Across the Pond for a Book Carry Cover

It is coming up to that time of the year when many of us will be out-and-about, travelling hither and thither, locally and globally.  So Across this Pond this month is all about those must-have on-the-go items that no traveller can do without.  

For me no journey is complete without a book to read or a journal to write in so I am recommending a book carryall as my Across the Pond SAL make for this month’s out-and-about theme.  

I used the bible-cover-tutorial by Amy's over at Park City Girl as the basis for my carryall with a few Patchsmith tweaks. 

Amy's Creative Side - Bible Cover

First up I added a little touch of scrapilicious patchwork and hand stitching.

Then I changed the handles as I wanted them to be a bit wider and have a contrast trim to match the lining (check out this tutorial by Delia Creates for a book carryall with similar handles). 

Patchsmith Handles (1.5" wide with fusible batting incorporated)

I also added an elastic loop and button closure rather than a tie closure for ease-of-use. And finally, I included a ribbon bookmark from my Country Heart free bookmark pattern.

It doesn't matter which way you flip it - this bookmark is reversible.

I quilted the cover which made it a very snug fit for my Emily Dickinson book of poems.  

Every journey starts with a good book.

But I liked the finished carryall so much that I decided a journal carryall was in order - one which would hold a standard A5 journal.  More patchwork and a little touch of Patchsmith applique and this is the result .......

The butterfly applique is from my Butterfly Patch mug rug pattern – doesn’t it look pretty sat atop those 1½” scrappy patchwork squares?  

Flown over from my Butterfly Patch mug rug pattern

I followed the same steps as before but this time I added – a pocket on the inside back flap to hold a couple of pens. 

But can you spot the obvious mistake? Yes, the handles are round the wrong way – thankfully the contrast trim co-ordinates with the butterfly so I am henceforth calling it a ‘design feature’ ;-)

Have journal - will travel.

But if reading/journalling isn’t your thing you should pop over to Susie’s Sunroom for some more travel essentials (that girl is one seriously talented pouch/purse maker).

And don’t forget to stop by the Across the Pond SAL Flickr group share your must-have travel accessories with us.

Sew until next time ....... 

Patchsmith's Ladybug Pincushion

Patchsmith Ladybug Pincushions

I’ve been playing again – having fun with the Across-the-Pond ‘ladybug’ theme and look what I’ve come up with – the Patchsmith’s Ladybug Pincushion.

Ladybug Pincushion in Patchsmith gingham.

From its ribbon antennae .....

Traditional red and black

.... all the way down to its quilted tummy ......

Full up of batting off-cuts - this ladybird has toppled over!

..... this fun project is not only quick and easy to make, it is so darn cute.  

I have made three and the gingham one is my favourite (of course!).  

Lucky for me this ladybird landed on my sewing table.

But the best bit about this pattern - it is FREE.  Click on the Patchsmith’s Ladybug Pincushion pattern (or any of the photos above) and away you go.  

Feel free to post a photo of your finished Patchsmith Ladybug Pinnies on my Flickr group  or on Pinterest or Instagram and tag #thepatchsmith. 

Enjoy ......

Ladybug Blocks

Block 91 Ladybug from my Ladybug Mug Rug Pattern

As promised at the beginning of the month, I have made the two ladybug blocks from my Across the Pond 'ladybug' blog post and thought I would give you a flypast of them both.

Handiwerx Paper Pieced Ladybug

First up is a paper-pieced block by Handiwerx which became Block 96 of my Block-a-Day project.  This pattern went together relatively easily.  There were no spots to appliqué so I indulged in a little red polka dot fabric.  

Block 96 - Paperpieced Ladybug

The only thing to watch for is that you match the head and shoulder seams when joining the head and body.  The original pattern has embroidered legs but I was happy to leave them off – ‘less is more’ as they say.

Sometimes though, it just has to be patchwork.  That is where the second block, Block 98, comes into play.  This block is by Apple Avenue Quilts.  

