If you’re looking for an easy gift idea for Valentine’s Day or any holiday really, these ribbon bookmarks could be the perfect choice. Not only are they an easy sew project that can be done with a sewing machine or by hand, but they are pretty cheap to make, too. Did I mention you can whip up a bunch of these in just minutes? Let me show you how easy they are to make with a quick tutorial! This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
I am a bookworm. You probably know that, of course, if you follow this blog and have read some of my other posts. There are not enough minutes in the day for me to read the books I’d like to explore. Right now I’m in the middle of two, I have an order of three books waiting to be shipped to me, and a friend has another book to loan me. This isn’t even counting the eBooks on my Kindle and the writing exercise books I like to do daily…OK, I’m sure you understand by now that I’m addicted to books. It’s a good thing my addiction hasn’t stopped me from ripping them apart for projects, though!
One problem I’ve always had is keeping my place in books. Many bookmarks get lost in books, fall out or can even damage the pages. But today’s ribbon bookmarks are another story. These bookmarks are nonslip and stay perfectly in place, and the elastic stretches so they can fit different sized books! They are very simple to make and would be a great gift idea for any holiday. Today I’m showing how I made these cute ribbon bookmarks for Valentine’s Day gifts this year.
Here are the materials needed for this project:
- Decorative Ribbon at least 1/2 in. wide
- Elastic Hair Bands
- Decorative Buttons
- Scissors
- Needle & Thread and/or Sewing machine
Here’s how you make this project:
Cut the ribbon into 18 inch strips. (This is for an average sized book. If you need a bookmark for a large book, you may want to measure around the book first and add length to the ribbon.)
Fold one end of the ribbon over 1/4 inch. Fold it over another 1/4 inch and stitch across. You can do this by hand, or use a sewing machine. I used a zig zag stitch on my machine for a special touch.
Repeat for the other end of ribbon, adding the elastic hair band before you start folding to attach it to the ribbon.
Now we have one end of the ribbon bookmarks done. Half way there!
Use your needle and thread to attach a button to the other end of the ribbon.
Yay! We’re all done! Can you believe it???
To use, just wrap your ribbon bookmark around your book and pull the elastic up and around the button to secure it into place.
I love how the elastic band stretches to accommodate the book pages as you get further into your book. You’ll never lose your place in a book again with one of these non slip ribbon bookmarks!
Have fun making your own ribbon bookmarks. Let your imagine run wild by using different types of buttons, ribbon and elastic bands. Don’t forget to share your creations with me!
Fellow Reader says
Will they work on paperback books as well or will they bend the cover?
Christie Selken says
They will work as long as the ribbon is long enough so the elastic doesn’t pull too tight. If it’s too tight the cover could be bent.
Joyce says
Our middle school girls met during homeroom and made them as gifts for teacher appreciation week and to send along to the nursing home. It was inexpensive to prepare for a large group, and came out great. We made over 100.
We hand sewed them Many of the girls had never sewn before, so threading a needle, making a knot, and sewing on a button became a new life skill.
Thanks for sharing.
Melissa says
I thought of this, but maybe wrap it around the thicker side of the book? So it won’t be as likely to bend? Or make it a little bigger to fit that book?
Kelly-Anne says
Oh, these are absolutely gorgeous…would love to try some with my girls group…thank you!
Blessings,
Kelly-Anne
Christie Selken says
Thanks so much, Kelly-Anne. I bet your girls group will love them!
Yvonne says
So very quick and easy loved it shall try this out tomorrow thanks x
Christie Selken says
Have fun making them!
Ana elsa Gubaton says
I love it.i will make a sample for my grand daughter..and maybe she can sell it to her classmates
Thanks for the idea
Florence Shepard FPC, President Minor-Perkins Auxiliary.(NC) says
Will make these in my groups main colors. Thanks so much, this is really cute.
Christie Selken says
Have fun! I’m so glad you like them!
Melissa Coffey says
These are so cute! My daughter is going to make them for Free Enterprise Day at school to sell to the students and teachers. This may be a silly question but does the thickness of the elastic band matter? I wasn’t sure if the thinner bands were better or if the thicker ( medium hold) bands were. Thank you for the instructions for a great project!!!
Christie Selken says
Hi Melissa, I used the elastic bands made for kids, so they aren’t the really thick hair bands. The thicker bands may be stronger, but I think they’d be a lot bulkier, too.
Cindy says
Hi I’m doing a project for school and wanted to do your bookmarks (I hope that’s okay) and was wondering of there was a specific length that you used for the ribbon. Please get back to me soon.
Christie Selken says
It really depends on the size of your book. I placed the ribbon around the book so I could visually see what length I needed. I would measure mine but I’ve already given them to my nieces!
Brooke says
These are great! And so simple to make. This would be a great project to help introduce my daughter to sewing too. Thanks for sharing. We’ll definitely be making these for our summer reading.
Christie Selken says
I’m so glad you like them. They will be perfect for summer reading!
dog says
Won’t the elastic band hurt the pages, if it’s not attached to the cover?
Christie Selken says
If you’re worried about the pages, be sure to keep the elastic band on the outside and place the flat ribbon on the page to mark your place.
Kim says
Thees look like so much fun cant wait to try it 🙂
amy says
smart idea,luv to create simple but usable stuff..
Jill says
These are cute! Just curious where you got the idea for these?
