Quilted and embroidered All-In-One Tablet Case

Drawing using the mouse on a daily basis is difficult for the wrist and time consuming. I know it from my own experience because I'm doing this for years.
Recently I went to the next level: using a graphic tablet. For now, my brain still believes it is a mouse pad and I tend not to go near the edges with the pencil, but it is so fun to see my doodle on the screen, that I'm sure I'll get used to it.
Because I don't need it all the time, I have to protect it from dust and scratches when standing aside. And so comes the reason to create a new sewing pattern.

All-In-One Tablet Case

I have not found in my closet fabrics to match it, so I quickly painted a piece of cloth. While it was drying, I had drawn and digitized a cat face. Don't ask me why a cat, it just came to me as I was drawing.

I embroidered...

...and quilted the front panel...

...I quilted the back panel and added my little label.

I even quilted a little ball of string for the cat. Do you see it? It's above the label.

"All-in-one" means that the case keeps inside not only the tablet but also the needed accessories, in this tricky zippered pocket.

And this is my All-In-One quilted and embroidered Tablet Case.

I hope you like it as much as I do.

Have a beautiful day, my dears!

My dear doll - two pillows for two little girls

I finished the mix-of-techniques project started about ten days ago.

I  have drawn the two dolls having in mind that they will become appliques: with simple shapes, minimum details and above all, not too small pieces.

At the same time, I was thinking about what kind of stitches I will use for securing the edges in an esthetic and functional way - they will be on usable objects and will be washed many times.

But then another problem came up: to use one color of thread or many? As you may see, I chose many. I kept the same thread in the bobbin (a simple thread I used for piecing), so I changed only the upper thread and the whole thing was not so time consuming. Yes, it is not the first time I broke the "use-the-same-quality/color-thread-on-both-places-of-your-sewing-machine" rule. Usually my sewing machine approves this.
I stitched first all requiring the same color of thread and then I moved to those needing another color, and so on.
Besides doll faces elements and names, I did all the other stitches having the quilt top on the batting and backing, as I wanted the dolls components to detach from the background.
For the faces and names I digitized the drawings and gave the stitching job to my embroidery machine. But I'm sure they give no problem even for a beginner in hand embroidery.

The patchwork part shows its simplest layouts: the green frames added to the central dolls panels and a few pieced patches for the two colors-prairie points.
The quilting includes the stitches of the appliqued dolls and the straight lines stitched throughout the frame. I used both the free motion foot (for the hair, hearts and background) and the walking foot.

While writing these things I realized that it is more complicated to describe in words than do "My dear doll" mix-of-techniques-project.

I keep working on this pattern.
Maybe someday somebody loving both embroidery and quilts will like to have it and make it.

Have a beautiful day, my dears!

I'm linking to Finish it up Friday!

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My dear doll --- a mix-of-techniques project

I started to make two pillows for two little sisters. Using machine embroidery, applique, patchwork and quilting in a single project might be a challenging work but I hope to pass smoothly through all of them.
Just a sneak peek for now:

I loooove short names! Imagine how it would be to have to write Alexandra or  Isabella...

Have a beautiful week, my friends!

The Splendid Sampler - Block1 - Hearts Aflutter by Pat Sloan

The Splendid Sampler is a Sew Along project of Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson that has just begun.

83 designers from all over the world have designed 100 6" finished blocks using different techniques: pieced, applique, embroidery, English Paper Piecing (EPP) and Paper piecing.
Every block has a free downloadable pattern.  

The blocks are released 2 a week, with 2 holiday breaks for Christmas Day and New Year’s day.

The first block was Valentines day Feb 14, 2016:  "Hearts Aflutter" by Pat Sloan.

I decided to try it too and here is mine:

 I had two shades of denim (used jeans actually) for background and I embellished the heart applique with machine embroidery .
For this embroidery I made up a design using one motif of an old Romanian traditional needlework. I digitized it in two variants. This one was my favorite from the beginning but I designed the second variant just to be sure that I really like it. I know, I know, I complicate my life by myself. I'm doing this all the time. I can't help it.

I am not a fan of the samplers but besides meeting quilters from all over the world, what attracted me in this Sew along Quilt Sampler is that you are free to make your blocks at your own pace.
I hope to have this mystery quilt completed at this time next year in a creative layout.

Have a beautiful day, my dears!

Granny Stocking pattern - on sale!

