After the birth of the child, every mother receives a small book from the doctor or clinic where all the results and examinations are recorded. This is called an examination booklet or, for short, UäHeft. At the very first visit to the doctor, the proud mother wants a small bag into which all the documents can be put. It's relatively easy to sew a practical and beautiful U-booklet cover. You can also personalize it so that it appears really special. We'll add instructions and nice ideas soon.
What's inside?
The child's personal U-booklet is a small book in which all examinations and vaccinations are recorded. The child's vaccination certificate and health card are also included. You must bring all of these with you to every doctor's visit so that all examinations can be documented. If the booklet is lost, the pediatrician can create a new one, but this will certainly not be the case if you have onepractical casehat.
Basically, the U-booklet cover can be designed like a book cover made of fabric of your choice. It is important that it corresponds to the dimensions of the U-booklet, although not exactly, but a little larger, otherwise it will end up being too tight after sewing it together. There would also be an extra bag for the vaccination certificate and the health card. A German U-booklet has the following dimensions (closed): W x H - 15 x 21 cm and it makes sense to plan the cover around 16.5 x 23 cm.
WhichTypes of fabricsare well suited for this
Of course, different fabric scraps can be used for the DIY magazine cover. Patchwork fabrics are best. They are colorfully patterned and available in many colors. Natural felt is also suitable for this purpose. It is firm and stable and will certainly fulfill the protective function of a magazine cover. Unfortunately, there is no patterned felt and only available in selected rich colors.
You can use different patterned fabrics for the outer part and the inner lining. It will certainly appear more playful if you combine several pieces of fabric and sew them together using the patchwork principle. If you have already selected and purchased suitable fabrics, you can proceed to cutting them.
Now cut the outer part and lining fabric to 32 x 24 cm each. For the insertion tabs you will also need 2 pieces of fabric, each measuring 22 x 24 cm. The seam allowances of 1 cm for the seam are already included in the information.
You can make the outer part a little more playful and decorate it with appliqués or embroidery. But remember that the U-booklet opens from right to left like any conventional book and a front motif must best be placed on the right.
The two pieces of fabric for the insertion tabs go on the left and right of the inner lining. Now comes the outside part with the nice side down. Then pin everything together with pins. But don't forget to leave a turning opening at the bottom center between the two tabs.
If patchwork and other decorations are to be applied to the outer part, you must do this beforehand, before sewing the two pieces of fabric together. The outer part and the inner lining must be facing each other with the good side facing each other, put together with the pins and now sewn together except for the turning opening. Now stitch the rectangle a foot wide all around.
Shorten the seam allowance down to the turning opening and cut the corners diagonally. Finally, turn everything over and shape the corners nicely. You can use a brush handle for this. Now iron everything nicely. Fold the fabric into the turning opening and iron it smooth.
Now you can make the decorative seams. Everything is stitched again with tight edges all around. The turning opening is also closed. The U-booklet cover is now finished. Relatively easy, right?
Tipsand tricks
In order to make the U-stitch cover more stable and stronger, we recommend placing fleece for reinforcement between the two fabric parts - outer part and inner lining, as well as between the fabric pieces for the tabs. If you would like to add an additional pocket for the vaccination certificate, then cut an additional piece of fabric approximately 13 x 12 cm in size. You need to attach this small pocket before sewing the outer part and the inner lining together.
So that the pieces of fabric do not slip and also to keep their edges clean, it is recommended to first clean them from the inside. As already mentioned, all additional parts that serve for decoration and decoration should be done before sewing the pieces of fabric together.
To ensure that the U-booklet always remains neatly closed and that no documents fall out of it, we recommend attaching a closure. This can be a nice ribbon, button, loop or even comfortable handles for carrying.
Sew the ribbon in the middle along the entire outside. If you use a snap fastener, you will have to allow a large gap for it when cutting the pieces of fabric. A simple button with a loop can be added later. Sew the button to the right front and the loop to the one underneath. It's best to make a small opening and insert the loop there. Afterwards, sew on it several times to make it nice and stable.
To make the U-heft comfortable to carry and take with you, you can incorporate two great handles. You do this before you sew the outer part and the inner lining together. For this you need about 4 pieces of 4-5 cm wide and 30 cm long strips of fabric.
Cut the strips and add fleece between them to strengthen them. Connect two strips together, turn over and iron nicely. Fold the outer edges inward about 5 mm and iron smooth. The fleece comes in between and sew everything on on both sides. Now insert the handles between the outer part and the inner lining, secure with pins and stitch everything around.
A U-booklet cover is always a nice and practical gift for newborns. Furthermore, it is not at all complicated or difficult to sew one yourself. You can also make a whole set with the same motifs. If you make something like this yourself for a small child, not only is the process a lot of fun, but it's also a lot of fun to give as a gift later.
