This is another fabulous blog hop thanks to Madame Samm. Jane of Jane’s Fabrics and Quilts has been a great cheerleader and organizer for this fun blog hop, so a huge thank you to her as well. There have already been lots of wonderful projects to see with the promise of more to come!
There were many reasons I wanted to join this blog hop, including the chance to use some of these beautiful Presencia threads from the sponsor, Colonial Needle. While I didn’t use them in the chair, I am using them in a couple of the other designs that I have already traced for other projects.
One of the biggest reasons I wanted to join was so that I’d get back to doing some stitcheries. I really enjoy doing them and don’t know why I haven’t been doing more. Thanks to the designs that we got for this blog hop, I know I’ll be making at least two more projects and likely a few more than that. What I discovered while doing the chair was that I love the colonial knot stitch. I can’t make French knots to save my life, but colonial knots? Love ’em. Want to make lots and lots of them. And that was thanks to the wonderful video at Mary Corbet’s Needle ‘n Thread website.
Thank you to the designers for this blog hop – Madame Samm, Debbie and Cyndi. We all got a pdf containing the designs from those three wonderfully creative ladies and then came the hard part; choosing which one(s) to stitch. It was a hard choice in many ways, but one design caught my eye right away and I immediately knew what I was going to make.
I couldn’t resist the chair and dress form design. Wouldn’t you love to have a big, comfortable chair like that in your sewing room in which to sit and stitch? I know I would! And stitching always makes me think of a stitching book. I’ve made them before, with orphan appliqué blocks, but I know this is the one I’ll be using most often.
As I knew what it was going to be and wanted the chair to have a sort of overstuffed look, after tracing the design I added the fabric to a piece of fusible batting and a backing.
Once the stitching was finished, I added a small border around 3 sides and a longer piece to the remaining side to turn it into a book. Then I added some batting and a backing, basted and quilted it with some very wonky cross-hatching and the book was almost done.
All that was left was to bind it and add a padded, quilted section for needles and pins on the back of the front cover, the pages of the book and two velcro squares to keep the book securely closed when not in use.
To make the little section for needles and pins, I just did some quick cross-hatch quilting on a small piece of fabric with batting and backing, appliquéd it on to the back of the front cover and it was done. There’s loads of room to keep threaded needles and pins.
I used some flannel to make the book pages. I measured and cut two pieces of flannel that were just slightly smaller than the book, stitched them down the centre and the book was ready for use.
A stitching book is useful to me when stitching things that I want to make sure I have in the right orientation, such as these pieces for another Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses block. The centre pieces will form a slight box design as long as I stitch them the right way. So having them laid out like this really helps.
In the summer, when I can take my stitching out to the roof garden, I will lay out a number of pieces for stars like these or some other blocks on the pages of the book, put some threaded needles in the needle holder at the front of the book and can spend loads of time outside stitching in the sunshine.
The stitching book got the Baxter seal of approval, as he was draped across my legs as I was appliqueing on the needle holder. I think he really would love a chair like this in which to curl up, which is what inspired today’s Baxtertoon.
He’s rather impatiently waiting for birds and squirrels to appear on the roof garden so he has something to watch from his kitty tree. For now, he’s got his back to the window but that will change the minute there’s some activity to be seen out there.
When you’ve finished your visit here, please go and see these other talented stitchers for more wonderful eye candy.
Beverly@That Other Blog
Betty@That Other Blog
Stitch Duchess’ Crazy and Sane Quilting World
Quilt Obsession – you’re here!
your stitchery turned out wonderfully!
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What a great project! Turned out lovely!
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Love your added extras! Baxter loves your chair too. Thank you for sharing.
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Great finish 😉
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Very cute and useful.
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Lovely! And so useful! Great work!
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Wow what a wonderful project.
Its so lovely. Thanks for sharing
Frederika
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You have made a lovely needle book and so useful. Thanks for sharing your creativity.
