen Schine - Unabridged
31. Lost and Found by: Carolyn Parkhurst - Unabridged
32. Insight: Case Files from the Psychic World by: Sylvia Browne - Abridged
33. Phenomenon: Everything You Need to Know About The Paranormal by: Sylvia Browne - Abridged
34. Visits from the Afterlife by: Sylvia Browne - Abridged
35. Adventures Of A Psychic by: Sylvia Browne - Abridged
36. The Other Side and Back by: Sylvia Browne - Abridged
37. Words Of Silk by: Sandra Browne - Abridged
38. A Paper Life by: Tatum O'Neal - Abridged
39. The Husband: by Dean Koontz - Unabridged
40. We Were the Mulvaneys (Oprah's Book Club) by: Joyce Carol Oates - Abridged
41. bad childhood good life by: Dr. Laura Schlessinger - Unabridged
42. Sharon Osbourne Extreme by: Sharon Osbourne - Unabridged
43. Dying To Please by: Linda Howard - Abridged
44. The Truest Pleasure by: Robert Morgan - Abridged
45. Kiss Me Like A Stranger: My Search For Love and Art by and read by: Gene Wilder - Unabridged
46. Kitchen Privileges: A Memoir by and read by: Mary Higgins Clark - Unabridged
47. Mistral's Kiss: A Novel by: Laurell K. Hamilton - Unabridged
48. To Die For: A Novel by: Linda Howard - Abridged
49. Killing Time by: Linda Howard - Abridged
50. The Hot Flash Club by: Nancy Thayer - Unabridged
51. Mosaic: pieces of my life so far by: Amy Grant - Abridged
52. Tools For Life by: Sylvia Browne - Unabridged
53. The Year of Fog by: Michelle Richmond - Unabridged
54. Susannah's Garden by: Debbie Macomber - Unabridged
55. Dear John by: Nicholas Sparks - Unabridged
56. Stop Whining, Start Living by: Dr. Laura Schlessinger - Unabridged
57. Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography by: Andrew Morton - Abridged
58. Velocity by: Dean Koontz - Unabridged
59. The Necklace: Thirteen Women and the Experiment That Transformed Their Lives
by: Cheryl Jarvis - Unabridged
60. Sundays at Tiffany's by: James Patterson - Unabridged
61. The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted: And Other Small Acts of Liberation by: Elizabeth Berg - Unabridged
62. The Botox Diaries by: Janice Kaplan and Lynn Schnurnberger - Abridged
63. The Time Traveler's Wife by: Audrey Niffenegger - Unabridged