DIY Hand Embroidered Bookmarks

I am an avid reader and a lover of books. Especially REAL books! There is something about holding it in your hands, turning the pages, the smell, EVERYTHING about hard copy books! I usually have 2 or 3 books on the go… and I am constantly loosing my bookmarks! So I decided to whip up a couple to keep on the bedside table for when I need them! These DIY hand embroidered bookmarks are the result and I LOVE them!

I was totally that kid that couldn’t really be sent to her room as a punishment. I hid books under my bed, in the closet and behind the bookshelf… I was actually GLAD to be sent to my room. It meant that once again I got to disappear into another world through the words on the page. Its a magical thing!

I was notorious for losing my bookmarks back then too. I was constantly sticking random scraps of paper and wayward pieces of yarn between the pages and hoping that one of my siblings wouldn’t pull it out accidentally (and ever so often, purposefully. They really knew how to push my buttons!). I would have loved one of these DIY hand embroidered bookmarks back then!

Want to make your own DIY Hand Embroidered Bookmarks? I’ve got the instructions and the template for the embroidery to share with you!

Supplies you’ll need:

8+ inch square front and back fabrics and cotton batting.
7 inch embroidery hoop
fabric pen or pencil
embroidery needle
embroidery thread
Sewing machine, thread and iron

So the first step is to stitch your saying 🙂 Use the fabric of your choice and a layer of cotton batting in an embroidery hoop. I used a light box to trace the pattern onto my fabric with a fabric friendly pencil, before adding the batting and the embroidery hoop. CLICK HERE to download the pattern with 3 different saying options.

*Note – Because the stitching on these bookmarks is small and detailed, its better to use 3 strands of embroidery or less to get the details. I made the mistake of using the full 6 strands with the gold thread, and the letters feel “blurry”.

Step #2 – Give your stitching and fabric a good pressing to iron out the wrinkles.

Step #3 – Add a center mark to the batting, for the placement of the ribbon. (optional) I folded the fabric down, used a ruler to find the center and used a water soluble fabric marker to add a line.

Step #4 – Cut a 6 inch length of ribbon. Fold it in half and sew, just above the fold, on ONLY the batting to secure it.

Step #5 – Add your backing fabric RIGHT side OUT, on the opposite side of your stitching. Sew around the bookmark outline. I went around twice, just for extra measure.

Step #6 – Use pinking shears to carefully trim away the access fabric. I cut the 3 sides without the ribbon first. Then I cut the top fabric, folding back the ribbon, batting and backing fabric. Then I folded the ribbon forward and trimed the back 2 layers (batting and backing fabric)

Step #7 – Press again and remove any leftover template marks.

The its time to get to reading! I’ve got a stack of books next to my bed, on the night stand, just waiting to be read… which is the perfect opportunity to put these DIY Hand Embroidered Bookmarks to good use!

Are you a reader or know one that would love these DIY Hand Embroidered Bookmarks? They’d make a great gift too!

 

Need some other Book Lover DIY’s? You’ll love these!

Book Page Wall Art

Scrap Fabric Bookmarks