Today I am sharing the beautiful new fabric Lucy June from Riley Blake Designs designed by Lila Tueller. I didn’t mention this in my last post, but I’ve actually started a new job, alongside this one. It has unfortunately left me very time poor! Something I hope to resolve once I get a better work-life balance.

Anyway with that, the end of term has also come galloping towards like a horse desperate to win the Grand National, and end of term means one thing – Teacher Gifts! I cannot believe my little girl has completed her first year of primary school. I know, it’s a real cheesy mum cliché of a thing to say. There are 3 teachers Mabel wanted me to do gifts for and with not a whole lot of experience in giving teacher gifts, it took me a while to decide on the best thing to make.

In the end I thought some notebook covers would be nice, and a little different to a pouch that I would normally do. After all, a teacher can never have too many notebooks!

This fabric lends itself perfectly for this gift idea. The large scale floral is beautiful and gives the notebook a modern and pretty vibe.

These are super simple and quick to make, perfect if you are short on time and need a last minute gift. All you need is a couple of fat quarters, some wadding or fusible fleece and a hardback notebook. You can pick up a pack of notebooks on Amazon, for just a few pound. Just measure the length of the notebook and add an inch for seam allowance. Then open the book out flat measure it and add an extra 8 inches for the flaps. It’s always tricky working out the right size for the flap. Too small and the book will slip out, too big and it’ll be impossible to fit on!

I used fusible fleece, although you could use wadding, it gives the notebook a lovely padded and luxurious feel. Bonus points for being able to remove it and put it on another book when it has been filled up.

These were so quick and satisfying to make, that I’m already planning on making some more. Imagine how super cute a scrappy patchwork one would be!

All I need to do now, is pair them with a pretty pen and get them wrapped up ready to give.

I’m trying to not let the prospect of 6 weeks of summer holidays stress me out too much, especially now I have the added guilt of going to work.

Lucy June ships to stores this month. Be sure to check out the tag #lucyjunefabric and #rileyblakedesigns for more inspiration.