Appliqued Fabric Journal Cover

(Another Personalised Notebook)

Today's note book cover is for a recipe journal.  It's for a special young couple who bought their first house earlier this year.  Now I'm not sure if people actually even use recipe books these days or whether they just rely on the internet and 'cloud'!  However, I'm guessing even technical types jot down family favourites to be passed onto the next generation.  If not, the jotter could just be used for shopping lists!

I drew a basic sketch of a kitchen, combining an antique Victorian style range/Aga with a retro 1950's food mixer!  I then traced all of the shapes onto fusible web and fabric and ironed them into place onto a nice neutral beige polka dot fabric.

I then highlighted the outline and details of each shape by stitching them in black thread using free motion machine embroidery.

This step is the most exciting part of any project as the black stitches really make each design 'pop'!

The front and back pieces were then ready to be joined and quilted.

After the quilting was done I attached the contrasting spine fabric and then fiddled around with the design a little, adding a polka dot cat and kitchen clock.

It was then simply a matter of sewing the whole thing up whilst adding a lining and flaps to hold a purchased journal snugly in place.

Voila - All done!

Front and back

Close-up of stitching details

There are loads of great fabric journal cover tutorials out there on the internet and the designs can be as simple or complex as you fancy.  Everyone needs a journal - Have a go!