I ended up making the cover by a different method.

I cut two of the cover pattern from the paper copy - one in black velvet and one in burgundy velvet.
I then hemmed each of them, and sewed them wrong sides together.

I realised that I had to make holes for the strings, so I made scalloped button holes (from Dillmonte) in gold DMC. I did start off using a metallic gold thread but it was just impossible to use.



While testing the fit of the now double sided cover, I realised that I'd have to sew the edges and make sure that it fit tightly at the folded over edges at each end before I could sew on the embroidered panels. Any slackness, and who knew which way the panels would end up sitting.

I used Sally's extra strong black thread to sew the ends, and now I had my fitted cover.

I've pinned down the front cover panel and now I'm ready to sew it on, as invisibly as possible, which will mean a lot of poking the needle around just underneath the panel.





You can just see the burgundy on the inside edge, as the cover is just a bare millimetre or so taller than the height of the book.

However the angled edges of the cover of the extended back flap (just above and below where the strings come out) are just slightly turned, so you can see some burgundy there. I'll need to cover it with couched gold thread or some cord.