A Spoonful of Sugar: Portable Picasso Portfolio

Greetings, friends—welcome! I’m delighted to share a brand-new project tutorial as part of the A Spoonful of Sugar Blog Tour. I’ve teamed up with Therm O Web to create something extra special—the Portable Picasso Portfolio—a charming, travel-friendly art wallet designed to keep young creatives happily occupied wherever their adventures take them.

This project was such a joy to design, blending functional sewing with playful details and just a touch of sparkle. The Portable Picasso Portfolio is sized perfectly to slip into a tote or purse and unfolds to reveal space for crayons and a small notepad—making it an ideal on-the-go activity for errands, travel days, or quiet moments away from home. I’m sharing the full step-by-step tutorial over on the Therm O Web blog, where you’ll find all the details to make one (or several!) of your own.

The star of this project is the utterly enchanting A Spoonful of Sugar fabric collection by Jennifer Long of Sew A Story for Riley Blake Designs. Inspired by the whimsical world of Mary Poppins, this collection is bursting with storybook charm—featuring beloved characters, graceful florals, playful kites, and delightful teacups. The soft color palette and nostalgic illustrations feel as though they’ve stepped straight out of a classic tale, making them the perfect match for a project designed with childhood creativity in mind. I’ve paired these fabrics with the coordinating Sparkle Stencil and HeatnBond Sparkle Paste to add a glimmery accent, because every project deserves a little magic. Truly, it’s practically perfect in every way.

This project also pairs perfectly with my Joyful Journal Jacket pattern, making it easy to create a coordinated creative set for the whole family. While the Portable Picasso Portfolio was designed with kids in mind, the Joyful Journal Jacket is tailored for teens and adults, offering a stylish and functional cover for journals, planners, or notebooks. Sewn together in coordinating fabrics, these two projects make a thoughtful gift pairing or a fun way to encourage creativity at every age—proof that handmade artistry isn’t just for little ones. If you’re looking to extend the joy of making beyond this project, you’ll definitely want to check out the Joyful Journal Jacket tutorial as well.

To create the Portable Picasso Portfolio, you’ll use a combination of coordinating fabrics and Therm O Web products to add structure, durability, and a bit of magical sparkle. Below is a list of supplies used for the project shown. You’ll find all the step-by-step instructions and helpful tips for using these products in the full tutorial on the Therm O Web blog:

🔗https://www.thermoweb.com/blogs/blog/a-spoonful-of-sugar-portable-picasso-portfolio

These are the supplies I used, including the Sparkle Stencil and Sparkle Paste:

A quick note: some of the links you’ll find here are affiliate links. If you choose to buy through them, I may earn a small commission. That support helps keep this blog running and ad-free for everyone—thank you for being here!

• HeatnBond VersaCraft Firm Non-Woven Single-Sided Fusible Interfacing
• HeatnBond Fusible Fleece
• HeatnBond Medium Weight Non-Woven Fusible Interfacing
• HeatnBond Sparkle Paste by Jennifer Long of Sew A Story — Sugar
• HeatnBond Sparkle Stencil by Jennifer Long of Sew A Story — A Spoonful of Sugar
• SpraynBond Pattern & Stencil Spray
• HeatnBond Pressing Paper Fabric & Craft Sheets (1 sheet)
• HeatnBond Fabric Fuse Peel n Stick Fabric Adhesive Tape, 5/8”
• Cotton Fabric from the A Spoonful of Sugar collection by Jennifer Long for Riley Blake Designs
• Palette knife, foam brush, or paintbrush
• ¼” flat elastic — 7½” piece (sample uses black)
• Basic sewing tools (iron, cutting mat, rotary cutter, ruler, small sharp scissors, wooden iron or spoon, sewing machine)
• Clover Hera Marker or pencil
• Wonder Clips
• 4” x 6” blank notepad
• Crayons

If you’re ready to stitch up your own Portable Picasso Portfolio, be sure to hop over to the Therm O Web blog, where you’ll find the complete step-by-step tutorial along with helpful tips for using their products to add structure and sparkle to your project. This is a quick, satisfying make that’s perfect for gifting or for keeping little hands happily creating while on the go—and it’s a wonderful way to showcase the charm of the A Spoonful of Sugar fabric collection.

