Reuse, Repurpose Notepad Tutorial

On March 11, 2011
By Amy
In Blog, Sewing, Sewing Accessories, Tutorials
0

Here’s a quick, scrap-busting tutorial for you. I’ve had this idea rolling around in my head for awhile now. You see, in my day job I create print publications, so I generate a lot of scrap paper that’s been run through the printer. As much as possible, I try to print on both sides of the paper before throwing it in the recycle bin, but my pile of half-used paper continues to grow. On the other hand, I never seem to have a piece of paper in my handbag when I need one.

Solution, a little covered notepad that holds quarter sheets of letter-sized paper. And it doesn’t hurt that creating it helped me use up some small scraps of fabric as well!

This super simple project only takes an hour or so to put together, so I made another win with economy of time. Here’s how to whip one up for yourself:

And even though it looks like the pencil pocket is on upside down, it’s done on purpose. The pencil won’t fall out when the cover flap is closed. Clever, eh?

Materials:

Cut from scrap cotton fabric:

5″ by 12.5″ – cut two pieces for cover

5″ by 8.5″ – cut one piece for cardboard stiffener pocket and top gutter to hold paper

2″ squares – cut two pieces to hold bottom corners of paper

2″ by 8″ – cut one piece for a pencil pocket

To stiffen the back so it’s easy to write on, cut two pieces of lightweight cardboard, such as cereal boxes, each 4.25″ by 5.5″.

Directions:

(Excuse my rough drawings, it was sometimes easier to show you by drawing a picture because a photo couldn’t show enough detail.)

Finish one short edge of the pencil pocket, using a zig-zag stitch or a serger.

Press the two long edges of the pencil pocket 1/4″ to the wrong side, then press the top finished edge 1/4″ to the wrong side. Do nothing to the other short edge.

Topstitch the top edge of the pencil pocket.

Press the squares in half diagonally, so they form triangles. Set aside.

With the piece of fabric that’s 5″ by 8.5″, press one short edge first 1/4″ to the wrong side, then another 1 1/4″ to the wrong side.

Stitch close to the folded edge to keep it in place.

Next, press that edge back to the right side 3/4″. This will form an upper “gutter” to hold the paper in place.

To place the pencil pocket in the right place before stitching it down, first lay one of the cover pieces right side up. Lay the cardboard pocket in place on one end and baste it in place with a glue stick. Lay each of the triangle pieces on a bottom corner on top of the cardboard pocket. Baste in place with a glue stick.

Place the pencil pocket diagonally on the upper cover. The bottom of the pocket should just cross the upper right corner. The top of the pocket should end just above the cardboard pocket and stay 1/2″ from the left edge of the cover. See diagram. Baste with a glue stick.

Stitch the two long sides of the pencil pocket to the cover close to their folded edges. The bottom of the pocket will extend beyond the edges of the cover.

Once again lay the cover piece with its pockets right side up. Place the other cover piece on top, right side down. Pin and stitch 1/4″ around all four sides, leaving a 2″ gap along one edge for turning.