Forest Floor Blog Tour for Bonnie Christine

Today is my stop on the Forest Floor Blog Post featuring Bonnie Christine's current line, Forest Floor for Art Gallery Fabrics! This collection comes right from Bonnie's heart, because she and her sweet family live in a beautiful forest, quiet and serene. She lives in a part of the country that is noted for trails and waterfalls, so it's her little piece of heaven on earth. I traveled with Bonnie and Callie Lynch (her photographer) deep into the forest to photograph the Lookbook, so for a personal glimpse of her area, just click here!

I love that, as Bonnie's mom, I help her set up her booth at International Quilt Markets. At right is a look at part of her booth from Forest Floor. Like that Cross quilt? I shared about it in a previous blog post! You'll find the pattern here.

While at Quilt Market I found another beautiful addition for my quilt shop: Leather! That's right! The Old City Quilt Shop had a booth showcasing their leathers, with bags, wallets and even quilts made from them! (More on that soon!)

So... for today's project I chose to combine a beautiful saddle brown leather with Bonnie's Wild Posy Flora in a pattern from Swoon Patterns, Brooklyn Handbag and Traveler.

Have you ever sewn with a Swoon Pattern? The directions and pattern pieces are clear and easy to understand, and following their step-by-step instructions ensures a well-made, professional outcome. Here are all my leather pieces, ready to go! Look, just look, at that metallic gold zipper!

Working with this leather lead to a few customized changes in some of the pieces, particularly the strap connectors.  Swoon works with a lot of faux leather (vinyl) which permits the raw edges to be shown as trim, but my leather was much thinner and I wanted to finish off those edges. After a couple of trials for the strap connectors, I decided to cut them with a 3/8" seam allowance and turn that seam allowance to the wrong side. To do so, I stitched with a straight stitch along the seam allowance and then turned the allowance to the back side, bringing the stitches slightly to the back side as well so they would not show from the front side. The seam allowances were glued to the back side of each piece with an adhesive roller. I also found that a fabric glue stick worked great, and double sided tape is also a good choice for this process.

I did lengthen the handles a few inches just to fit my preferences. Other than these things, I followed the pattern just as it was written.

Clipping the leather in the curves was mandatory! Click on the photos for detail.

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My leather is very thin, like gloves. It stitches beautifully, but there are a few rules you must follow for success:

1. Use a leather needle! This needle has a blade like tip that cuts through the leather. A regular needle tears through and will tear between the stitches.
2. Stabilize your leather! My favorite stabilizer is a cotton woven stabilizer called Shape Flex. I cut the stabilizer to exact size, with no seam allowances and fused to the wrong side of the leather. (Use a pressing sheet so that your iron does not touch the leather.) This allowed me to fold the seam allowance just over the cut edge of the stabilizer and glue it securely in place. The stabilizer acted as a guide for me while gluing. I stabilized every piece.
3. After gluing, use a small brayer to flatten the seam allowance and press it nice and flat to the glue.
4. Don't use pins! You'll make a hole in the leather, and once it's there, well, it's there. I glued everything. I tried to use the binding clips, but abandoned them when I found that they left an indention in the leather.
5. Use a Teflon foot on your sewing machine! I've heard that you can alternately put tape on the bottom of your foot, and various other solutions, but...just get a Teflon foot because it was completely smooth and problem-free!
6. Lengthen your stitch length. Stitches too close together could cause the leather to tear. Besides, it's just not necessary. Look at your shoes or a bag that is made from leather and examine the stitch length.

Lastly, make a little leather tassel for your zipper tab! I used two 1"x3" strips of leather, slicing 'fringe' in 1/4" increments, stopping 1" from the top. I sandwiched them inside a folded 1" x 6" strip that I fringed on both ends. Then I added a D ring and a stud to hold them together. 

Be sure to check out yesterday's blog post by Alex of Alextilalila Designs in Barcelona! Isn't it fun to have sewing friends all over the world? She made the cutest tote, you won't want to miss it! Tomorrow's stop is Terri Steele. Click here to see a lineup of all the links to the blogs participating. It's a great group with so much inspiration to share. Purchase Forest Floor fabrics at A Stitch in Time with free shipping!

Thanks for visiting! Happy Sewing and God bless! Maxie

Organization in My Sewing Room!

My sewing room can get in a mess, for sure, but thanks to a good friend things are looking a lot better around here!  Through my quilt shop, I have met some of the most talented people and made some very sweet, creative friends. Meet a very special one today, Mr. Paul Johnson. His wife, Ann, is a prolific quilter/sewer, giving away most of the things she makes to charities and family. I can't say enough about how thoughtful and kind and generous they are.

Placing Paul's ladder (which isn't technically a ladder, but a quilt display rack) right next to my machine keeps strips in perfect order and ready for sewing.

