How to Add Ribbon Bookmarks to Any Hardback Book

Coeliac diagnoses for most of the family last Sept/Oct has meant a lot less sewing and much more cooking and baking. Of course blogging also took a backseat.

 

Information on the Internet about Coeliac disease is very helpful, with lots of advice and suitable recipes. However I found I also needed to buy some new cookery & baking books as most of our food now needs to be cooked from scratch. Tearing bits of paper to mark and keep track of recipes quickly became futile as well as being very untidy. So I wanted a neater way to bookmark recipes that wouldn't fall out of a book when it was opened!

 

ThIs idea for adding ribbon bookmarks was one of those 'lightbulb' moments and is a perfect solution when a book doesn't include a bookmark.

 

What you need: book length measurement, narrow ribbons (0.5 to 0.7 cm), wide ribbon (1.5 cm), sewing machine (could also be hand sewn, or even glued)

-This method of adding ribbons to a book will work for any hardback book which has a spine.

-Measure the length of the book and add 10cm.

-Cut ribbon lengths in suitable colours. I selected 3 narrow ribbons (janemeans narrow stitched ribbon, Janemeans narrow gingham ribbon and a yellow ribbon from my stash).

Overlap the ribbons making sure they will fit neatly inside the width of the wider ribbon.

 

 

-Cut a 12cm length of 1.5 cm wide ribbon, making sure that the ribbon will fit inside the spine of the book. I chose a teal wired ribbon from Jane Means. This ribbon will be placed inside the spine of the book, so the colour will not be seen.

-Fold the wide ribbon in half lengthwise over the bundle of narrow ribbons, making sure the ends are tucked under. Sew around the ribbon as in the picture. This reinforces the ribbon and makes it easier to push into the spine of the book.

 

-Open the book and carefully push the sewn ribbon down into the spine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now just safely bookmark all the fantastic recipes that you want to try.

As a book like this can get a lot of wear and tear, the ends of the ribbons should be sealed by holding them carefully over a lighted candle.

 

 

I predict a lot more of these in my future, especially once I check my sewing books & see which need bookmarks!

 

 

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