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Make a Kid-Friendly No-Sew Fabric Notebook Cover in 4 Simple Steps
*Updated September 2025
On the hunt for an easy and fun family craft that allows each member to express their unique personality? The whole gang can customize their own notebook cover — no sewing experience necessary — making this a great activity for all ages! Liven up those boring blank journals with the perfect pattern from the Spoonflower Design Library.
These small journals are perfect for taking notes at school or virtual meetings. They are also a great way for families to document their discoveries on road trips, hikes in the woods or in your own backyard. Don’t forget to make a few extras for teachers, neighbors and other friends. They make great one-of-a-kind gifts!
There’s a Design for Everyone
For Space Explorers
For Aspiring Meteorologists
For Beachcombers
Materials List
- 1 fat quarter of cotton fabric
- Mod Podge®
- Craft glue
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Tailor's chalk, fabric pencil or other marking tool
- Wax paper
- Permanent markers
- Small notebook
Skill Level
Beginner
Spoonflower suggests:
We recommend using Spoonflower’s Cotton Poplin or Cotton Lawn. This is a great project to use Fill-A-Yard to select multiple pattern designs on one yard of fabric!
A note about notebooks:
We used a soft covered journal with a sewn binding that measures 3.5” x 5.5” (9 x 14 cm).
Keep reading to find out how you could also do this no-sew project with a swatch of our Peel and Stick Wallpaper!
Make a No-Sew Notebook Cover in No Time
Step 1. Measure and cut your fabric
Take your fabric and place it pattern-down on your table. Then, place your notebook on top of the fabric so that the front and back cover are facing down.
Measure and mark a 1/2″ margin (1 cm) all the way around your notebook. Then trace a second line along the outer edges of your notebook. This smaller rectangle will act as your guide when you are ready to secure the fabric to the book. Cut along the outermost (larger) rectangle, then set the fabric aside for now.
Step 2. Secure the fabric to the cover of your notebook
Flip your notebook over and lay it flat so that the front and back cover are facing up. Slip a piece of wax paper behind each side of the cover to protect the inner pages. Coat both sides generously with Mod Podge®.
Moving quickly, flip your notebook over again and place it on top of your fabric, paying special attention to the smaller rectangle “guide” you traced earlier. Press well. Give this a few minutes to dry.
Step 3. Prep the edges of your fabric
Once the fabric is dry, use your scissors to make two small slits centered along the top and bottom of the book. We’ll glue these pieces on the inside cover on either side of the binding.
Step 4. Secure the fabric to the inside cover of your notebook one section at a time
Take the top left corner of the fabric and, securing it with craft glue, fold it down on the inside cover.
Repeat on the remaining 3 corners of the fabric.
Now, beginning at the top, fold the 1/2” (1 cm) strip of fabric down towards the inside cover of the book and secure with craft glue. Continue this all the way around the front cover, taking small sections at a time.
Repeat on the back cover.
Once the craft glue has dried, your notebook is ready to use!
Try it with Peel and Stick Wallpaper
As an alternative to fabric, you can order a swatch of our Peel and Stick Wallpaper and repeat the same process. However, in this instance, you won’t need any Mod Podge® or glue! Simply cut the wallpaper down to size and stick it on the notebook. Order a black and white line art design and color it in yourself with permanent markers to customize your notebook! Check out some of our best-selling coloring book designs here.
Want more small wallpaper projects?
Check out 14 Easy Projects to Make With Leftover Wallpaper!
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15 comments
11 comments
amazing
That’s pretty cool and clever too! Also looks like fun, even at 52. I’m going to have to try that. Thanks for the great idea!
Glad you liked this project, Teckla, we did too!
We think it’s a fantastic project for everyone of all ages!
Best,
Betsy
Spoonflower
Re Notebook project. I’m not clear on what happens to the snips at the binding top and bottom. Didn’t see a visual. “make two small slits centered along the top and bottom of the book. We’ll glue these pieces on the inside cover on either side of the binding.” Thanks.
Hi Terri,
After cutting one snip into the fabric’s edge centered at the top of the book, and one centered at the bottom, visually shown in the photo underneath that particular step, you will then follow the next step and fold over the 1/2″ edges towards the inside cover and glue in place. The slits are there to make the folding/gluing process much easier and cleaner since the book’s center/binding would block the top and bottom edges from folding in correctly if skipped.
Crafty regards,
Anna
Spoonflower
You instruct the cover maker to draw 1/4” around the notebook and cut out, for the amount of fabric to fold over the edges. But you later instruct them to turn over and glue 1/2” of fabric. Which is it? I think 1/2” would be much easier to deal with and look nicer. But there will only be a 1/4” to work with, if they follow your instructions for cutting. It’s a cute idea but should be clarified. Also card stock or construction paper could be cut out and glued to the inside of covers to look nice and cover fabric edges. Even ribbon or washi tape would work to cover inside fabric edges. Thanks for the idea – would make some fun, cute notebooks for children or adults.
Hi Pamela,
Thanks so much for pointing this out! I agree that a 1/2″ edge would be easier to fold over and glue. This post has been updated with all border measurements at 1/2″.
Crafty regards,
-Anna
This is great inspiration. We will be doing several fun covers for Christmas gifts. Thank you!
(Actually, you have so much more inspiration for us – we just need more time.)
love it and posted on my Facebook site…Great nana project for kids going back to school….and they can make these and give as Christmas gifts.
How about a removable, reusable cover to use for cover to cover for like notebooks? It would also pretty up that inside edge of the flap.
That’s a fun sewn option for a notebook cover! Thanks for sharing.
Best,
Amy
Spoonflower