Fabric Covered Binders

To give my Sewing Pattern Organization a special, custom touch, I decided to cover my binders with some fabric from my stash. I made this process up as I went, so perhaps it could be a little more exact... but hopefully this will give you an idea of where to start so you can cover some binders for yourself!

Supplies needed

* Binder (I used mini binders from Staples)
* Fabric to cover binder plus 1 inch all the way around
* Cotton batting
* Card stock
* Optional: Labels for spine - I embroiderd my own, but adhesive metal bookplates would also work great
* Spray adhesive
* Hot glue gun

Steps

1. Remove clear plastic from binder exterior. I removed the clear plastic thinking the batting would stick better to the main binder cover material. But... this step was probably not necessary, as the spray adhesive will stick to most surfaces.

2. Using spray adhesive, attach batting to exterior and interior binder surfaces. Trim batting to the edges are flush with the binder surface. 

3. Using spray adhesive, attach fabric to exterior binder surface. Trim so that there is 1 inch of fabric all the way around the binder.

Note: I embroidered my own binder lables, and I wanted to attach these with needle/thread rather than adhesive. So... I attached my lables BEFORE gluing the fabric to the binder surface. If you choose to do this, take special care to line up the sewn-on label with the binder spine when gluing the fabric to the binder. If you are using self-adhesive bookplates or other lables, you can attach these later.

4. Wrap edges of fabric around binder, using adhesive to mount fabric to interior of binder. Tip: Clip corners and glue them down first for a neater finish.

5. Take a break to say hi to your dog
(He feels neglected when you spend too much time crafting).

6. Trim cardstock pieces to fit binder interior. Secure with hot glue.

7. Fill your binder and admire your handiwork.