Cut Out + Keep | How To » Binder / Legal Pad Keeper

The Sweetest Thing... Makes You Want One.

I was toying around on the sewing machine last night, and this is what resulted:

The absolute cutest binder/legal pad keeper. Ever.
-Here's how I made it:

I used this adorable fabric my mom picked out to make curtains for her kitchen, and a simple off-white cotton.
I cut my cardboard pieces to be sewn inside (like a real binder) from a Guitar Hero Box (approx. 10" x 13" & 2" x 13"), and then placed them on top of the pieces of fabric I cut about two inches wider and longer than the cardboard on all sides.

I marked the corners of each of the pieces of cardboard with Tailor's Chalk.
Then I took the piece that was to be the outside cover, cut a messy-looking flower from the off-white cotton, and sewed it on, almost as messily as I cut it, but hey, it looked super cute in the end. :)

I added a circle from the green and red fabric for the middle of the flower, then frayed the edges of the flower, giving it a home-y feel.
Next, I cut two rectangles for the two pockets to be sewn on the inside cover. I cut about a half inch wide strip from the cotton and pinned in to the thicker fabric, folding it over the top edge, and straight stitched it all the way. (I did this once more for the other pocket.)
I sewed the pockets on, using the same straight stitch.
I placed the two covers right-sides-facing and sewed both sides and the bottom together, leaving the top to place the cardboard pieces inside.
(I cut a slit in the right side of the inside cover for the back of the legal pad to fit through, make sure its about and inch and a half from the top of the fabric, to leave room to sew the top together. I messed up on this, only leaving about 3/4 of an inch.)

Then, once placing them inside, I sewed in between my marks with the tailor's chalk, to keep the cardboard pieces from moving around.
I folded the edges of the top in to sew together (top stitch), giving it a nice smooth line, and then top stitched around the whole binder.