Cases & Covers · Starter bench · 5 Bench hours · 3 min read

Refillable A5 Notebook Cover With a Pen Sleeve

The whole point of a refillable cover is that it outlives the notebook inside it. That only works if the cover is sized to the notebook you can actually buy next year — an A5 refill is 148 × 210 mm, and a cover cut even 4 mm tight will not take a thicker refill with 100 pages instead of 80. Five hours, 0.11 m², one piece plus a sleeve.

Materials

  • Veg-tan cowhide1.6 mm, 0.11 m²
  • Elastic cord20 mm round, 210 mm
  • Waxed thread0.8 mm chestnut, about 5 m

Tools

  • Pricking irons4.0 mm, 2 + 6 tooth
  • Bone folderfor the two spine folds
  • Skiverfor the 0.8 mm spine band
  • Round punch4 mm for the cord anchor hole

Bench hours

  • 5 hStarter bench
  • 4 mmStitch pitch
  • 0.8 mm waxed polyester, chestnutThread
  • Vegetable-tanned cowhide, 1.6 mm with a 1.0 mm pen sleeveHide
  • 4/5 oz (1.6–2.0 mm)Thickness
Hardware
2 parts
Cut list
3 pieces
Published
2026-10-27
By The Leather Bench
Stitch pitch
4 mm

Cut list Hole array drawn from the spacing in the spec table; dimensions in millimetres.

Refillable A5 Notebook Cover With a Pen Sleeve
Piece Size (mm) Qty
Cover panel 460 × 230 mm ×1
Pen sleeve 170 × 60 mm ×1
Cord anchor 30 × 22 mm ×1

Bench sequence 4 mm · 0.8 mm waxed polyester, chestnut

  1. Cut for the thickest refill you might buy

    A 148 × 210 mm A5 refill runs between 8 mm and 14 mm thick depending on page count. Cut the cover panel 460 × 230 mm and fold at 152 mm and 308 mm, and the spine gap comes out at 156 mm — enough for a 14 mm refill plus the elastic band that holds it, with 4 mm to spare on each side of the block.

    Skive both fold bands 12 mm wide down to 0.9 mm from the flesh side, crease, and dry flat. Skipping the skive here is what makes covers that will not lie flat on a desk, which defeats the purpose of a refillable notebook.

  2. The pen sleeve goes on the back, and it must be loose

    A 170 × 60 mm sleeve stitched along the top and bottom edges, open at both ends, mounted 20 mm up from the bottom of the back panel. Both ends open is deliberate: a closed-end sleeve traps grit and the pen cap scratches the leather every time it goes in.

    The sleeve is cut 12 mm taller than the pen diameter. A 13 mm barrel needs a 25 mm sleeve channel. Cutting it snug is the most common mistake on this order — a snug sleeve will not take a fountain pen with a clip, and it stretches the leather permanently after a week.

  3. Elastic closure: measure it on the closed cover

    The closure is a 20 mm elastic cord anchored under a 30 × 22 mm tab riveted to the back panel. Run the cord around the closed cover with a refill inside and note the length, then subtract 15 percent. For an A5 cover that is typically 210 mm before tension, which holds the cover shut without bowing it.

    A cord that is too tight bows the front panel outward within a month and the notebook will not sit flat. Too loose and the cover falls open in a bag. Anchor the cord with a rivet through the tab and cord together, not a hole punched through the leather alone.

  4. Finish, then break it in

    Bevel and burnish both the outer edges and the sleeve edges with gum, and leave the grain side unfinished. Then load the cover with a refill, close it, and put it under 3 kg of weight overnight. The folds will set at the thickness of that refill, so use the thickest refill you plan to carry.

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