I hope you’ll feel inspired to gather your supplies, click through to the tutorial, and start sewing along. When your project is finished, I’d love to see it! Be sure to share your Portable Picasso Portfolio on social media and tag me, so I can admire your creativity. There’s something truly special about handmade projects that encourage imagination—happy sewing, and enjoy creating a little magic of your own!

Matilda Fabric Tour – A Sweet Nod to Nostalgia

Greetings, friends! I’m so excited to be joining the Matilda Fabric Tour, featuring Matilda, a delightful new collection designed by Terri Henson for Poppie Cotton. This line instantly stole my heart with its bright and beautiful blend of nature-inspired prints and timeless charm.

Matilda is full of vintage florals, fluttering butterflies, tone-on-tone designs, and classic geometrics that evoke a lovely sense of nostalgia. The color palette is equally charming—pretty pinks and reds, cheerful yellows and whites, soft teals, and leafy greens—all coming together to create a fresh and playful collection that’s perfect for quilting, crafting, and sewing projects of all kinds.

For my stop on the tour, I created several projects using Matilda, all of which are original designs made specifically to showcase this beautiful fabric line.

Tulip Table Runner

The first project is my Tulip Table Runner, made from my own pattern, Tulip Table Runner & Alphabet House Mug Rugs. The finished size is 33.5” x 12.5”, making it a perfect accent piece for a table, sideboard, or dresser.

This runner combines fusible appliqué with traditional piecing, allowing the Matilda prints to really shine. The soft florals and gentle colors pair beautifully with the tulip shapes, giving the piece a sweet, spring-inspired feel. I used Country Confetti for the sashing, border, and binding, which adds just the right amount of contrast while still keeping everything cohesive.

If you love floral appliqué and enjoy projects that come together quickly but still make an impact, this runner is a joy to stitch.

Alphabet House Mug Rugs

Next up are two Alphabet House Mug Rugs, also from the Tulip Table Runner & Alphabet House Mug Rugs pattern. Each mug rug finishes at 9.5” x 6.5” and features fusible appliqué.

These little houses are full of charm and make such fun, functional décor. A tiny ¼” button is used for each doorknob, adding a touch of whimsy and dimension. I used Country Confetti for the background, which allows the Matilda prints to stand out while keeping the overall look soft and inviting.

These mug rugs are perfect for gifting, seasonal decorating, or adding a little handmade happiness to your afternoon snack.

Rosy Zippered Pouch

The final project is my Rosy Zippered Pouch, an original design created especially for this tour. This pouch measures 9.5” x 6.5” x 3.5”, making it a great size for storing sewing notions, cosmetics, or everyday essentials. There isn’t a pattern for this project—I simply made it up as I went along, letting the Matilda fabrics guide the design and details along the way.

One of my favorite details on this pouch is the hand-dyed lace from Lady Dot Creates featured between the patchwork and the focal fabric—it adds such a lovely vintage touch that pairs beautifully with the Matilda collection. I also created a 3-D wool felt rose embellishment (using Benzie Design Wool Blend Felt), finished with a ¼” button in the center, for a bit of extra texture and charm. A red tab zipper pull completes the look.

The back and lining are made with Country Confetti, tying everything together and giving the pouch a polished finish inside and out.

A Perfect Collection for Creative Sewing

Matilda is truly a joy to sew with. The prints mix effortlessly, the colors are uplifting, and the overall feel is both nostalgic and fresh. Whether you’re making home décor, small gifts, or quilts, this collection offers endless creative possibilities.

I’d love to see what you create! If you stitch with Matilda, please share your projects in the comments or tag me on social media so I can cheer you on. And be sure to visit the Poppie Cotton blog for even more inspiration from the rest of the Matilda Fabric Tour—there are so many beautiful projects to see.

If Matilda has captured your heart, be sure to stop by your local quilt shop or your favorite online quilt store and ask for it—it’s shipping to shops this month. While you’re shopping, take a look at Country Confetti, which makes a perfect choice for linings and backgrounds.

Thank you for visiting my stop on the Matilda Fabric Tour! I hope these projects have inspired you to pull out your sewing machine and stitch something that brings a little happiness to your day.

Happy sewing and creating!

