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🎄Sew Easy! DIY Corner Bookmarks for Christmas in July (+ Free Tag & Design Downloads)
- Nichole Jensen
- Jul 5
- 4 min read
Ever find yourself scrambling in December to finish handmade gifts, feeling overwhelmed or—let’s be real—abandoning them altogether? 😩 Let’s break that cycle this year. Start your holiday crafting early with scrappy, fast, and fabulously giftable DIY corner bookmarks!
These quick-sew beauties fit any book size, are perfect for using up fabric scraps, and make charming gifts for teachers, friends, neighbors—or to stock up for holiday markets and craft fairs. Plus, I’ve got free printable designs to help you personalize them and printable tags to package them effortlessly!
🧵Why You'll Love These DIY Corner Bookmarks
✅ Use up fabric scraps
✅ Beginner-friendly sewing project
✅ Quick to batch-sew for gifts and sales
✅ Fits all book sizes snugly without damaging pages
✅ Free downloadable designs and tags included!
I'm sewing a whole stack of these for Christmas in July, so come join me and get a head start on holiday gifting!
Watch the video tutorial:
✂️ Supplies You’ll Need
Fabric & Notions:
3 pieces of cotton fabric, each 4”x4”
3 pieces of extra firm iron-on interfacing, 3½” x 3½” (I use Heat n Bond Extra Firm for a crisp finish)
Matching or coordinating all-purpose thread
Or fabric scissors
Sewing machine
Iron + ironing board
Helpful Tools:
Sewing clips or pins
Sewing stiletto (or use a pokey tool - you can even make your own!)
Lighter for thread ends
Thin plastic cutting board (great for fussy-cutting templates)
How to Sew a Corner Bookmark Step by Step:
Create a template with the thin plastic cutting board that is 4" x 4" with a line drawn down the middle from one corner to the other. Use this to cut your fabric for the triangle piece keeping in mind the center line is where your fabric will be folded.
Cut your three pieces of interfacing and cut one in half from corner to corner.
Fuse the interfacing to the back of two fabric squares. Iron from the front of the fabric to prevent the interfacing from buckling or singeing.
For the triangle flap, take a third square, fold it in half diagonally, and press it with an iron to form a triangle. Then add interfacing to the back of just the triangle half and iron in place (again from the front of the fabric).
To assemble the bookmark, start with one of the interfaced squares placed right side up. Position the triangle piece on top, aligning the raw edges and placing the folded edge toward the center. Then layer the second square on top, right side down, sandwiching the triangle piece in between. Use clips or pins to hold everything in place.
Next, sew around the edges using a ¼-inch seam allowance, leaving a 2-inch gap along the bottom edge that you do not sew at this point.
After sewing, trim the corners carefully—being sure not to cut through the seam—and turn the piece right side out. Use a turning tool to push out the corners for a crisp finish.
Fold the raw edge of the opening inward and press it flat. Topstitch around the entire edge with a narrow 1/16-inch seam to give it a polished look BUT DO NOT BACKSTITCH AT THE BEGINNING OR END.
To prevent a "backstitch blob" on the front of your bookmark:
Leave long thread tails at the start and end of the topstitching. Flip the bookmark over so you are looking at the back. Gently pull on one of the bobbin threads until the tiny loop of thread from the top thread pops to the back. Use a stiletto or pokey tool to grab the loop and pull the top thread to the back of the bookmark.
Repeat this process for the second top thread.
Tie the ends of both the top threads and bobbin threads together with a knot so they are flat against the fabric. Trim the threads and lightly burn them so they shrink and melt together.
🎨 Add Your Own Design
You can personalize these bookmarks in three easy ways:
1. Store-Bought Iron-On Transfers
Cut out the design, place face down on the bookmark and cover the areas you don't want the design to transfer to with parchment paper, and iron with a Cricut EasyPress Mini or iron with no steam.
Trim edges if needed, peel off the carrier sheet, and protect finished areas with additional parchment paper while adding more designs.
2. Free Printable PNG Transfers
Remember to mirror words for correct transfer. My printable designs have been mirrored for you.
Place the design face down on the bookmark and iron the back.
Peel off the backing making sure the design has transferred successfully.
3. Cricut or Silhouette SVG Designs
Upload and ungroup the designs.
Select each group of elements for a design and under the combine heading on the right, click Weld.
Resize each design to be 2” wide x 1.5” tall.
Delete the designs you don't want.
Click Make and on the next screen toggle on the Mirror button for each color of htv you will be cutting.
Click Continue and once your computer has recognized your Cricut, change the setting to Everyday Iron-On. I change my pressure setting from Default to More.
Place your heat transfer vinyl shiny side down on the cutting mat and cut out the designs.
Weed out any areas you don't want like the centers of letters and the background.
Iron onto fabric using a Cricut EasyPress Mini or household iron with no steam.
Cover the entire design with parchment paper and iron it one more time to make sure everything is secure.
🏷️ Make Gifting and Selling Easier
Want to sell or gift these with polish? I’ve designed a printable instruction tag for your bookmarks—perfect for craft fairs, stocking stuffers, or little thoughtful bundles.🎁 Grab the tags in my Etsy shop.
🛍️ Perfect for:
Holiday stocking stuffers
Book club gifts
Craft fairs and makers markets
Teacher & neighbor appreciation
Secret Santa surprises
📌 Final Thoughts + Freebies
These little bookmarks might be small, but they pack big personality and usefulness. Whether you're crafting for fun or prepping for gift season, this is a fast project with endless possibilities.
🎁 Don’t forget:
👉 Ready to Start?
Pin this post, gather your scraps, and let’s get sewing.
Happy crafting!