Sweet Sewing Book

Greetings friends! It's NEW pattern day...so let's talk about my Sweet Sewing Book. It all started just playing around in my Studio in March...I was working with the Wildwood Dwellings Fabric Collection from Poppie Cotton and I wanted to show off the detailed motifs. I decided to create a log cabin quilt block that would work for a large needlebook cover and show off a fussy cut motif in the center. The project grew from there, adding several pockets and embellishments...and my Sweet Sewing Book was born. I shared photos and a video of it during the Wildwood Dwellings Fabric Tour and the response was so great, I decided to write a pattern.

My Sweet Sewing Book measures 8.5" W x 6.5" H when closed and 17" W x 6.5" H when open. It has a plethora of specially designed pocket to hold all sorts of hand stitching tools. It has wool blend felt needlebook pages for needles, pins, and a needle minder...and a pocket with ties for embroidery scissors. The largest pocket holds a Nurge Extra Small Square Embroidery Hoop. Dividers in the left side pocket are designed to hold embroidery scissors, a pack of needles, a Stitch Starter Ruler, and a pencil or seam ripper...and there is a hidden pocket behind the largest pocket. A triangular pocket holds thread bobbins or spools or any small tool needed close at hand.

A shank button and elastic provide a secure closure for the book and I enjoyed searching through my vintage buttons for the perfect match. For the models, I used a Goody Colored Hair Elastic to coordinate with the fabrics, but a regular piece of elastic would work just fine. I used Wool Blend Felt from Benzie Design for the needlebook pages and Hand-Dyed Twill Tape from Lady Dot Creates for the scissor ties. If you want to add the sweetest pins, as I did, you must check out Puntini Puntini - they are my favorites! I also used fussy cut motifs from my fabric choices to embellish the inside front cover and needlebook pages.

To give my Sweet Sewing Book softness and stability, I used HeatnBond Fusible Fleece, adhesives, and Stabilizers. The Fusible Fleece makes the cover soft and perfect for quilting. HeatnBond Craft Extra Firm Non-Woven Fusible Interfacing gives the lining stability and strength to hold the pockets. All of the pockets are strengthened with HeatnBond Medium Weight Non-Woven Fusible Interfacing. I used HeatnBond Lite Fusible Adhesive to add the fussy cut fabric embellishments, then stitched them in place.

The pattern is extremely detailed with foundation blocks provided for the cover and I even include instructions for foundation piecing. The pattern is 15 pages and full of color images and photos for every step. You can find it in both paper and/or digital format in my Etsy Shop.

Sweet Sewing Book Digital Pattern: https://blueribbondesigns.etsy.com/listing/4303984363
Sweet Sewing Book Paper Pattern: https://blueribbondesigns.etsy.com/listing/4303974342

Here are photos of the original Sweet Sewing Book, using the Wildwood Dwellings Fabric Collection...and you can visit my YouTube Channel for a video tour: https://youtube.com/shorts/So5FGt-2xfM?si=hpujO6eTllbciGC4

...and here are photos using the House and Home Fabric Collection by Michal Marco for Poppie Cotton...

I hope this new pattern inspires you to create a Sweet Sewing Book of your very own or as a gift for a very special friend...and if you do, I hope you will share a photo or two with me!

Heart Happy

Happy Monday friends! I thought I would stop by for quick visit while I am at my desk this morning (now afternoon - where has my day gone?). I just finished up some correspondence, after spending several hours reporting almost two hundred copyright violations to Pinterest. Yes, I said two hundred. 😔 I could spend time writing about how much it hurts artists and designers when copyrighted charts, patterns, images, videos, etc. are photographed, scanned, shared, and posted illegally - how damaging it is on multiple levels - and how every few weeks when I have to do this I am a heartbroken mess...but instead, I will try to lighten my mood, be as upbeat as I can muster, and share some recent finishes. Like I mentioned in a previous post - I am trying to organize and remove the thousands upon thousands of photos from my iPhone. Today's post includes needlework finishing (not my stitching or designs...just my finishing work and finishing ideas), a couple gifts I created, recent project bag finishes, and some of my quilting. It is a hodgepodge of creative projects that I completed over the last month or so...some happy eye candy to start the week...

Posting these photos has already made my heart happier and I am ready to get started on my next project this afternoon. After a quick lunch, I have several design ideas to chart out and fabric to cut for my next project. 

