Fat Quarter Friday Tutorial - Reading Companion

Welcome to this week's Fat Quarter Friday tutorial. Please feel free to use this tutorial to make your own bookmark to use or give as a gift, but please do not make them to sell without my permission. If you pass this tutorial on please link back to this blog. And if you make one, I'd LOVE to see it.


A fabric bookmark, attached to a case to hold your reading glasses (or sweeties!).

This week's idea was originally intended as a bookmark which also holds a pen. I designed it because when I'm studying, I end up using my pen as a bookmark and either get inky marks on my books or it drops out somewhere (then I've lost my pen AND my place).

Talking to my mum, she suggested making one for reading glasses, which I though was a brilliant idea. How many people keep their reading glasses on top of the book they're reading? Then they get knocked off or bashed or whatever. I completely messed up my pen one (which I will make at a later date), but I would make the section exactly the same way but using cotton about the same size as the bookmark piece. I think this would make a good gift for someone who does puzzle books or who is studying.

I used fleece as the lining for the glasses one because it's important to provide protection for spectacles to stop them getting scratched or damaged.

You will need:

A strip of timtex/ cardboard/ leftover piece of plastic bag bottom 2.5 wide by 17cm long.
2 pieces of fabric 4.5cm x 22cm
2 pieces of fabric 12cm x 20 cm, and 2 lining pieces the same size (I used fleece for my lining to make it squashy, you would get a sleeker look by using cotton or similar)
About 6cm piece of ribbon

First make the spectacle case

Tack the ribbon in place in the middle of one side of the case. Sew this piece to one lining piece, right sides together along the top edge.




Do the same for the other side (but without the ribbon).


Trim the seam, fold the flap over and press so that the top of the "right" side is slightly higher than the top of the fleece lining, then top stitch as close to the edge as you can.


Open out the two pieces again and pin and stitch down the two long sides, making sure that your top seams match.


Then trim the seams and turn right side out.




Push the lining back inside the outer shell, and press.

Push the outer fabric up out of the way and sew along the bottom edge of the lining. Trim the seam.

Then push the lining up out of the way and tuck the bottom edge of the outercase in by 1cm, pin and press, and then sew a straight line along the bottom edge.

Flatten it all out again and set aside.

To make the bookmark:

Put the two fabric pieces right sides together and stitch the two long seams and one short seam.


You should leave one short end open. Trim the seams and turn right side out, then press.

Insert the timtex/plastic piece, it should be about 1cm too short.

Tuck the open edges in 1cm and press. Then poke the end of the ribbon that is attached to the glasses case into the top and pin.

Stitch right across, making sure to securely catch the ribbon in place.