A Spoonful of Sugar: Joyful Journal Jacket

Greetings, friends! Happy Monday! You’re in for a happy treat today—it’s the A Spoonful of Sugar Blog Tour on the Therm O Web blog.

🪄If you’ve ever believed that creativity is just a little more fun with a dash of imagination (and maybe a spoonful of sugar), then today’s project is sure to make you smile. I’m absolutely delighted to be part of the A Spoonful of Sugar Blog Tour, celebrating the brand‑new A Spoonful of Sugar fabric collection by Jennifer Long of Sew A Story for Riley Blake Designs—and yes, it’s inspired by the timeless magic of Mary Poppins.

🫖One of the things that makes this collection extra special is that it was designed by a fellow Therm O Web team member, Jennifer Long of Sew A Story for Riley Blake Designs. Jennifer truly has a gift for creating the sweetest, most imaginative fabric collections, and A Spoonful of Sugar is no exception. Her designs are filled with storybook charm and playful details, and if you have littles in the house—or grandchildren—you’ll absolutely love the creative ideas she shares. If you’re not already following her, you’ll want to fix that right away! You can find Jennifer on Instagram at @sewastory_jenniferlong and explore her wonderful world of storytelling through fabric at www.sewastory.com.

🌂This enchanting collection features beloved characters, storybook text, graceful florals, parasols, kites, and the sweetest teacups and teapots, all wrapped in a soft, cheerful palette of blue, gold, peach, white, green, and pink. It’s practically perfect for projects meant to hold memories, ideas, and creative dreams—which is exactly why I chose it for my Joyful Journal Jacket.

💮I’ve teamed up with Therm O Web to create a special tutorial showing how to use their products to achieve beautiful, polished results when making a journal cover sized for a standard composition notebook. The blog post featuring my Joyful Journal Jacket pattern (available in my Etsy shop)—including tips, techniques, and all the Mary Poppins charm—is live over on the Therm O Web blog, and you won’t want to miss it!

🪁 Hop on over to the Therm O Web blog to see all the tips and tricks here:

👉 https://www.thermoweb.com/blogs/blog/a-spoonful-of-sugar-blog-tour-joyful-journal-jacket

🥄For my Joyful Journal Jacket, I rely on a handful of trusted Therm O Web products to achieve a polished, professional finish. Each of these plays an important role in the construction of the jacket and is listed in the pattern for easy reference:

• HeatnBond® Fusible Fleece
• HeatnBond® Medium Weight Non‑Woven Fusible Interfacing
• SpraynBond® Basting Adhesive Spray
• Pressing Paper Fabric & Craft Sheets
• HeatnBond® Fabric Fuse® Peel ’n Stick Fabric Adhesive Tape (⅝″)

🕮You can find the Joyful Journal Jacket in digital and/or paper format in my Etsy shop:

• Digital: https://blueribbondesigns.etsy.com/listing/928107884
• Paper: https://blueribbondesigns.etsy.com/listing/1232489096

✐Whether you use your journal for writing, sketching, planning, or creative play, this project is designed to protect your notebook while making it a joy to reach for every day. And if you’re following along with the A Spoonful of Sugar Blog Tour, be sure to visit the other stops for even more inspiring projects using this charming collection.

✨ Mark your calendars! Here are the upcoming dates to visit the Therm O Web blog and see even more projects featuring A Spoonful of Sugar:

• Belinda - Blue Ribbon Designs — February 23
• Julia - Inflorescence Designs — March 9
• Therm O Web — March 16
• Dori - The Red Feedsack — March 23
• Deb - Sprouting Jube Jube — March 30

☂️As always, if you make your own Joyful Journal Jacket, I’d love to see it! Tag me on social media when you share your project—I truly enjoy seeing how you make Blue Ribbon Designs your own. Until next time, may your stitches be neat, your ideas plentiful, and your creativity sprinkled with just a bit of everyday magic.

Hey Love Bug Fabric Tour: Four Projects to Sew

Greetings, friends!