Paul happens to love woodworking...and he's very good at it. His finished projects are as smooth as melted butter, and the woodgrain is fine and pure. He loves wood like I love fabric.

For my birthday, Paul and Ann (Ann's part was allowing it to come to my sewing room and not hers!) gifted me with a beautiful 'ladder' for displaying quilts. It lives in my sewing room, and when I'm working on a project that requires sewing lots of strips together I remove the quilts and hang my strips on the rungs! Placing the ladder right beside me at my sewing machine is like having a sewing butler at my side, holding the strips neatly in order for me!

Then...just look at this thread cabinet (below, left)! It organizes my embroidery thread cones and keeps them free of dust! The other cabinet holds containers of buttons and other necessities, all handy and harmonized. Notice the yardstick trim and wooden spool knobs on the doors? Perhaps one of my very favorite things is the embroidery hoop organizer placed between the two cabinets. Where else does one keep all those hoops? Oh, and don't overlook the ruler rack on the left wall. Thank you, Paul and Ann!

In addition to the things I've shared today, Paul makes wooden chests with clear sides and tops for storing quilts, custom plastic rotary cutting templates (any shape!), customized wooden quilt hangers, and thread stands for using large cones at your sewing machine. If you're in need of something beautiful to help you organize, just let me know and I'll put you in touch with the Handicrafter!

Thanks for visiting! Happy sewing and God bless! Maxie

What I wish I had Known When I was starting out

Bonnie has written a most beautiful, encouraging letter to all of us, sharing the things she has learned through looking back on her journey thus far. Because we can't see into the future, sometimes we don't know just how hard the journey to reach our goals can become, but Bonnie does a great job of inspiring and cheering us on to fulfill our dreams, and asked if I would share what I have learned along the way.

If I answer this challenge honestly, I have to look at several journeys. I'm old enough to have had more than one 'start' in my life, from the first seam I stitched at the age of 12 to a fairly recent start into the world of blogging. So let me go back and hit just one thing about several of my journeys and goals.

1. Never worry. The things I worried about never happened. If I could go back and re-live my youth, or my newlywed years, or my early days of motherhood, I would live them blissfully without worry. Trust God.

2. Dream. Pray. Little known fact: I dreamed of being a dental assistant when I was a teen. After I married, I applied for an open position in a local dental office, prayed much about it and was hired! I worked and learned a lot about life for the 5 years in that office. It was the best thing that could have happened for me, and I left to start my family.

3. Believe. I wanted children so badly, and after 10 years of marriage Becky was born! 3 years later, Bonnie arrived.

4. Give. Give your time; give your talents; give your financial gifts. Make yourself available for others, but don't overlook giving time to yourself.

5. Forgive. This one can be tough, and the longer I live the more forgiveness I have to experience. Sometimes I'm forgiving others and sometimes I'm asking for forgiveness. We are human and no one is exempt. I forgive so that I can be forgiven. When you're working hard toward a goal, remember that you'll need to let go of some things at times and keep moving.

6. Have fun. After my girls left home, I opened my quilt shop, A Stitch in Time. It was, and continues to be, a source of community, strength and outreach for me. I'm happiest when I'm teaching and sharing, and my blog and shop give me plenty of opportunities.

I still have goals, and things I want to do, both in my sewing career and my personal life. So, in looking back at what I have learned, can I apply these things to my own future? If so, I will never worry, I'll keep dreaming and praying and believing and giving and forgiving, all while having the time of my life.

I'm tagging Sarah Overton and Andrea Walker, two beautifully creative young women that I am blessed to work with! Visit Bonnie's blog to read all the responses from other creatives...and be inspired and encouraged!

Thanks for visiting! Happy sewing and God bless. Maxie

A Pincushion for My Daddy

You know that feeling when you hold an object in your hand that you’ve made. Some things are distinctive, and you know how that feels, too. Like this little pincushion. It's an unconventional memorial, I know, but this pincushion is dedicated to the memory of my father, who passed away March 12. As I share a little tutorial, let me also share why this is for Dad.

Juicy Goosey Paper Pieced block from Jeli Quilts

The pincushion came about because of a challenge hosted by my local Modern Quilt Guild. I ended up with all the solids shown, and we were instructed to make something using them all plus one additional fabric of our choosing. I chose Tim Holtz' Dictionary print as a background, and decided to check off a paper pieced block I'd been longing to make: Juicy Goosey, designed by Jeli Quilts.

 Even though I have sold about 12 bolts of this particular fabric in my quilt shop, I had never read the words on the dictionary fabric. But as I began to piece the tiny 2" sections, I noticed the word "memory" landing in my focus over and over. Each time I saw it, I thought of Daddy, who had been in memory care for several months before he passed. The entire project stirred up so many memories of him, and I thought of him every minute I sewed. Lots of minutes...

