Creative Fun with Kraft-Tex

Have you ever tried sewing with paper? If you haven’t met Kraft-Tex yet, you’re in for a little creative fun!

This versatile paper-based material can be cut, stitched and decorated, making it a lovely partner for your favourite fabric scraps. Start with a journal cover, add a matching bookmark, and see where those leftover pieces take you.

A little book with plenty of personality

A sewing notebook, a garden journal, a recipe collection or somewhere to catch those middle-of-the-night ideas—an ordinary notebook becomes something special with a handmade cover.

Gather your materials

• Your notebook or journal and paper for a trial pattern.
• Kraft-Tex, with enough room for the spine, inside flaps and seams required by your chosen design.
• Fabric scraps, thread and your preferred appliqué supplies.
• A ruler, scissors or a craft knife and cutting mat, plus sewing clips.
• A sewing machine and needle suited to your layers; optional stamps, ink, paints or adhesive to test on scraps.

Begin with the book you want to cover. Tape a few sheets of paper together to make a pattern, allowing for the front, back, spine, inside flaps and any seams. Check the fit with the book both open and closed before cutting your Kraft-Tex.

Mark where the front, spine and back will sit, then plan your decoration while the cover is flat. We want that lovely flower on the front, rather than peeping around the spine! 😂

If you would like a guided construction project, try Rob Appell’s journal-cover tutorial or C&T’s free monogram journal-cover project.

Choose your finish

Our unwashed Kraft-Tex has a crisp, firm feel. Washing adds flexibility and texture, giving you another finish to explore.

Try washing a small sample first, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep an unwashed scrap beside it so you can compare the two before deciding which suits your project.

A smoother surface might suit your stamped design, while a textured finish could be just right for a cover decorated with fabric and stitching.

Bring out the fabric scraps

This is where your scrap basket gets its moment!

Cut simple flower petals from peach, lavender or soft blue fabric, add pale yellow centres, and choose a few shades of green for the leaves. An ombré fabric is particularly handy for finding several leaf colours in one piece.

Arrange the flowers across the front of your cover, leaving some Kraft-Tex showing around them. A single matching flower on a bookmark makes a lovely finishing touch.

Shop the fabrics: Peony Pink · Wisteria · Bermuda Speckle · Lemon · Green Ombré Raindrops

Prefer something less floral? Try fabric strips arranged in a border, a geometric pattern or an interlaced Celtic design. Sketch your arrangement on paper first to work out the spacing and any over-and-under crossings.

Shop the fabric: Petal & Twist – Latte

Remember that cotton edges can fray. Prepare your fabric shapes using your preferred appliqué method, and test the layers together before starting on the cover.

Cut, stamp, paint or stitch

Fabric is only the beginning. There are plenty of ways to make your cover your own:

• Stamp or stencil an initial, a name or a repeating motif.
• Paint or draw a small flower, a leafy border or your own illustration.
• Create a cut-out with colourful fabric secured behind it.
• Add simple stitching to frame a design or highlight a shape.

For cut-outs, begin with an uncomplicated leaf, heart or window. Work on a cutting mat, avoid cutting beyond the corners, and test your adhesive on a scrap before using it on the cover.

Shop the fabric: Stylised Blossoms Pink

Complete your decoration before assembling the cover, while everything is easy to reach. For more ideas, explore these decorated Kraft-Tex book covers.

A few helpful sewing tips

Kraft-Tex doesn’t have woven threads to unravel, so its cut edges can be left raw. That makes it especially useful for bookmarks, tags and decorative shapes.

Hold your layers with clips, as pins leave permanent holes. Test your needle, thread and a longer stitch length on an offcut, and avoid repeatedly backstitching in the same spot.

Keep your first design simple. A small motif and a few carefully placed stitches can be all a cover needs.

Another little make

For another small make, consider a pocket wallet with a colourful fabric panel and plain black Kraft-Tex. Choose a wallet pattern suited to the materials, and try the join and any folds on scraps first.

Shop the fabric: Petal & Twist – Wildflower

Keep those offcuts!

Once you have cut your cover, take another look at the pieces left over:

• Long strips can become matching bookmarks.
• Small rectangles make gift tags or handmade labels.
• Little shapes can decorate another project.
• Tiny scraps are useful for testing paint, ink, adhesive and stitches.

A covered notebook and matching bookmark would make a thoughtful gift. Add a ribbon, and you have something useful, personal and made by you.

What will you make first?

White offers a light background for colourful designs. Black looks lovely with contrasting fabric, while Chocolate brings warmth to soft florals and favourite prints.

Our unwashed Kraft-Tex is sold by the yard, so plan your main project first and let the remaining pieces inspire a few smaller makes. Browse the Kraft-Tex colours in the shop.

Choose a little book, gather some fabric scraps and give it a go. Lucy might still be choosing her favourite colour—but there’s no reason we can’t get started! 😂

I’d love to hear your ideas

Would you start with a floral journal cover, a cut-out design or a matching bookmark? Which Kraft-Tex colour would you choose? Leave me a comment below—I’d love your feedback, questions and requests for future Wednesday Stitch topics.

Happy stitching,
Carrie & Lucy
Everything Fabric