Apple Avenue Patchwork Ladybugs

As you can see the original block holds four ladybugs in a 12” square but, as I am using only scraps for my Block-a-Day, I chose to make one quarter – in other words, one ladybug on a 6” block.  

Block 98 - Mummy Ladybug

The patchwork went together quickly and easily and I have to say, I loved making it and I love the look of it.  I used black linen scraps for the head, stripe and spots and a small dotty red for the body.  Isn’t she a beauty?  I think a bed quilt made up of this block mixed with a flower block would look so pretty - perfect for a little girl's bedroom or nursery.

There you have it – two lovely blocks using two different methods.  Both were a delight to make but, if I had to choose, the patchwork bug wins by a wingtip.

Until next time ...... 

Ladybirds and Ladybugs Across the Pond

April is upon us and with it a new Across the Pond SAL project.  Susie has chosen this month’s topic – ladybugs (or ladybirds as we call them on this side of the pond).  Pop over to Susie's Sunroom to check out her amazing wall quilt.

Susie's Ladybug Wall Quilt

In the meantime I've collected a few free projects from hyperspace just for you (click on the pictures or captions to open the FREE project in a new window).  

Here is a quick and handy pincushion that shouldn't take more than an hour:

All About You Ladybird Pincushion

Or how about a cutesy little cushion which doubles as a child's soft cuddlebug:

Sew 4 Home Ladybug Pillow Pal

If you can crochet then get some red and black wool right this minute to create a lovely ladybug backpack (I must ask my sister if she can make this in my size - why should the kids have all the fun?)

Red Heart Ladybug Backpack

And if you've got time for a whole quilt then this one from Ivory Spring is super cute:

Ivory Spring Ladybug Quilt

If you don’t fancy a whole quilt how about a patchwork block .....

Apple Avenue Patchwork Ladybugs

or if paper-piecing is your thing ....

Handiwerx Paper Pieced Ladybug

And to finish the selection - my make for this month is the ladybird purse from the wonderful Red Brolly .....

Red Brolly Ladybug Purse

I made two of Red Brolly’s ladybird purses – one for each of my nieces.  

Red Brolly Ladybug Purse 

I used fabric in place of felt so I lined the purses before filling them with Easter chocolates.

Lined and full of goodies - just perfect for little ones (and big ones too - I tested them, I know).

And I also made a little ladybird block for today's BAD block using the ladybird applique from my Ladybug mug rug pattern.

Block 91 of the Patchsmith's BAD (Block-a-Day) Project

Of course, if you feel like shelling out $1.99 (£1.35 approx) for the perfect Ladybug mug rug pattern then I have just the thing (of course I do - I am the Patchsmith!):

Ladybug (Ladybird) Mug Rug Pattern

Check back in the month as I will be making the patchwork and paper-pieced ladybug blocks for my BAD project and I will post about them here and over on the Across the Pond Flickr group.

Sew until then ......

Block 47 - Trim That Heart

Block 47 - Trim That Heart

As much as I like playing with fabric I also like to play with trim and notions (ribbon, rick-rack, buttons, etc).   And so it is with Block 47.

I created a very simple paper-pieced block which features a band across the heart.  (You can download the free 3" and 4" Band of Hearts template here.)  The band can be embroidered as shown here .....

I used Segoe Script font from Microsoft Work
sized at 32 for the words on this 3" heart.

or it can provide the perfect backdrop for a little bit of trim ....... 

Block 47 - I paper pieced a cream band to lie behind the trim.

So what are you waiting for?   Go play ....... 

p.s. If you are looking for a good use for the 3” heart blocks then check out Simple Striped Accent Pillow pattern by Susie's Sunroom – the accent strip is the perfect size for the 3” block.  I shall be joining in a blog hop at the beginning of March for this versatile pattern so 'watch this space' as they say.