Memory care is hard. Hard on families, hard on caregivers, but hardest on the sufferer. Although Dad never forgot who his family was, the only other thing he could remember was that he was not with Mom. They had been separated for six months because my mother had sustained brain trauma in a car accident, requiring full time skilled nursing care. I brought her to North Carolina to be near me, but dad remained in Georgia while I worked out his transfer to my town. When I finally was able to bring him to North Carolina, I arranged a meeting with mom. It was the sweetest day. Dad was strong for the 30 minute ride to Momma's facility. Every day for six months his only goal had been to get to Mom, and this day had finally come to fulfillment. Their visit was beautiful; they were both so happy, embracing while the family and nurses watched and cried.  Mom's doctor said it was "the most touching scene of love and devotion he had ever seen". 

Thought you'd like to see the back side. Mmmmmhhhhhmmmm.

It took just about everyone present to get dad to the car to head back to my town, but he finally agreed to leave Mom and we headed back to his home. The next day, Dad wasn't himself. He continued to decline and passed away 10 days after that visit with Mom. They never saw each other again, but Dad spoke of the visit often, and how beautiful Mom was. Hospice felt that he had been holding on to see Mom just one more time. I will always be thankful for that meeting, and for bringing him to my town.  I cherish the time spent with him during the last few weeks of his life, and recalling our visits as I sewed this little pincushion has been such a blessing.

I decided to add yellow piping to the top edges around my little block. Baby Lock's mini piping foot made short work of that task, both in creating the piping and attaching it to the edge of the little paper pieced square. I also used this foot when sewing the sides to the block, because the piping stayed right in the groove, keeping the seam straight and close to the piping. Click on the photo, left, to read more about this helpful little foot.

After applying the piping, I attached the sides and bottom. The top of the pincushion measures 4.5", so I cut four sides 4.5" x 2.5". I cut a 4.5" square for the bottom piece.

The sides are attached separately, placing each one on the pincushion top (right sides together) and stitching the seam, leaving a 1/4" seam allowance unsewn at the beginning and end of the seam (as shown in the first photo, below). Be sure to secure the seam with a knot or back stitch at each end. Sew all four sides on.  Next, sew the short sides together, leaving the 1/4" seam allowance unsewn at both ends in the same manner (last photo).

The bottom is sewn on in the same way, leaving about 2" unsewn on one side for turning and stuffing. Slipstitch closed.

So, Daddy, every time I use my pincushion I'll be thinking of you. Thank you for all you meant to me. I walked into Momma's room the other day to find her clutching your photo to her heart. I promise to take care of her until you're together again and never have to be apart.

Thank you for

• Never telling me that I sewed the buttons and buttonholes to the wrong side of your shirts I made for you. You wore them proudly.
• Surprising me with money for the expensive puppy I wanted.
• Believing that I could sing, and buying me a guitar. I pushed through the lessons, mostly to please you.
• Lots of airplane rides, and even one glider ride. You were a great pilot and I always felt safe.
• Loving my peach pie.
• Letting me bring you a bowl of ice cream and cookies every night to the sofa. (How did you stay so thin?).
• Making a cradle for my baby, and beautiful fabric display tables for my quilt shop.
• Driving me to church every Sunday without fail when I was a teenager. Oh, how I wanted you to go to church with me.
• Giving your life to the Lord, finally.

I could go on and on. I'll love him forever.

Thanks for visiting. Happy sewing and God bless! Maxie

A Noteworthy Notebook or Journal Cover

Everyone loves a journal cover, but making one requires a bit of math to figure out the wrap and the perfect amount of extra fabric to tuck under at the edges. Right? Wrong! My quilting friend, Lee Monroe of May Chappell Designs has developed a great Scrappy Journal tutorial that includes a downloadable worksheet with fill-in-the-blanks for your specific journal's measurements. The result is just about as math-less as possible! Since she has done all the work and provided a step by step tutorial for creating our own personalized cover, we have no excuse to not have a beautiful journal cover! You'll find her worksheet available in the Scrappy Journal tutorial link above.

I used one of my favorite fabric lines, Sweet as Honey, by Bonnie Christine for Art Gallery Fabrics. I did a bit of fussy cutting for the patchwork, and then I had fun quilting it with my Baby Lock Sashiko machine! It looks like true hand stitching, but is done in a fraction of the time! By the way, the Sashiko machine has many other facets of performance. You'll find a myriad of Sashiko ideas on Evy Hawkin's blog, A Bit of Stitch.

You could omit piecing the cover altogether by using just one fabric for the entire cover...which would be a great place to feature your favorite fabric or practice your machine quilting skills (or let your quilting artistry shine)! A small project is the perfect way to try out a new skill or design.

So stop over at Lee's fun website, and while there, check out all her tutorials, tips and beautiful patterns. You can even sign up for her weekly Tuesday tip to be emailed directly to your inbox.

Enjoy making your journal cover! Thanks for visiting! Happy sewing, and God bless. Maxie