Patterns & How Tos
Batik Bookmark Tutorial
Warning: photo intensive tutorial
I made some bookmarks for some friends and there was a request to know how I did it, so here is a tutorial on how to make them. PDF version of tutorial.
The bookmarks ranged in color and personality. I tried to match the colors and fabrics to my friends' personalities and hope I did a good job. The range of bookmarks originally made are shown here:
Materials Required:
I raided my fabric stash and my yarn samples for each bookmark, pulling colors to match each bookmark. To increase my stash for small products like this, I buy small pre-cut squares of fabric, shown below my stash box. These squares come in a range of colors, increasing my stash for very little money.
The yarn and ribbon you can pull from your yarn stash, find in the scrapbooking section of a craft store, or if you are lucky find at a local yarn store on sample cards for very little money.
And finally, pull threads to match the fabric because there will be topstitching involved.
This tutorial features two bookmarks, one very earth-oriented one with a touch of fire and one purple based one. They were made for two friends at work who helped set up a work-oriented baby shower.
The earth bookmark fabrics are shown below. The bookmark features red fabric for the back of the bookmark, and the fabric below the red fabric is the main fabric on the front and contains greens, tans, and purples in it. I pulled the coordinating top fabrics (stripes and such) from these colors. The yarn is a pale green and pulled from one of the cards.
The purple bookmark features the dark purple fabric on the left as the background with the pale purple next to it as the front of the bookmark. The other three colors to the right are for the top design. The yarn is a turquoise color pulled from one of the yarn sample cards.
Once you choose your fabrics and embellishments, the next step is to cut out the basic bookmark back and front, the stabilizer pieces, and the adhesive.
Step 2 -- cut pieces out:
Back of bookmark: cut 2.5" x 7" rectangle
Front of bookmark: cut 2.5" x 7" rectangle
From Pellon Craft Fuse or Decor Bond: cut two 2" x 6.5" rectangles
From Wonder Under: cut one 2.5" x 7" rectangle.
Below shows the pieces for the purple bookmark.
Step 3 -- iron on stabilizer (Pellon Decor Bond):
Place the adhesive side of the stabilizer to the wrong side of your fabric, or whichever side you think is the wrong side with Batik fabrics. Make sure the stabilizer is centered on the bookmark. There should be approximately 1/4" of fabric visible around the edges of each piece of stabilizer. Iron stabilizer on to fabric according to manufacturer's directions.
Step 4 -- iron on double sided adhesive to back bookmark piece:
After ironing on the stabilizer to each bookmark piece, take the back of the bookmark and place the double sided adhesive on to the wrong side of the back bookmark piece. The paper side should be facing upwards. Iron the adhesive on according to the manufacturer's directions. Peel off the paper, as shown in the image below. The adhesive should be attached to the bookmark's wrong side. Put the back bookmark piece aside for now.
Step 5 -- Sewing the top design:
ONLY use the front bookmark pieces for this. Leave the back bookmark pieces off to the side for now (unless you want to embellish that piece as well). This is the fun and creative part and the part that may take a lot of thread switching.
I usually lay out my design on each bookmark first. The scraps used for each bookmark front range in size depending on where I want them and whether I want to angle the pieces or make them wider. For skinny strips, I cut 3/4" to 1" wide strips about 3-4" long. For wider or angled strips, I cut 3" wide strips by 3-4" long. I cut all the fabric pieces out and lay them on the bookmark front. Below is my original layouts for the two bookmarks I was working on.
Notice on the purple bookmark there are layers of fabric. If I want that particular look, then I need to sew the fabric in the correct order. So, I start with the lowermost pieces of fabric. Also notice there is a wedge shape. I'll sew that one on and angle the sides to make the wedge shape.
The first fabric piece is shown being sewn on below. I use 1/4" seams on my pieces with a very short stitch length so I do not have to backstitch and the fabric will stay attached at the raw edges. I set my machine to 1.0 mm stitch length.
After the lowermost fabric pieces are sewn to the bookmark front, I flip the fabric over to cover the seam and iron it flat. I then iron a 1/4" seam in the other side of the strip and iron this strip flat, with the fold side down. I may also iron the strip until I am happy with the look, such as in the angled piece shown below with wrong side facing up. The bottom strip is shown correctly placed and ironed with the right side face up.
