leather journal

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Designer: Kendra McCracken

As a scrapbooker for the past 10 years, I have learned the value of having a journal handy to write down my thoughts, layout ideas, funny things said during conversations with my kids, anything and everything that might later find its way into my scrapbooks. I like the convenience of plain, pre-made journals but find that if the journal is something pretty to look at, I'm more likely to remember to grab it and use it. I like the idea of making book covers for my journals (vs. recovering them with papers) as I love the softness and the texture of fabric. I also like that I can reuse the covers.

I was excited to discover the Ultra ShapeXpress Tool would neatly and easily cut through leather. Using it with a Fiskars Shape Template was much quicker than using a pattern and trying to cut a perfect shape freehand.

Difficulty rating

Instructions (Print version)

1. Choose a heavy-weight material for the journal cover.
2. Using a flexible tape measure, start at the right-hand edge of the front cover and wrap the tape completely around the front cover, spine, and back cover.  Measure the height of the front cover. Add 6” to the width. Add 1/2” to the height. Cut your material to these dimensions.

3. If using a material that will not fray, hem the top and bottom edges 1/4” to add durability to edges that will have the most exposure to wear-and-tear. If using a woven material that will fray, hem the side edges as well.

4. Wrap the cover around the journal, folding the excess material to the inside of the covers, making sure the journal is centered. Determine the center point of the front cover and mark it with a pin. 

5. Place the journal cover on a Self-Healing Cutting Mat. Using the grid on the Clouds template, center the heart over the pin.

6. Place the Ultra ShapeXpress tool in the heart opening and slowly  slide it around the edge holding the blade carriage tight to the edge of the template. Any spots that were not completely cut can be touched up using the Fiskars Fingertip Craft Knife. If you've used a woven material    you can stitch around the heart to minimize fraying.

7. Back the heart opening with layers of material, trims, and buttons, hand stitching everything in place. Embellish the edge of the heart with tiny squares of fabrics stitched in place with seed beads. Layer trims along the bottom 1/3 of the cover and tack in place with a few hand stitches along the length. Hand stitch small buttons and beads beneath the trims.

8. Lay the cover face down, center the open journal over it, and fold the excess material to the inside covers to create a pocket on each side. Remove the journal and hand stitch along the top and bottom edges of the cover to close the pockets. If the pockets are too bulky to fold over smoothly, use the Fiskars Fingertip Craft Knife to carefully make a relief cut at the fold from the edge of the cover down to the stitched hem.

9. Using the Self-Healing Cutting Mat, the Ultra ShapeXpress Tool, and the scallop edge of the Clouds Template, cut the edge of each page inside the journal.

Supplies:
Fiskars Ultra ShapeXpress
Fiskars Shape Template Tool-Shapes 1
Fiskars Fingertip Craft knife
Fiskars Self-Healing Cutting Mat
Other Supplies: Leather, eyelet trim, beaded trim, buttons, seed beads, fabric