Stitched Sunday – our Stitch book

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So, you’ve finished stitching your hearts? Did you enjoy it?

Now we’ll make our book up. Trim your panel if needed so it measures approximately 15 1/2” x 9 1/2”.

Lay this panel right sides together with your other chosen piece of fabric. Cut to match the size.

Closure tab – Cut one piece of each fabric 2 1/2” x 5 1/2”. Fuse a piece of pellon (very lightweight batting) or stabiliser to the wrong side of one piece. Lay right sides together. Using a pencil or blue pen marked a curve at one end. Stitch using a 1/4” seam allowance around three sides leaving the non curved end open. Trim and clip curves and turn through. Press well. Stitch an edge stitch around your tab.  Position the tab with raw edges even on the heart end of your outer panel. pin or baste.Lay this panel right sides together with your other chosen piece of lining fabric. Cut to match the size. Pin.Stitch around all edges leaving a opening on one end. Clip corners, turn through the opening and press well. Slip stitch the opening closed.

Trim your pages back to measure all the same dimensions – mine were 7” x 8 1/2”  - try and make your horizontal stitched lines matched (not like in the photo examples below !)

You have 12 pages. Lay them out in sets of four. Sew them together firstly in pairs. Press seams in one direction.

Now place two sets of pages right sides together, pin the centre seams so they are matched  and stitch around all four sides leaving a 2” opening for turning.

trim corners, turn through and press well. Slip stitch the openings closed. Repeat with the remaining pages.

Position your pages on top of each other in the centre of your open book cover. Using a large chenille needle stitch through all layers from the outside to the inside, then back out again. tie off securely. I used a 2mm satin ribbon – you can use a thick strong thread if you do not have this.

For ribbon thread the needle and then pass the tip back through the end of the ribbon.

Find the centre and pass the needle through the cover, then each centre seam of the pages, then bring it back up approx 1/2” away.

Tie into a bow and then do the same on the other side of the spine.

I then used some sticky velcro dots on my closing tab – you may want to make a buttonhole and button instead- to close my finished book. Of course you can add extra pages anytime you like but for now you have a great reference and a great show and tell of your new embroidery skills…I think this is something that will be passed down through the generations – so don’t forget to add a label – maybe inside the back cover – include your name, threads used, and the story behind your Stitched Sunday  book.

okay, now I cant wait to see yours – please email them or put some photos into the Flickr group – even if its in 12 months time, we all want to  see and share…

I hope you have enjoyed your Stitching on Sundays – now I’ll have to come up with something else to keep us all stitching… I will have some ideas to show you soon!

hugs for today

Helen

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