Once ironed and placed correctly with folds down and right side of fabric up, I thread my machine with matching thread and topstitch ~ 1/16" -1/8" on the folded and unsewn side (shown below on the angled piece), then on the original sewn side.
After each piece is topstitched, the edges are neatly trimmed.
Continue to place each scrap of the design until all pieces are placed or you are happy with the look. To attach the ribbon or yarn, you may use a regular foot or a couching foot, and sew with a very narrow (1.0 mm wide) zig zag stitch that is also very short (1.0 mm). Carefully stitch over the ribbon or yarn piece, working slowly so you catch it in the zig zag stitch.
The front and back pieces are shown below for the purple bookmark.
Step 6 -- Adhering front and back together:
Place your front and back together so the stabilizers are facing each other (wrong sides together) and following manufacturer's directions, iron the two pieces together. The double sided Wonder Under that was on the bookmark back piece is used to seal the two pieces together.
Step 7 -- Square up your edges:
Due to all the sewing on the front possibly pulling the fabric in and shifting while adhering the front and back pieces together, you need to square up the edges of your bookmark. Take a ruler and the straight edge and cut off any excess fabric, keeping the rectangular shape. Do this for all four sides. I usually only cut about 1/16" of fabric off each side. I still want the bookmark to finish around 2.25" - 2.5" wide.
Step 8 -- Pinking the edges:
Once squared up, I pink all the edges to make them more pretty. Take your pinking shears and cut around each side. I do this before my final sewing to make sure I have even edges.
Step 9 -- Topstitching & Finishing:
I use matching thread for the front and matching thread in the bobbin for the back and topstitch 1/4" around the entire bookmark. I once again like to use 1.0 mm stitch length, but this is a personal preference. After topstitching, give the bookmark one last ironing and you are done. If it is still moist from adhering the two pieces together (Wonder Under requires a wet towel to be used), then let the bookmark air dry.
Enjoy!
I made some bookmarks for some friends and there was a request to know how I did it, so here is a tutorial on how to make them. PDF version of tutorial.
The bookmarks ranged in color and personality. I tried to match the colors and fabrics to my friends' personalities and hope I did a good job. The range of bookmarks originally made are shown here:
Materials Required:
- Fabric for front and back of bookmark -- require 2 pieces 7" long x 2.5" wide.
- Coordinating scrap fabric pieces at least 2.5" long and 3/4" wide
- Yarn or ribbon to sew on, if wanted.
- Pellon Craft Fuse or Decor Bond -- acts as stabilizer for bookmark
- Wonder Under or another double sided adhesive, such as Steam A Seam2 (I used Heavy-Duty Wonder Under by Pellon)
I raided my fabric stash and my yarn samples for each bookmark, pulling colors to match each bookmark. To increase my stash for small products like this, I buy small pre-cut squares of fabric, shown below my stash box. These squares come in a range of colors, increasing my stash for very little money.
The yarn and ribbon you can pull from your yarn stash, find in the scrapbooking section of a craft store, or if you are lucky find at a local yarn store on sample cards for very little money.
And finally, pull threads to match the fabric because there will be topstitching involved.
This tutorial features two bookmarks, one very earth-oriented one with a touch of fire and one purple based one. They were made for two friends at work who helped set up a work-oriented baby shower.
The earth bookmark fabrics are shown below. The bookmark features red fabric for the back of the bookmark, and the fabric below the red fabric is the main fabric on the front and contains greens, tans, and purples in it. I pulled the coordinating top fabrics (stripes and such) from these colors. The yarn is a pale green and pulled from one of the cards.
The purple bookmark features the dark purple fabric on the left as the background with the pale purple next to it as the front of the bookmark. The other three colors to the right are for the top design. The yarn is a turquoise color pulled from one of the yarn sample cards.
Once you choose your fabrics and embellishments, the next step is to cut out the basic bookmark back and front, the stabilizer pieces, and the adhesive.
Step 2 -- cut pieces out:
Back of bookmark: cut 2.5" x 7" rectangle
Front of bookmark: cut 2.5" x 7" rectangle
From Pellon Craft Fuse or Decor Bond: cut two 2" x 6.5" rectangles
From Wonder Under: cut one 2.5" x 7" rectangle.
Below shows the pieces for the purple bookmark.
