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!
Will they work on paperback books as well or will they bend the cover?
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.
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?
Oh, these are absolutely gorgeous…would love to try some with my girls group…thank you!
Blessings,
Kelly-Anne
Thanks so much, Kelly-Anne. I bet your girls group will love them!
So very quick and easy loved it shall try this out tomorrow thanks x
Have fun making them!
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
Will make these in my groups main colors. Thanks so much, this is really cute.
Have fun! I’m so glad you like them!
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!!!
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.
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.
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!
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.
I’m so glad you like them. They will be perfect for summer reading!
Won’t the elastic band hurt the pages, if it’s not attached to the cover?
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.
Thees look like so much fun cant wait to try it 🙂
smart idea,luv to create simple but usable stuff..
These are cute! Just curious where you got the idea for these?
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. 😉
I’m so please you decided to include this project in your round-up. Thank you so much for sharing!! XOXO
These are really easy to make. Thank you so much for sharing with us.
I’m so glad you like them!
wow.such a cute and useful craft! thanks for posting..
Have featured it here!
http://artsycraftsymom.com/14-bookmark-crafts-for-eager-bookworms/
Thank you so much for the inclusion! 🙂
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.
I used the small child sized ones for this project. Thanks for asking!
Genius!
Couldn’t extra buttons be used, maybe 2 mote up the ribbon making it adjustable for different size books?
Mary Ann, I LOVE that idea! That sounds like a great option!
I was thinking the same thing. Maybe for girls heart, flower, kitten, etc buttons and for boys trucks, puppies, baseballs etc. buttons.
Great idea. I will do it!
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.
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
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
Emily, thank you so much for including my bookmarks in your post. I appreciate you sharing so much! XOXO
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 😊
Yes, I like it when simple works out for me. Thanks for stopping by and checking it out!
these are a must try thanks
Love!! This Idea, have tones of random ribbon and buttons, thank you for sharing demo easy to follow and pictures were great!
Thanks, Deanna. Have fun using up your ribbons and buttons! XOXO
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!!
I’m so glad you had fun making them!
Really nice! This is a book mark that will never slip away. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Maria. You’re right, you’ll never lose your spot with this one!
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!
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
Beautiful, helpful and simple! Thank you!!
I’m so glad you like! 🙂
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.
why couldn’t you use this same pattern for a headband instead of a bookmark?
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! 😀
What an amazing idea! I love it!! 🙂
I needed a birthday gift for a teacher friend and these will be great. Thank you for sharing your ideas.
I’m so glad you found it helpful!
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
Thank you so much for including this project in your roundup! 🙂
Has someone else asked ( or suggested) using fabric glue to make this a no sew project? Would it be strong enough?
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.
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!