Sunday Sewing

It's been too long since I had a Sunday afternoon of sewing...and today, I finally made time to work on some gifts. I started out working on a couple personalized journals (shown below)...these are one of my favorite gifts to make. I enjoy choosing fabrics for the recipients...and using my 5D Professional Software to machine embroider names for the covers (the Express Monogram Wizard in the software makes it SO easy!). The two shown below have the names blurred as I have obviously not given them to the recipients yet.

I have been cherishing this fabric (Willimasburg R Presents The Sampler Collection by Windham Fabrics - this is an older, retired fabric). I have shown quite a few of these journal covers to you before - they are so much fun to work on...and easy to personalize! The cover actually fits over a composition notebook that can easily be found at any office supply store - it measures 9 3/4" h x 7 1/2"w. The supply list is minimal - this is a great project for using up scraps of fabric...and they can easily be embellished with all sorts of trims, buttons, and/or embroidery. Best of all, there are two FREE patterns available online! The pattern used for the journals in my photo below is from an older Quilts and More Quarterly Challenge and can be found in PDF form on the allpeoplequilt.com website. For a slightly smaller version (made to fit a spiral bound A5 art diary 8 1/4" h x 6 1/4" w) visit the Moda Bake Shop Blog for an excellent tutorial called "Journal Covers". These journals are the perfect size for making a list, taking notes, or writing down your personal thoughts....and to top it off, make a lovely gift! I have made quite a few of these and each one is unique and special - I like to embroider the recipients name on a piece of wool felt or fabric and applique it to the front...and there are so many other ways you could make these covers recipient specific. I hope you will try making one of these fun quilted journals...for yourself...and/or a friend!

After completing the two journals, I had several leftover sections of quilted scrap fabric...and some tiny scrap pieces...so I decided to put them to good use and make three tuffet pincushions. I love making these pincushions and I just couldn't let any of this special fabric go to waste. This was my first attempt at making a couple "longer" versions of this tuffet; and I have to say, I do like how they turned out...I even tried adding some cotton lace trim around the perimeter of one. I usually back these pincushions with wool fabric and add a few unique pins for a special touch. So, if you decide to make yourself a quilted journal, be sure to take advantage of your leftover scraps and make a coordinating pincushion or two!