Oilcloth Book Covers

Today I have a quick and easy way to prolong the life of your old cookbooks. As you can see the cookbook on top of the stack has been lovingly used for many years. I decided I really should make a book cover for it, before it completely falls apart.

I love to read old cookbooks, especially this one. It was written by Helen Corbitt, who was often compared to Julia Child because of her innovative recipes and charming sense of humor. Whenever I make creme brulee, this is the cookbook I reach for. Helen Corbitt’s recipe is foolproof. 😉

Can you imagine a cookbook these days without photos? This one only has a few illustrations, like the witty dedication page below. It was published in 1957, and has all the typical instructions you might expect on entertaining and cooking for women of that time.

Tucked between the pages are old recipes my mom kept as bookmarks. They are just as endearing as the cookbook.

I decided to make the book covers out of oilcloth instead of paper or fabric. Oilcloth is used for so many things these days because of its water-resistant properties. When this cookbook was published tablecloths and placements were common household items made from oilcloth. I’m guessing the most common items today, might be baby bibs and grocery or shopping bags. Why not book covers too!

I picked out two coordinating patterns of oilcloth, a blue gingham and a paisley pattern. I decided I might as well make covers for two other cookbooks that have seen better days.

Supplies for this project:

Scissors
Oilcloth
Hot Glue Gun and Glue sticks

First I cut a strip of oilcloth wide enough to fold over the front and back cover and about an inch taller than the book at the top and bottom.

Next I made a fold at the top and bottom securing the fold with hot glue.

The last step was making a pocket in the front and back for the book to slide into. To secure the pocket, I used a bit of hot glue to hold it together.