Christmas is so close and we all have so much to do!
If you like making sewn gifts for your loved ones, I give you a helping hand:

During 19 - 23 December I will offer my Granny Stocking pattern at a reduced price. 

You can purchase it by going to my Etsy Shop.

As you may see, Granny Stocking has an original shape - inspired by Romanian traditional footwear.
It is a last-minute project, an ideal choice when your "to do list" is still long but the time is short.

For Granny Stocking you need only a few materials:
*Fabrics: 
-2 pieces of 11" x 15" for stocking body
-about 12" x 12" for cuff and shoe
*Tear-away stabilizer for cuff embroidery
*A piece of ribbon for the loop
*Coordinating threads  

You might also sew your stockings from modern fabrics to give a chic look, or using seasonal prints and no embroidery, or just a few assorted fabric scraps. Your imagination is the limit. Whatever your choice, one thing is sure: your stockings made using my Granny Stocking pattern will immediately distinguish, warming up the hearts to all who will receive them, no matter how small would be their content!

Have only beautiful sewing days, my dears!

Granny Stocking - pattern release

Just in time for the holidays!

This is a fast and easy Stocking pattern! 

Granny Stocking is 14" tall and 10" wide (from toe to heel), but you can make it larger or smaller only by printing at different scales the templates you will find at the end of the pattern.

The templates include seam allowances, so you only have to cut on markings.

The pattern has 14 pages. The instructions are clear and easy, illustrated by 28 images. 

 The little story of this Stocking is this:

Initially, I only wanted to make a Christmas Stocking using someone's pattern. I did not planned to make my own design. I started to look on the Internet but the huge number of Stockings I found overwhelmed me. Even so, I didn't find a stocking shape that I truly liked.

As usual the first thought was: So, I can't decide what to chose. How about to make my own design?

And again as usual, I did some research into my preferred source of inspiration: Romanian traditional clothing.

This time I aimed traditional winter footwear both for women and men. I noticed the shapes, colors and a few more defining details. I made a few sketches. I chose the fabrics. Only two: classical deep-red and bone-white. Cotton. Consequently, using white cross-stitch embroidery as embellishment came so naturally that I didn't need to think about alternatives.

  

For Granny Stocking you need only a few materials:
*Fabrics: 
-2 pieces of 11" x 15" for stocking body
-about 12" x 12" for cuff and shoe
*Tear-away stabilizer for cuff embroidery
*A piece of ribbon for the loop
*Coordinating threads 

For my stocking I chose the simplest way to beautify it: embroidery using sewing machine's decorative stitches. 
If you don't have decorative stitches on your sewing machine you could use utility stitches as decorative stitches by simply changing the length and width of stitches. Look bellow at my sample:

  

Utility stitches

It is preferable to use stabilizer for the embroidered section mainly to obtain a well formed stitch.

If you don't have stabilizer you might use a piece of lightweight interfacing, but you need to reinforce the whole cuff wrong side not only the embroidered area in order to have the same thickness of the fabric allover the cuff.

 

Granny Stocking might be even a graceful decoration long after the Christmas holidays are over. Of course, if the chosen fabrics will not betrayed this!

If you want more for your stocking, giving it a deeper traditional accent, you might add crossed ribbon or cord over the stocking body. Like here:

 

It can also be sewn with modern fabrics to give a chic look. 

I designed Granny Stocking to be graceful but also to be easily sewn and to give endless possibilities to show your creativity.

Look how gorgeous is Silvia's test-stocking with her personal twist:

Thank you, Silvia and Geta for your reviews and suggestions!

If you'd like to refresh your Christmas stockings look  - I think they would make great Christmas presents too- you are welcome on my Etsy Shop.

I'm offering all my patterns at a discounted  price for a limited time. 

Have a beautiful day! 

 

Love Thoughts - Valentine Embroidered Patchwork Pillow - Free Pattern

It's the end of January and I have spent about half of it pondering, drawing and sewing for this Valentine themed project. It came out one Heart Quilt Block and two Embroidery Designs: one for Her and one for Him.

 Trying to suggest rather than explicitly show, I decorated "his" heart with straight lines and "her" heart with curved lines. My favorite source of inspiration - as always, Romanian needlepoint stitches.

An important mention: it is a quick project. It takes just a few hours to sew it, including the embroidered heart.
I equally thought about embroiderers and quilters: I made the two designs applicable both for embroideries and quilting designs. As you will see below, they are forgiving designs.They don't require perfection.

If you want to add a fresh look to your Valentine gifts, give it a try!

