These gorgeous slow stitch bookmarks are a fun and mindful project to do in a quiet afternoon or evening. Made with wool felt, itty bitty fabric scraps and thread, this slow stitching project is perfect for practicing embroidery stitches and techniques and a great way to use up scraps and off cuts.
What You Will Need
Small fabric scraps – this is a great project for using those little fabric scraps from your other slow stitching, EPP or patchwork projects that are too small to use elsewhere, but too big and precious to just throw out.
Wool felt off-cut – used as the base of the bookmark.
Embroidery threads – a small selection of different embroidery threads in different colours. Use solid or variegated colours, cotton floss or perle thread. This is a great project to see how different stitches look in different thread types.
Ribbon or braid – this is optional if you would like to put a little hanger on your bookmark.
Additional embellishments – feel free to add additional small embellishments such as lace, crochet, beads or buttons.
What Tools You Will Need
Embroidery snips – great for cutting your threads.
Small fabric scissors – a good small, sharp pair of embroidery scissors for cutting your little fabrics to size.
Embroidery needles – a couple of different sized embroidery needles to suit your thread weights.
Thread for invisible stitching – I like to use the thread I use for EPP, Bottom Line Thread in colour Statue. You can use in fine neutral thread, or plain white cotton thread.
Applique Pins – I love using the Clover Applique pins as they are small and don’t get in the way.
Step One
Cut your piece of felt to the size you want your bookmark to be. It can be any size you like.
Select from your scraps some pieces you like and start laying them on your felt. Move them around, try different fabrics and placements. You can trim the fabric pieces down to size. Don’t worry if some hang over the edge of the felt, you can trim these back later.
Once your happy with your layout, use applique pins to secure the scraps in place.
Step Two
Use an invisible stitch to tack down the fabric pieces – this is a tiny stitch on the front and big stitch on the back. Place your invisible stitches around the outside of the fabric pieces just in from the edge.
Once all the pieces have been stitched down, trim back any fabric pieces that are hanging over the edge of the felt. It’s easiest to turn the bookmark over so you are looking at the felt side to do this.
Step Three
Now its time for the fun part! Using your different threads work different embroidery stitches over the fabric pieces. Some of the stitches I like to use are:
Overcast stitch – to stitch over the raw edges of the pieces.
Cross stitches – to stitch over the raw edges of the pieces and to add detail on the scraps.
Straight or running stitch – to stitch over the fabric pieces.
French knots – to add detail on the scraps.
Lazy daisy stitches – to make little embroidered flowers on the pieces.
Fly stitch – to add decorative details.
Back stitch – to outline shapes.
When doing your embroidery, be sure to bury the knot between the felt and the fabric piece so that it doesn’t show on the back. When tying of your thread do so at the base of the felt and run your needle through the felt a little way, cutting the thread off close to the felt, this will hide the thread end.
Step Four
Once you have finished doing the decorative embroidery and added any little embellishments it’s time to blanket stitch around the edge of the book mark. To do this I used a perle 8 thread.
Step Five
Once you have finished blanket stitching around the bookmark you can add a little hanger, but this is optional.
To add a hanger cut a piece of ribbon or braid the length you want – we will fold the hanger in half to make a loop so much sure you cut it long enough.
Place the hanger on the front of the bookmark and stitch in place with quite a few stitches. I used my bottom line thread to do this so that the stitches were less visible on the back.
Use a small fabric scrap, piece of decorative lace or braid, or even a button to hide the bottom of the hanger.
Your bookmark is now finished! You can watch the video tutorial for this project on my YouTube Channel.
I hope you found this tutorial helpful and are excited to make your own Snippets & Stitches Bookmark.
They would make great gifts for your bookish friends, and I’m sure everyone at book club will want you to make one for them.
Id’ love to see your finished bookmark so feel free to tag me on Instagram @the_makers_stash or send me an email.
Happy Stitching,
Miss Leela x
After more bookish patterns?
My Book Lovers Pouch Pattern is the perfect place to keep your current read safe and cozy. Made from an EPP pieced panel of hexagons and diamonds, the pouch is quilted and lined with an open top, making it soft and squishy with easy access to your book.
Fin out more about the pattern below.
