How to Make a Journal Cover
To make a journal cover, start by cutting a piece of fabric that's 2 inches larger than your journal on each side when your journal is opened. Then, center your opened journal on the fabric and apply glue along the exposed edges of the fabric. Next, fold up the fabric edges and attach them to the inside of your journal's front and back cover. Finally, glue pieces of cardboard to the inside of the front and back cover and cover it with fabric.
Cut out a piece of fabric that's 2" larger than your journal on every side. Open your notebook so the front and back are next to each other. Set it in the middle of your piece of fabric and grab your ruler, measuring 2" (5cm) more on each side. Make a line all around your journal, forming a large rectangle that's 2" wider than your notebook. Then, cut along this line. Start gluing the top and bottom edges. With your notebook still centered on the piece of fabric and 2" sticking out on either side, apply glue to the top and bottom flaps (the exposed 2 inches). Fold the top in first, and then fold in the bottom. Use plenty of glue; you don't want it coming up later. If you have one handy, use a foam paintbrush to spread the glue evenly over the fabric. That way it won't clump and be visible from the outside. Glue the left and right edges, too. With more glue placed on the left and right edges, fold up the flaps and attach them to the inside of the notebook cover. Do this for both the front and back covers. You may want to crease triangles into the corners much like you're gift wrapping a present to give it a professional touch. You'll notice that where the binding is looks a little weird. To remedy this, cut two slits in the fabric where the spine is and get rid of this small square of fabric. Start covering the raw edges of the inside covers. Right now the inside of your journal probably looks less than perfect – it's just the exposed, raw edges of fabric and nothing else. To get rid of this, we'll cover it with cardboard and fabric. To get started: Cut out two pieces of lightweight cardboard or heavy cardstock that's about 1" (2.5cm) smaller than the front and back cover. Cut out two pieces of fabric (a different fabric) that's 1-2" (2.5-5cm) larger than the cardboard you just cut out. Glue the fabric to the cardboard. Center the cardboard on the fabric and follow much the same method you did with your journal. Apply glue to the edges and fold in. In this case, it doesn't matter if you turn the corners into triangles or not – they won't be seen anyway. You'll only see the side of cardboard that's completely covered. Do this for both pieces of cardboard – one for the front and one for the back. Apply plenty of glue to the back side of each piece of cardboard and put them into place. The side covered in fabric will go face up on your inside cover; the side that has the edges of the fabric will be glued down on to your journal, covering the original edges of fabric you first glued. Then, place the covered cardboard into the inside of both the front and back covers. Make sure they're centered and covering the raw edges of the fabric evenly. Now it has a much more finished look to it than before. Decorate your fabric cover. At this point, technically your journal is done. However, you can now truly make it yours by adding more embellishments like fabric letters, stickers, textured paint, glitter glue, buttons – anything. Decorating your journal can be the funnest part. You could even use iron-ons, ribbon, stencils, feathers, or scrapbook additions. The only limit is your imagination. Brush on pure white "chalk paint" to the cover and let it dry. "Chalk paint" is going to give your cover a vintage-y, worn feel. Consider it the journal equivalent of distressed cabinets or jeans. Even though it's only on the bottom layer, it's vintage powers will seep through in places just enough to give it that touch. To do this, open the journal up. This way you can paint both sides at the same time and they can dry simultaneously. Make sure it's dry before you continue any more decorating. It should take roughly 2-3 hours to dry. Alternatively, you could leave it overnight and come back to it in the morning. Gather together a bunch of paper embellishments. What would you like on your journal cover? Maybe some old postcards, some sheet music, a pretty paper pattern? This part is all up to you. The pieces can be as small or as large as you'd like them, too. Take a minute to arrange them until they're perfect. If you feel like something is missing, don't settle – think of another piece you could add to bring it all together. Once it's glued down, there's no going back. Make sure you have enough embellishments for the spine and back, too. These bits are just as important. Glue the pieces down with Mod Podge, starting with the front cover. Holding the pieces in place with your non-dominant hand, spread the glue evenly and thinly over the entire front of the journal with a foam paintbrush. Leave it for a couple of hours to dry before you flip it over and do the back (you don't want the first side to end up glued onto the table). Make sure both sides are dry before you continue. Ah, Mod Podge. The crafty crafter's reason for existence. This stuff is like a miracle all wrapped up in a