Frugal and fun: quilted Dayrunner cover

Two years ago I bought a brand-new, black, zippered Dayrunner (the 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 inch size) at a church rummage sale. I was happy to find it, but after all this time I was getting bored with the black cover. But I hadn't seen any prettier ones at the thrift store, and I didn't know how you would go about putting a handmade cover around the binder hardware and the zipper.

Today's Handmade Holidays post at Sew Mama Sew linked to this Composition Notebook Cover from Amanda of  Jedi Craft Girl for Riley Blake Designs. I decided to make one, not really thinking of my Dayrunner but just wanting to use some fabric that had been given to us, and thinking I would find a blank notebook to put inside. It took me most of the morning to make, but it wasn't hard. You cut an upper and a lower piece for the outside front cover, sew them together with some batting, and machine-quilt lines three-quarters of an inch apart.The inside lining is made with one large piece and two smaller pieces that are folded in half for the flaps. The whole thing is sewn together with a gap at the bottom and turned inside out. (The heart applique was traced from a cookie cutter.)

It was when I was choosing the button to sew on the front that I noticed my tired-looking Dayrunner on the table, and the lightbulb went on. On examining the case, I discovered that the inside of the Dayrunner lifts out of its zipper cover, so I didn't have to destroy it. (Bonus!)

I am so happy with this!

Something crafty to look forward to

Handmade Holidays runs through the month of November.