Take a little time to work on something that makes your heart happy! 💗

Spring Cleaning and Savings

The snow finally started to melt today...the forecast calls for rain all weekend...and I have had more bird sightings...could spring be arriving? I am so ready for sunshine and warmer temperatures....and I'm definitely in the mood for spring cleaning...it is time for a fresh clean start in 2013! I have already started cleaning my studio and going through fabric, notions, embellishments, and patterns...picking fresh new projects and planning upcoming pieces...I am overflowing with creative inspiration!

I thought you might like to help me with my spring cleaning, so I have decided to offer a coupon code for my Etsy shop (which incidentally will officially be one year old next month!)...yep, it is time for my first ever "sale"...time to clean up the shelves and make way for my new items in the works. The store is full of items for St. Patrick's Day and Easter...along with several types of pincushions, needlebooks, stitching cases, small pillows, pin and button packs, lace ornaments, and stitch starter rulers (with or without sleeves). If you have had your eye on something now would be the time to put it in your shopping basket. This will be a shop-wide sale of 10% off your purchase - simply use the coupon code LUCKY0313 at checkout. This special offer will last through 11:59 PM CST Sunday, March 10, 2013 - the discount does not apply to shipping charges and is not valid for previous orders or custom orders/special requests. Shop early for the best selection!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BlueRibbonDesigns

      

For now, I am back to cleaning my studio/office...and daydreaming about new projects and designs I have in the works...so many creative routes to travel...

From The Studio...

Today's post will be a short one...just a few photos to show you what I have been creating for Christmas...these gifts have all been delivered, so I thought I would share them with you. Although my sewing machine is still waiting to be fixed, I managed to get quite a few pieces quilted and sewn before it broke down (or I used my old machine). Each year, I try to make the majority of my gifts - and this year was no exception...

Pincushion Tuffet and Needlebook Scissor Case
My own patterns.
Fabrics: Polka Dot Stitches by Lori Holt of Bee In My Bonnet for Riley Blake
Wee Play by American Jane Patterns Sandy Klop for Moda

Strippy Table Runner
Pattern: "Strippy Table Set" by Patterns by Jean Boyd
Fabric: Sent With Love by Deb Strain for Moda

Machine Embroidered Flour Sack Kitchen Towels
Machine Embroidery:  Vintage Kitchen Set, digitized by Splinters and Threads

Quartered Nines Table Topper
Pattern: Quartered Nines - my own variation...
Fabric: Wiscasset by Minick & Simpson for Moda

Willow Tree Candle Mat
Pieceful Gathering Quilt Shop pattern by Debbie Lazarski
Fabrics: Unknown - Kitted Scraps

Of course I made a few other presents...and purchased some special things too - this is just a sampling of the personalized gifts I have been creating in the studio....

I hope your holidays have been filled with handmade and heartfelt gifts!

A Snow Day...

Just as predicted, winter weather arrived in central Iowa yesterday evening...it started as a rain/sleet mix, then quickly turned to snow (and thunder snow). We received 12" to 14" of snow (on top of a layer of ice) and blizzard-like conditions with winds gusting up to 50 mph...yes, winter has definitely arrived! With the heavy snow, our power was knocked out last night...but we are blessed, as our electricity was restored early this morning. With most of the city shutdown this morning and travel not recommended, today was an official snow day. I made it outside to do a little snow removal and take Simba for a brief walk...he was quite irritated by the harsh weather and I had to force him to go further than the end of our driveway....but who could blame him - with the snow so high, he must feel like he is walking in a tunnel...and with the winds so extreme, he must feel like a little kite. I must say, even with the cold, wind, snow, and ice, it was still beautiful outside - looks like we will be having a white Christmas this year!

View from our deck....

Sunshine trying to peek through....

...and speaking of winter weather and snow...several days ago, I received a FABULOUS Christmas package from my dear friend Robin - I have only opened one of the enclosed gifts....and it was this WONDERFUL winter fabric, which reminds me of our current weather situation...it is Winter Wonderland by Ingrid Slyder for Moda...isn't it marvelous?! 

It was a very quiet day and I decided to do some cooking (a big pot of homemade chili), some baking (molasses cookies), and some sewing (more Etsy shop items and a couple last minute gifts). I finished up the last six Blueberry Crumb Cake Needlebook Scissor Cases...then decided to pull out some bright cheerful fabric (Fresh Flowers by Deb Strain for Moda) and work on some more Stitch Starter Ruler Pocket Sleeves....these will be listed in my Etsy shop soon.

I have just a few more things to finish up in my studio and at my desk...then I will be headed to my comfy stitching nest to work on some model stitching (I think a fire in the fireplace and a hot beverage will be a nice touch)...I have several large projects to get completed in the next few weeks...

I hope you are staying warm and cozy...and enjoying this winter holiday season....