container. If you don't have any laying around, splurge for your first jar – it's useful in so many projects you'll surely be able to find something else to do with it in no time. After the first layer is dry, use stamps and paint to add depth and texture. You now have a journal that's covered in paper and glue. Hmm. Probably needs a bit more, right? At this stage, add a few more small embellishments that can stick out. It'll give your journal that pop that most don't have. As for ink stamps, an easy way to add them is to put them onto white tissue paper. Stamp the page, dip a paintbrush in water, and draw a watery circle around it so it easily tears out. Then place it however you like on your journal. Add two more coats of Mod Podge. Even if you didn't add a second layer of embellishments, your journal needs at least two more coats of glue to make sure it's sturdy and ready for everyday use. Make sure the second layer dries before you put on the third. And then voila! Your vintage-y, decoupaged journal is ready for compliments. Plan out your design. What kind of look do you want your journal to have? Lots of this will be determined by what you have laying around. Here are some ideas: You could take extra felt bits and make a pretty design that's sewed or glued on You could use buttons or other small decorative items for flair You could use glitter, ribbon, or other shiny, eye-catching additions Cut out a piece of felt just larger than the book is when it's open. Spread your journal out so that you're looking at the front and back covers at the same time. Put it face down on the table in front of you over your piece of felt. Start measuring, leaving 1/4" (.6cm) on all sides. Once you have a piece that's measured and just slightly bigger, cut 'er out. Cut out two pieces of felt for the inside front and back covers, too. Now you need felt for the inside covers – you need something pretty on the inside, too, in addition to the front needing something to attach to. To figure out how big these should be, look at the flexibility of your journal: If your journal is super flexible (as in the two covers can practically touch when bent back), measure out a piece of felt that's the same height as the first piece, but that's about 1 or 2" (2.5-5cm) shorter than half of the original piece. If your journal is not very flexible (the two covers aren't close to being about to touch when bent), measure out a piece of felt that's the same height as the first piece, but that's 2 -4" (5-9cm) shorter than half of the original piece. These measurements are also determined by the size of your journal. A smaller or larger journal will require smaller or larger panels. In looking at your journal, you should be able to tell how large an inside panel your book could feasibly fit into. Decorate your front. You didn't do all that planning for nothing. Now's the time to decorate your front (before you attach it to anything else). So get to sewing, gluing, taping, whatever you see fit. And if you're decorating the back, do that side, too. If you're using anything that needs to dry, make sure you give it adequate time to do so before you continue on. If it's not, you could wind up with a mess on your hands while finishing up. Lay the inside pieces over the larger cover piece. With the pretty side of your cover piece facing down, lay on your inside cover pieces (the two smaller pieces that'll be the flaps). They should be touching the outside edges, leaving a gap in the middle. Make sure to line their edges up perfectly, one directly on top of the other. The good side of the flaps should be facing up, while the good side of the cover should be facing down. Sew all the way around the edges. Starting in one corner, sew with the blanket stitch around the edges of your entire journal. It's easiest to do with a machine, but you could get away with doing it by hand, too. It's just the same basic stitch over and over and over. The beauty of the felt journal is that it has a cozy unrefined-ness to it. If you don't have amazing sewing skills, don't fret. Do your best and if it's loose in places, there's always super glue to the rescue! Slide your journal in. Your journal cover is officially done. Now all you have to do is slide your journal in and enjoy. If you made it for a gift and now you want to keep it for yourself, just call it your "practice round." 
Cut out a piece of fabric that's 2" larger than your journal on every side. Start gluing the top and bottom edges. Glue the left and right edges, too. Start covering the raw edges of the inside covers. Glue the fabric to the cardboard. Apply plenty of glue to the back side of each piece of cardboard and put them into place. Decorate your fabric cover. Brush on pure white "chalk paint" to the cover and let it dry. Gather together a bunch of paper embellishments. Glue the pieces down with Mod Podge, starting with the front cover. After the first layer is dry, use stamps and paint to add depth and texture. Add two more coats of Mod Podge. Plan out your design. Cut out a piece of felt just larger than the book is when it's open. Cut out two pieces of felt for the inside front and back covers, too. Decorate your front. Lay the inside pieces over the larger cover piece. Sew all the way around the edges. Slide your journal in. 