A Little Hashtag Block

Block 37 - Hashtag Block 

Block 37 on the Block-a-Day (BAD) project brings us to a quick and easy patchwork block – the Patchsmith’s Hashtag Heart.  It is a great way to use up a left-over heart novelty charm square.  Want to know how I did it?  Okay then ........

4½” HASHTAG BLOCK

Click here for PDF printable version

(4½” is the unfinished size and equates to a 4” finished (sewn in) block) 

Fabric Requirements/Cutting:

Three 1¼” x 3¾” BACKGROUND strips

Four 1” x 3¾” HASHTAG strips

Four 5" x 1” border strips

(All seam allowances are ¼”) 

1.         With right sides  together stitch the three BACKGROUND strips and two of the HASHTAG strips as shown to create a 3¾” square.  Press.

Alternate two HASHTAG strips with the three HEART strips 

2.         Cross cut this square into three 1¼” wide strips.

You should now have three 1¼" x 3¾"  strips

3.         Stitch the three patched strips together with the two remaining 1” x 3¾” HASHTAG strips to create a block measuring 3¾” square.  Press.

Just one more step to create the perfect #Heart Block

 

4.         Finally stitch 1” border strips all the way around the block.  Press and trim the block to measure 4½”.

Add a 1" border to the block and then trim to size.

And there you have it – the Patchsmith’s Hashtag block.  

Until next time ........

Block 35 My Cheating Heart

Block 35 - My Cheating Heart

I love a deep, deep heart.  It exudes rustic, country charm.  But this deep heart is a Cheating Heart - so named because it is a cheat on the turned applique method.  Let me share with you my method ......

First I traced a heart shape onto the wrong side of a scrap of fabric before cutting ¼” outside of the traced line.  Next I placed the cut out, right sides together, onto a square of muslin before stitching all the way around on the traced line.

I quick-fused a little heart to the front
before I stitched the heart pieces together.

Then I trimmed 1/8”-1/4” away from the stitched line and carefully snipped into the deep center of the heart, taking care not to cut through the stitching line: 

Snip into the center of the heart and before trimming around the outside
(this one is snipped but not yet trimmed!)

Next, I turned the heart out the right way by cutting a slit in the back with my seam ripper (be careful not to cut through to the front):

Use a seam ripper to make a slit in the back.  It has to be big enough to turn heart through

The heart was turned right side out and pressed (with the help of my trusty chopstick):   

Turned right-side out and pressed.

I added some rustic hand-stitching before slip-stitching the heart in place not thinking that I could have stitched it in place USING the rustic hand-stitching - DOH!!

Even the pins co-ordinate!

This method wouldn’t work for an item that is going to be heavily quilted but it would be great for a pouch, purse or fabric box (ooh, there’s an idea – where’s my Zakka Style book?).

If I replace the leaf with my Cheating Heart I will have a Valentine Box

Of course, I could've just fused the heart onto my block but you never know when a Cheating Heart might come in handy.  Still not convinced?  Pop back soon to see what I mean.

Block 34 - Cluck Cluck Sew-a-Little-Heart

Block 34 - Cluck Cluck Sew Heart

Today’s block for my BAD project (and the ATPSAL February theme) is a 3” patchwork heart design from Cluck Cluck Sew.  Allison, over at Cluck Cluck Sew, has provided measurements for various block sizes ranging from 4” to 10” - you can find them all, together with the tutorial over at Cluck-Cluck-Sew’s blog. 

I wanted a 3” finished block (3½” before borders were added) and thanks to Allison’s clear details it was quite easy to work out that I would need to cut the following:

From HEART fabric two 2” x 3½” rectangles

From BACKGROUND fabric two 2” squares

From BACKGROUND fabric four 7/8” squares (although in all honesty you could cut the small squares to 1” and it won’t make much difference.)

And hey presto another Block is added to my growing BAD collection. 

Yesterday's Block - Block 33 - Love-me-not.

If I can tear myself away from the joy of making little blocks and writing up patterns I might pop back later in the week with a fun tutorial of my own.   

Until then ................