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What a beautiful stitcherie.
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What a good idea to make a stitching book. And such a lovely cover.
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Very cute and good job. I do love that cushy chair!
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Very pretty love these 2 patterns..
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I love your stitchery book. I have the chair and dress form traced on to fabric and am working on it now.
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really nice!
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Very cute. I am enamoured with the Patchwork of the Crosses blocks and am hoping to start one soon.
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lovely work….
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Nice fabric to go with your lovely project.
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You’ve created a wonderful needle holder! Baxter is my ‘kind of QC Inspector! 🙂
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You made such a wonderful and useful project! I haven’t tried Colonial knots yet. I need to look into those and see about learning how to do them. Thanks for sharing!
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what a great idea. love your colours
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Wonderful stitchery and needle case. You did an outstanding job!
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I love your stitching book!
P.S. The new Baxtertoon is fabulous!
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Such a clever idea! Your stitching is gorgeous.
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Very cute ! I bet Baxter is very happy to just sit in your lap.
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What a great idea!!!! Thanks for sharing.
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What a wonderful idea and it is beautiful. Your stitching is gorgeous! This is an idea for my long, long list of things I want to do. I like the quilt on your sidebar as well. I’ll be coming back to visit.
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You did a wonderful job on your stitching! Great project!
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Love your work! What a great idea to make a book to lay your blocks out on!
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Hi!!! Very pretty and I love kitty!!!!
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Oh you busy bee! Too, too, cute. and that is what these hops are all about, trying new things and remembering why we loved them in the first place. Thank you for playing.
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Great idea!
Awesome stitching and designs!
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what a very creative, pretty and useful project.
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Wow! You did an awesome job! Love the extras you added. Very pretty.
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Lovely work!
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This looks wonderful in both incarnations. A block book—great idea!
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Love it!
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Very sweet project book! I thought it was going to be a little hanging until I followed the pictures. Great job!
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love your project
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What a great idea! Beautiful AND useful!
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Your idea was great for this project, love what you did.
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Great project!
Thank you for sharing!
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Your chair is beautiful…good thing Baxter approved!
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cute project, I like it.
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I love your stitching book! Thanks for sharing.
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Lovely! What a great idea.
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I love your stitching and your book. That is a great and useful design I might have to steal.. er I mean borrow!
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Your stitching book is just the cutest. Stitching in the sun sounds like a great way to spend some time esp. since we got snow again yesterday.
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Your design is lovely. Mr QO did an outstanding job on todays Baxtertoon too :0)
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Very beautiful and so practical. So romantic and pretty.
I loved seeing you last clue also! Going to be such a pretty spring, summer quilt.
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That is fabulous! I love that chair design.
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I also love your chair design and the nifty quilt block book.
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Great job on your stitchery and your cartoon of the day. made me smile. Thanks
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What a great idea the stitching book is! Love your little cartoon using the chair too. 🙂
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Wonderful job! The stitch book is a neat idea. I just might try one (in the future 🙂
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What a great project you made using the pattern. Well done!
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Beautiful, and Baxter approves so much. Lovely stitching, and new threads to drool over. Bliss, Cheers from Jean
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Glad you shared, wonderful stitching!
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Yes I would ove to have a chair like that to sew in! Thanks for sharing. vickise at gmail dot com
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Love that chair! The cat sets it off nicely!
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Lovely embroidery. And love what you made with it.
I’ve been feeling the yen lately for doing some stitching. Both cross stitch and embroidery. But a gal only has so much time
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Your stitching book is a great idea! It turned out just beautiful!
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Wonderfully done! B-)
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beautiful stitchery and I love the block book idea!
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I luv your comfy chair Cathi, and sEw beautifully stitched into a needle book. Thanks for sharing! Happy stitching, Pauline
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Fabulous idea! It is so nice to have a project ready to pick up and go. Your comfy chair looks perfect!
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