Step 3 -- iron on stabilizer (Pellon Decor Bond):
Place the adhesive side of the stabilizer to the wrong side of your fabric, or whichever side you think is the wrong side with Batik fabrics. Make sure the stabilizer is centered on the bookmark. There should be approximately 1/4" of fabric visible around the edges of each piece of stabilizer. Iron stabilizer on to fabric according to manufacturer's directions.
Step 4 -- iron on double sided adhesive to back bookmark piece:
After ironing on the stabilizer to each bookmark piece, take the back of the bookmark and place the double sided adhesive on to the wrong side of the back bookmark piece. The paper side should be facing upwards. Iron the adhesive on according to the manufacturer's directions. Peel off the paper, as shown in the image below. The adhesive should be attached to the bookmark's wrong side. Put the back bookmark piece aside for now.
Step 5 -- Sewing the top design:
ONLY use the front bookmark pieces for this. Leave the back bookmark pieces off to the side for now (unless you want to embellish that piece as well). This is the fun and creative part and the part that may take a lot of thread switching.
I usually lay out my design on each bookmark first. The scraps used for each bookmark front range in size depending on where I want them and whether I want to angle the pieces or make them wider. For skinny strips, I cut 3/4" to 1" wide strips about 3-4" long. For wider or angled strips, I cut 3" wide strips by 3-4" long. I cut all the fabric pieces out and lay them on the bookmark front. Below is my original layouts for the two bookmarks I was working on.
 |  |
Notice on the purple bookmark there are layers of fabric. If I want that particular look, then I need to sew the fabric in the correct order. So, I start with the lowermost pieces of fabric. Also notice there is a wedge shape. I'll sew that one on and angle the sides to make the wedge shape.
The first fabric piece is shown being sewn on below. I use 1/4" seams on my pieces with a very short stitch length so I do not have to backstitch and the fabric will stay attached at the raw edges. I set my machine to 1.0 mm stitch length.
After the lowermost fabric pieces are sewn to the bookmark front, I flip the fabric over to cover the seam and iron it flat. I then iron a 1/4" seam in the other side of the strip and iron this strip flat, with the fold side down. I may also iron the strip until I am happy with the look, such as in the angled piece shown below with wrong side facing up. The bottom strip is shown correctly placed and ironed with the right side face up.
Once ironed and placed correctly with folds down and right side of fabric up, I thread my machine with matching thread and topstitch ~ 1/16" -1/8" on the folded and unsewn side (shown below on the angled piece), then on the original sewn side.
After each piece is topstitched, the edges are neatly trimmed.
Continue to place each scrap of the design until all pieces are placed or you are happy with the look. To attach the ribbon or yarn, you may use a regular foot or a couching foot, and sew with a very narrow (1.0 mm wide) zig zag stitch that is also very short (1.0 mm). Carefully stitch over the ribbon or yarn piece, working slowly so you catch it in the zig zag stitch.
The front and back pieces are shown below for the purple bookmark.
Step 6 -- Adhering front and back together:
Place your front and back together so the stabilizers are facing each other (wrong sides together) and following manufacturer's directions, iron the two pieces together. The double sided Wonder Under that was on the bookmark back piece is used to seal the two pieces together.
Step 7 -- Square up your edges:
Due to all the sewing on the front possibly pulling the fabric in and shifting while adhering the front and back pieces together, you need to square up the edges of your bookmark. Take a ruler and the straight edge and cut off any excess fabric, keeping the rectangular shape. Do this for all four sides. I usually only cut about 1/16" of fabric off each side. I still want the bookmark to finish around 2.25" - 2.5" wide.
Step 8 -- Pinking the edges:
Once squared up, I pink all the edges to make them more pretty. Take your pinking shears and cut around each side. I do this before my final sewing to make sure I have even edges.
Step 9 -- Topstitching & Finishing:
I use matching thread for the front and matching thread in the bobbin for the back and topstitch 1/4" around the entire bookmark. I once again like to use 1.0 mm stitch length, but this is a personal preference. After topstitching, give the bookmark one last ironing and you are done. If it is still moist from adhering the two pieces together (Wonder Under requires a wet towel to be used), then let the bookmark air dry.
Enjoy!
-- posted by Annette @ 8:38 PM
0 comments
