Crafting the Book's Cover

The kids who receive this colorful book of fun will beg to go on long car trips! Within its travel-themed covers is an assortment of favorite pastimes, including tic-tac-toe, checkers, coloring supplies, and a word game.

See below for complete instructions.

• Three-ring binder
• Tracing paper
• Fabric shears
• Felt yardage: dark blue, orange, lime, gold, and light blue
• Fast-drying fabric glue (such as Beacon Fabri-Tac) or thick white crafts glue
• Pinking shears
• 1 yard of orange ribbon
• Household supplies: pencil, ruler, and scissors

1. Download the free patterns for this project. (Downloading requires Adobe Acrobat.)

Travel Fun Patterns

Adobe Acrobat

2. Open the binder flat on tracing paper. Draw around the binder; add 1/4 inch to all edges. This is the cover pattern. Cut two covers from felt, one dark blue (outer) and one orange (inner). Glue the dark blue cover on top of a piece of lime felt, allowing at least 1/4 inch of felt all around. Use pinking shears to cut out the cover, leaving a 1/8-inch lime border.

3. Measure the width of the binder's spine; cut away (and discard) this measurement from the center of the orange cover. The two pieces left are the inner covers.

4. Cut the ribbon in half. Center and glue one end of each ribbon to the lime side of outer cover as shown.

5. Glue each orange inner cover to the lime side of the outer cover at the top, bottom, and ribboned edges, creating pockets where you will insert the binder.

6. To cover around the metal rings, cut a piece of lime felt the height of binder plus 1/2 inch by the width of spine plus 1/2 inch. Cut the piece in half lengthwise. Tuck and glue each half behind the rings, wrapping 1/4 inch of the felt at the top and bottom around binder.

7. Fold back the binder flaps; slip them into pockets. Lay binder open. Glue the pocket openings closed.

8. Trace the patterns (pdf) onto tracing paper. Cut out the patterns from felt scraps. Also cut out assorted shapes, such as squares and rectangles for buildings and ovals and long squiggles for bodies of water. Decorate the binder cover and add small pockets to the inner covers, referring to the photos for ideas. Glue the pieces in place.