People do still read books — tomes with actual covers and pages to turn by hand. Whether it’s a current best-seller or an older volume in slight disrepair, books gain much-needed protection from homemade fabric covers.

In addition, if you’re reading a slightly risque volume that you’d prefer your kids not know about, the cover will keep what’s undercover private. For books that require frequent handling, such as cookbooks, a fabric cover is also ideal to help keep them clean — perhaps sewn in a quick-to-wipe laminate.

This book covering technique can be used for hardcover and paperback books but also to create covers for run-of-the-mill binders, personal diaries or journals.

Choosing fabrics

Let the fabric speak for itself — select a color or print to reflect the book’s inside. (How about 50 shades of gray fabrics?) Choose one-of-a-kind fabrics made by local artisans with piecing, painting or beading. Or put your personal skills to work and embellish your own yardage with quilting, stenciling or embroidery.

Most books require less than one-half yard of fabric (see how to measure on D5) and you can join fabrics together before cutting to use scraps or incorporate fabric art. Choose a fabric that’s sturdy (home decor fabrics are ideal) and remember that dark colors and prints tend to mask soil from repeated handling.

What you need

• Fabric(s)

• Fusible web

• Basic sewing supplies

•Iron/ironing board

• Ribbon for bookmark/tie (optional)

How to measure

With the book closed, measure the book’s cover in both directions. For the width measurement, measure from cover edge to cover edge. Add 3 inches to the vertical measurement and 7 inches to the horizontal measurement. This sizing allows for inner flaps to secure the cover in place. Cut a rectangle of fabric the determined size.

If you’re piecing together multiple fabrics or adding front embellishments, measure the front cover of the book and work within that area of the fabric rectangle (beginning 31/2 inches from the end) for adding artistic touches.

Make the cover

1. Press under 1½-inch hems at the top and bottom, and ½-inch hems on each end of the book cover rectangle. Fuse each of the hems in place using fusible web, following the manufacturer’s instructions.

2. Center the book on the hemmed fabric wrong side and fold the excess length on each end evenly to the inside cover. Pin mark the fold. Remove the fabric from the book. Press along the marked lines.

3. Hand stitch the upper- and lower-section inner flap to the outer cover at the top and bottom. Or, machine edgestitch around the cover for a firmer, more defined perimeter.

4. Slightly folding the book cover back, insert the covers into the inside flap pockets and close the book.

Beyond the basics

• Stitch a ribbon into the upper back seam to create a built-in bookmark.

• Stitch a ribbon around the cover width, extending the ends so you can tie them into a bow for an elegant gift presentation. This is especially appropriate for a rare antique book, a treasured family cookbook or an heirloom bible.

• Instead of allowing for hems on the top and bottom of your book, simply bind the edges after folding and pressing the cover into shape.

— Reporter: Sewnwrite@aol.com