We are near the end of the summer vacation and you have to gear up to start a new academic year. So I am bringing you DIYs on your everyday school supplies this week and in the coming ones.

Let’s start with the beautiful chequered ribbon cover. You cannot make it on your regular school copies, but can create it on your rough or personal notebook.

Things you need

1. Two wide ribbons (different colours)

2. White glue/hot glue

3. One coloured paper

4. Scissors

Directions

Please note that you have to do the pasting step inside the cover of the notebook.

1. Measure the length and width of your notebook and cut the ribbons accordingly. In my case, I cut the red ribbons about 11 inches (seperately), one and half inch extra for pasting on top and the bottom sides, as the actual height of the notebook was 8 inches. But the width was 6 inches, I cut the green ribbons 15 inches as this ribbon was supposed to cover both sides of the notebook cover as in picture 2.

2. Both the height and the width of the notebook will have different coloured ribbons. So choose any colour to be used heightwise and paste next to each other at the bottom of the inside cover, as in picture 3, 4.

3. Similarly, paste the other colour width-wise till you reach the end of the inside cover, picture 5. Leave the ribbons to dry.

4. Turnover the cover, flattened the ribbons on their respective sides, picture 6.

5. To make the chequered pattern; take one ribbon at a time from the bottom of the cover and crossover the ribbon pasted vertically, then cross under to form the pattern, pictures 7, 8.

6. Repeat the steps with all the ribbons; you will notice a beautiful chequered pattern has been created, picture 9. Remember not to pull or tighten the ribbons, keep your grip firm on the ribbons; turn the remaining ribbons inside the cover and paste.

7. You will notice the inside to be messy, as in picture 10.

8. To hide this mess, paste any coloured paper according to the size of your notebook, as in picture 11.

9. To make the bookmark, paste a ribbon on top edge of the inside back cover. See pictures 12, 13.

Your beautiful chequered ribbon notebook cover is ready!

Published in Dawn, Young World July 22nd, 2017