Welcome to my stop on the Hey Love Bug Fabric Tour! I’m smitten with this whimsical new Poppie Cotton collection by McKenzie Elston—a joyful romp of beetles, bees, butterflies, caterpillars, ladybugs, and a cheeky nod to the iconic love bug car. The supporting prints—tossed flowers, a tidy geometric grid, and a petite hexi print—mix and match effortlessly in a fresh, cheerful palette of reds, pinks, yellows, and blues. Inspired by the charm and movement of these prints, I stitched up four original projects, each designed on the fly in my studio: a set of fabric canisters, a patchwork art portfolio, a patchwork pouch, and a coordinating wool felt flower pincushion. I hope they spark ideas for your own sewing table and make you fall in love with this collection as much as I have!

Patchwork Art Portfolio

Sketching is the starting point for my original sewing projects, so I dreamed up a trifold patchwork art portfolio to keep my ideas and tools together. It fits a standard 5½″ × 8½″ sketchbook and opens to 24″ W × 12″ H (8″ W × 12″ H when closed). Inside, there are multiple pockets for extra paper and small rulers, plus 18 pencil pockets so my colored pencils and pens have a proper home. The gingham ribbon ties are a sweet, simple closure—pure cottage charm. The patchwork exterior lets the collection’s colors and motifs shine together, while the thoughtful interior keeps everything tidy and ready for on-the-go creativity. Again, no pattern—this was a playful, make-it-up-as-I-go sew. If there’s interest, I may write one!

Set of 3 Fabric Canisters

I wanted a practical-yet-pretty way to corral notions, so I stitched a set of three fabric canisters—each 5″ in diameter, with heights of 3½″, 5½″, and 7½″. They’re lined with Country Confetti for a crisp interior finish, and I used a BRAND-NEW product from Therm O Web—VersaFoam Single-Sided Fusible Foam Stabilizer—to give them that upright, sturdy structure we all want in containers. The round forms really showcase the playful motifs, and the multiple sizes make them endlessly useful for thread, trims, and tools. I snapped a photo of the trio alongside the Poppie Cotton Cutting Mat, Ruler, and Rotary Cutter, because they felt right at home together. There’s no pattern for these—just me, experimenting in the studio—proof that a favorite fabric collection is the best muse.

Pretty Patchwork Pouch

This 9″ W × 9½″ H × 4″ D patchwork pouch is my love letter to tiny details. I added pink rick rack between the patchwork and focal fabric for a cheerful, dimensional edge, then stitched a 3‑D wool felt flower in place—inspired by one of the prints—with a mini ¼″ button at the center. Of course, the wool felt is from Benzie Design. Inside, it’s lined with Country Confetti, and I finished it with a fun zipper pull because little moments of joy matter. Like the others, there’s no pattern—just a happy blend of texture, color, and whimsy that celebrates the spirit of Hey Love Bug.

Coordinating Wool Felt Flower Pincushion

To round out the set, I stitched a coordinating wool felt flower pincushion inspired by the collection’s sweet blooms and garden friends. It’s made entirely of Benzie Design wool felt, hand stitched and embroidered with DMC floss for subtle definition, and topped with a tiny wool felted ladybug that makes me smile every time I see it. I tucked in specialty pins from (my favorite!) Puntini Puntini to echo the collection’s palette and personality. This one is my own design (no pattern)—a happy, satisfying make that ties the whole group together and brings a bit of soft sculpture to the sewing room.

Thanks so much for visiting my stop on the Hey Love Bug Fabric Tour! Sewing with this collection was pure delight—from the playful insects and dainty florals to the bright, happy colors. I’d love to hear which project is your favorite, and whether you’d be interested in a pattern for the art portfolio. A huge thank you to Poppie Cotton for the beautiful fabrics and to Therm O Web for the sneak peek at VersaFoam—it gave the canisters such lovely softness and structure.

Show me what you make! If you stitch with Hey Love Bug, please share your projects in the comments or tag me on social media so I can cheer you on. And don’t forget to visit the Poppie Cotton blog for even more inspiration from the rest of the tour.

If Hey Love Bug has stolen your heart, pop by your local quilt shop or visit your favorite online quilt shop and ask for it—it’s shipping to shops this month. Supporting your local shop keeps our quilting community thriving. While you're there, peek at Country Confetti for linings and backgrounds. Plus, keep an eye out for Therm O Web’s NEW VersaFoam—Sew-In, Single-Side Fusible, and Double-Sided Fusible yardage—debuting on their website this month. It’s truly a sewing game changer!

Happy sewing and creating!