Please respect my work - Note that this pattern and designs are for individual use only. Not for resale. If you show them on your blog, site, Pinterest, Flickr..., don't forget to add the link back here, on my blog.

Finished size: 14" x 14"
All seam allowances are ¼".
Press the seam allowances toward the dark fabric unless otherwise stated.
Read through all instructions before you begin.

Materials requirements

For the pillow front:
-Fabric A (mine is gingham): ¼ yard
-Fabric B (mine is solid): 1/4 yard
-Batting: 15" x 15"
-Cutaway or Tear-away stabilizer: 9" x 9" (for embroidery)

For the pillow back:
-Fabric for 14 1/2" square, buttons or zipper, according to your preferences.

Cutting Instructions

 Fabric A

Cut one piece of each:

 Fabric B
Cut one piece of each:

Sewing Instructions

Use illustrations bellow as a layout guide:

8) Add the border

9) Print the embroidery design

For each of the two designs follow the same steps:
Right-click on the image. Select "Save as..." and save it on your computer. Print it in the original size. Measure the 1" square to verify if the scale is correct. The drawing fits on a single page. It doesn't matter if the print is a bit smaller or bigger as long the heart outline fits the background heart pieced block.

"His" Embroidery design

"Hers" Embroidery design

10) Transfer the design onto the pillow front using a water-soluble pen.

11) Add the embroidery  - optional step!
To prepare to embroider spray a piece of stabilizer with temporary adhesive on the wrong side of the pillow front and smooth the fabric on top. You don't need a hoop.

For "His" design I used the applique foot that gave me a large field of visibility.
I chose two standard stitches of the sewing machine: satin stitch for the outline and straight stitch for the inside design.

For "Hers" design I used the applique foot for the outline and the free motion foot for the inside design.

Once the design is finished trim away the excess stabilizer on the back.

12) Quilting the pillow front

If you stitched the embroidery - Center the pillow front with its wrong side on the piece of batting. You don't need backing. Quilt the rest of the pillow front as desired.

If you did not embroider  - stitch through both layers quilting first the traced heart pattern. Quilt the rest of the pillow front as desired.

Wash the pillow front to get rid of pen traces.
While it dries prepare the pillow back.
Join the front and the back together.
Done!

Enjoy my pattern and designs!
I would be very happy to see they are useful.

Short note for my newsletter subscribers
As I promised at the beginning of 2015, I will send you a monthly illustrated calendar to use it by printing or save it on your computer.
In the next newsletter (which you will receive in a few hours) I will send you the February free calendar. I hope it will bring a bit of joy in these grey winter days!

Have a beautiful day, my dears!

I am linking to Finish it up Friday!

Pretty little things – Cone Sachets. My first newsletter

We have a beautiful beginning of spring, here!

In the past few weeks I have noticed an increased interest for my lavender sachets.  That's why I decided to give my newsletter subscribers a free template for sewing a Cone Sachet and a free design: a Lavender Bouquet, for embellishing it. 

 Until lavender will bloom for using its flowers and stems for filling them, you have enough time to prepare the sachets using some of your odd fabric leftovers.

You could make embroidered sachets.

A few words about the Lavender Bouquet Design:

You can transfer the design directly onto the fabric using a light source such as a light box or window and use it to sew an embroidery.  

You can sew the embroidery by hand, by embroidery machine (if you need the digitized .pes file of the Lavender Bouquet design, email me and I will gladly give it to you for free, too) or using the free-motion foot, at your sewing machine. You don’t need special embroidery skills. If you know quilting, you can do it, for sure.

....or you could only draw directly on the fabric using textile finliners. In this case you need to fix the colours by ironing at the temperature supported by your fabric.

Here there are: on the left - one sachet embroidered by embroidery machine, on the right - other one embroidered by sewing machine using the free-motion foot and in the center, the green sachet with the drawn Lavender Bouquet .

But you may also leave some of them without embroidery or you may place a small applique instead. 

The best idea is to sew the sachets one of a kind, when you are in that special mood to search in your scraps box and sew only little things that can be done shortly but needing patience with the little details. 

This way you will have them done on hand for composing some sweet and fun surprises for whatever occasion may occur.

When you don't have lavender buds you may fill them with what you want:

 Here I used them for a little Easter rehearsal :)

And of course, you may play making all kind of edgings and borders:

This kind of sachets may complete in a sweet way a present or could be as well a present by themselves.

Enjoy your sewing!

Have a beautiful day!