Easy Scrap Fabric Projects: Fabric Corner Bookmarks Tutorial

Attention, bookworms and fabric fanatics! Are you drowning in a sea of adorable leftover fabric scraps from your sewing projects? I’ve got the perfect tiny scrap fabric projects that’ll turn those precious bits into charming corner bookmarks from fabric. This easy sewing project for beginners is so addictive, you’ll soon have more bookmarks than actual books to put them in (ha-ha). 

I am making three bookmarks at once because well, one is never enough.

Step 1. Fabric Hunting for Your Homemade Bookmarks 

Dive into your fabric stash like it’s a ball pit at a kid’s birthday party. Emerge victorious with squares of fabric. Remember, life’s too short for boring fabric choices!

For sewing bookmarks, you’ll need:

• Two 3.5″ x 3.5″ squares from your base fabric
• One 3.5″ x 3.5″ square for your corner triangle
• Two 3.5″ x 3.5″ squares of thin batting (I used fusible batting leftovers from my quilting adventures

Step 2. The Pressing Party

Time to heat up that iron! I love using my Dritz mini-iron on a wool pressing mat for these tiny scrap projects, but any iron will do the trick. Give all your pieces a good press until they’re smoother than a fresh page in a new book.

Note: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. This means I will receive a commission if you order a product through one of my links. I only recommend products I believe in and use myself. 

Fuse batting to one square for the base of each bookmark. 

Dritz Mighty Travel Iron

✅ Related tutorial: Mini Irons For Sewing And Quilting

Step 3. Triangle Transformation

Fold your corner square with wrong sides together. Press it into a triangle shape.

✅ Related tutorial: Wool Pressing Mat: How to Use, Pros and Cons, Best Brands, Sizes

Now, cut one square of batting diagonally to make two triangles.

Fuse one inside your fabric triangle.

Stitch along the longest side.

Before you start stitching, let’s chat about thread. Choosing the right thread is like finding the perfect dance partner for your fabric – it can make or break your project.

Pick a thread color that complements your fabric. The rule of thumb is to go slightly darker than your fabric color. If you’re stuck, hold a few thread options against your fabric and squint – the one that blends in best is your winner.

Now, about quality – this is not the time to use that mystery thread you found at the bottom of your sewing box. Use good quality thread that won’t break or fray easily. 

✅ Related tutorial: What Is The Best Thread For Sewing Machine Projects? Let’s Find Out!

Thread needs to be strong enough to hold seams together through regular use and washing. Your bookmarks are going on adventures between pages, after all.

If you’re having trouble finding an exact match, don’t stress. Pick the best match you can find and move on. Your beautiful fabric and neat stitching will be the stars of the show. 

Step 4. The Sandwich Assembly

Layer your fabric like you’re making the world’s tiniest, flattest sandwich.  

• Base square without batting (right side up)
• Corner triangle
• Square with batting (right side down) 

Pin these layers together. They’re about to become best friends. Secure your fabric sandwich with pins.

✅ Related tutorial: Types of sewing pins and their uses: all you need to know about straight pins for sewing

Step 5. Sew, Sew, Sew Your Bookmark

Using a 1/4″ seam allowance, sew around the edges, leaving a small opening at the bottom for turning. Make sure to sew around all corners – we want sharp corners, not round ones.

✅ Related tutorial: Basic sewing techniques: How to sew corners and curved seams

Step 6. Corner Clipping Ceremony

Clip those corners.

Step 7. The Big Reveal

Turn your bookmark right side out. Use a point turner to make those corners sharp. No one wants a bookmark with soggy corners!

Dritz 3150 Bamboo Point Turner & Presser

Step 8. Press for Success

Give your bookmark one last press, tucking in the opening.

Step 9. The Final Flourish

Topstitch around the two sides without the corner fabric.

✅ Related tutorial: How To Topstitch | 17 Topstitching Tips Every Beginner Should Know

Voila! You now have a cute little fabric bookmark!

These easy fabric scrap projects are perfect for using up those fabric leftovers. Plus, they make great gifts for your book-loving friends. Just don’t blame me if you become addicted to making them – you’ve been warned!

So go forth and conquer those book corners with your newly acquired bookmark-making superpowers. Your fabric scraps will feel purposeful, and you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you’ve created something both cute and functional.

---