Sew Uber says
Hi Christie. Thank you for sharing this project to us. We included it on our round-up post here, http://sewuber.com/make/for-kids/school-sewing-projects-for-kids/
Please feel free to contact us if you want to add something or if we missed something about this lovely project.
Cheers,
Sandra
P.s. I’m pretty sure my nieces would love this! They love to read. 😉
Christie Selken says
I’m so please you decided to include this project in your round-up. Thank you so much for sharing!! XOXO
Norma says
These are really easy to make. Thank you so much for sharing with us.
Christie Selken says
I’m so glad you like them!
Sweta says
wow.such a cute and useful craft! thanks for posting..
Have featured it here!
http://artsycraftsymom.com/14-bookmark-crafts-for-eager-bookworms/
Christie Selken says
Thank you so much for the inclusion! 🙂
Cheri L. Roman says
This is such a cute idea! What size hair bands do you use? It looks like the small ones, but I’m not sure from the picture.
Christie Selken says
I used the small child sized ones for this project. Thanks for asking!
Auntiepatch says
Genius!
mary ann says
Couldn’t extra buttons be used, maybe 2 mote up the ribbon making it adjustable for different size books?
Christie Selken says
Mary Ann, I LOVE that idea! That sounds like a great option!
Naomi says
I was thinking the same thing. Maybe for girls heart, flower, kitten, etc buttons and for boys trucks, puppies, baseballs etc. buttons.
Justyna says
Great idea. I will do it!
Hunni says
Hello Christie! I’m a first time sewer, and I was thinking this would be great for my nephew and I to do. However, for myself, How would I attach a simple pen pocket thing to it? First, of course, I need to figure out the pocket, but attaching it can be done so many ways I’m stalled.
Christie Selken says
Hi Hunni,
I would suggest you sewing a small piece of ribbon to the ribbon to create a small loop that would hold a pen. Check out the Erin Condren elastic bands in the link below to see what I mean. If you make the ribbon loop large enough it would securely hold a pen. Good luck!
https://www.erincondren.com/elastic-band-trio
Christie
Emily says
Hi! These are gorgeous! I included this post on my latest gift guide post over on my blog. Hope that’s okay?
Here’s the link: http://puttheworldtowrites.co.uk/lifestyle/christmas-gift-guide-diy-homemade-gifts-for-the-traveller-in-your-life/
Emily x
Christie Selken says
Emily, thank you so much for including my bookmarks in your post. I appreciate you sharing so much! XOXO
Sue says
Such a great idea, found as I was scrolling through, I will be using it for my A5 diary as well as a book mark, aren’t the simplest ideas often the best? Thank you for sharing this great idea 😊
Christie Selken says
Yes, I like it when simple works out for me. Thanks for stopping by and checking it out!
andrea says
these are a must try thanks
Deanna Borg says
Love!! This Idea, have tones of random ribbon and buttons, thank you for sharing demo easy to follow and pictures were great!
Christie Selken says
Thanks, Deanna. Have fun using up your ribbons and buttons! XOXO
Jessica says
Love this idea! Made them quickly, my machine isn’t working, so it worked quickly even when hands Ewing! Thank you so much for the easy to follow directions! Can’t wait to make more!!
Christie Selken says
I’m so glad you had fun making them!
Maria Marjorie Painagan says
Really nice! This is a book mark that will never slip away. Thank you for sharing.
Christie Selken says
Thank you, Maria. You’re right, you’ll never lose your spot with this one!
Cheryl Parker says
I used your tutorial (printed out, with the link to your tutorial) to teach my little quilt guild how to make these bookmarks. I made 25 in a day, including sewing the buttons on. The ladies loved them. I just posted them on my blog (with link back to this blog post). Thanks for a great tutorial!
Christie Selken says
I’m so glad you enjoyed making these and were able to share them with others. I’ll be heading over to your blog to check them out!
Christie
Elisabeth GreekGirl says
Beautiful, helpful and simple! Thank you!!
Christie Selken says
I’m so glad you like! 🙂
Kathy says
Hi Christie,
I just wanted to say this looks like a great idea for a bookmark.
I came across it on Pinterest and fell in Love with it the minute I saw it and had to check out the link to get the directions to make it. I think I will give it a try for some gifts for a coworkers. Thanks for sharing the idea.
Dorothy Vandervort says
why couldn’t you use this same pattern for a headband instead of a bookmark?
LouB says
Great idea so thanks for sharing 😊 I’m going to embroider my daughter’s name on the ribbons for her school books that way it will be easy to identify them in a big pile! 😀
Christie Selken says
What an amazing idea! I love it!! 🙂
Gail says
I needed a birthday gift for a teacher friend and these will be great. Thank you for sharing your ideas.
Christie Selken says
I’m so glad you found it helpful!
Hello Sewing says
Hello Christie,
I wanted to let you know that we have featured your ADORABLE ribbon bookmark project with our readers! You can see it here in roundup post “30 Fun and Easy Sewing Projects for Kids and Teens” https://hellosewing.com/30-fun-easy-sewing-projects-kids/
All the best,
Helen
Christie Selken says
Thank you so much for including this project in your roundup! 🙂
Linda says
Has someone else asked ( or suggested) using fabric glue to make this a no sew project? Would it be strong enough?
Christie Selken says
Hi Linda, I don’t think fabric glue would be a strong enough hold. If the rubber band is pulled tightly it could easily come undone.
Rhonda B. says
Going to make these for the third grade class I’m an instructional assistant in. I think they will love these. This will be their Christmas gift. Thanks for a great idea!