Ric Rac...or Is It Ricrac? Maybe Rickrack?

I bet when you see this photo,
you won't even need to know what these things are,
edged in ric rac...you just know you like 'em.

{Am I right?}

It turns out these are little coasters!

See how pretty they are, even one at a time?

{My Cath Kidson mug is such a nice model!}

I spent some quality time with my ric rac collection
and made a whole bunch of these coasters,
for a custom order on my Etsy shop, eamylove.

I love the way the different shades of ric rac look
against the bright fabrics.

Mostly I used prints from Briar Rose
by Heather Ross.
I love the tiny grasshoppers on clover...

the cute bees...

and the bright strawberries.

There are even tinier strawberries on the fabrics
from Bake Sale by Lori Holt.

These colors are a bit less intense,
but still nice and bright.

I want to give credit for my inspiration...
I saw them here on the nanacompany blog.
If you would like to learn to make them,
Amy Sinibaldi has told me that they will be included as a project
in her upcoming book,
Sweetly Stitched Handmades!

{It's available for pre-order now and will be released in May 2015.}

My Etsy client asked me to make some ric rac edged coasters for her,
and they were sew much fun to create!

I love everything about ric rac,
except that there are so many ways to spell it!
Ric rac, ricrac, rickrack...
what a nuisance when I'm adding tags
 to posts and photos.

I'm running out of ric rac...must find more!!!
Anybody know a great place to buy ric rac?

I've picked mine up here and there and everywhere...
sometimes it's even on a clearance shelf.
Please let me know if you've got a good source!
If you do, I'll have more of these to show.

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Another Double Exposure Zippered Pouch - Lilac Briar Rose

Hello, Friends!

Thanks for all of the humorous comments

in the Zipit giveaway!

You've all made me smile,

guessing how many zippers are in my stash.

{How many do I have? I'm still counting...I hope I'll be finished by Aug. 31 at midnight, 

when the giveaway closes.}

While we're talking zippers,

I'll share the first sample I stitched for my new

Double Exposure Zippered Pouch pattern.

I used some of my beloved Briar Rose fabrics for this one.

I had to wait for my latest shipment of Zipit zippers,

before I created this fun double-pocket pouch.

I think the Purple #218 zippers set off that lilac print

to perfection.

Some of you might be interested to know

where I found the lace for my samples.

I've placed several orders from Yozo Craft in China,

and I've been very satisfied with delivery and pricing.

The selection of pretty lace designs is also outstanding!

{I love this particular edging along the colorful zippers. I had to order more yesterday.}

If you've already purchased my new pattern

for the Double Exposure Zippered Pouch,

you might notice that this sample

looks a wee bit different.

It has tabs at the ends of both zippers.

I'm not gonna lie...

I'm not really crazy about all of those tabs

sticking out,

especially when the pouch is folded in half.

For the final version of my pattern,

I inserted zip tabs at the beginning and end

of each zipper before attaching them,

 instead of making tabs that stick out.

{I just like that a lot better.}

Back to the lilac Briar Rose sample...

It was easy to choose these fabrics,

because I had used them for a couple of earlier projects.

You may recall this Noodlehead Divided Basket,

which was my first item made in that

unlikely combination of lilac and gold.

I used the same palette to create my inspiration

needle book for our Need a Little Needle Book Swap.

I love the little bits of that Jennifer Paganelli

Bell Bottoms print in gold.

It was fun to put the same prints together

and see what came out as I designed

the Double Exposure Zippered Pouch.

I chose to quilt and allover diagonal grid for this pouch.

For the back, I used that golden clover print,

with little blossoms and crickets.

The same grid quilting looked just as nice on the back.

Inside,

you'll find some sweet strawberries!

As usual, I added my little "eamylove" label

to one of the pouch interiors.

The finished pouch looks pretty,

whether it's lying flat or folded in half.

I have another Double Exposure Zippered Pouch sample

to share in a few days.

I had to test my pattern thoroughly, of course.

{Besides...they are sew much fun to make!}

Linking up to Bag Brag Tuesday by Chris W Designs

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Briar Rose Needle Book - Swap Inspiration

Hello, Friends!

Have you signed up yet,

for the Need A Little Needle Book Swap?

{I'm happy to say we're off to a great start already. Flickr group is here.}

Today I'd like to describe my Briar Rose sample,

and share some ideas for the design details.

I started with a fabric stack

that I'd put together to make this Noodlehead Divided Basket.

I love the unexpected color scheme:

lilac and gold.

I began with prints from Briar Rose by Heather Ross,

along with a geometric print from an early

Jennifer Paganelli line, Bell Bottoms.

A solid from Free Spirit - called Spark Gold - ties it all together.

The wonderful tutorial from nana company

begins with a piece of patchwork.

Can you believe this is the back of the needle book?

{I'm going to have to make one with a patchwork front next time.}

This time, though, I used the solid gold fabric for the front,

and I added a cute little detail,

using ribbon tape.

I stole borrowed that design idea from

 Kristyne of Pretty By Hand blog,

who is an expert at making these needle books.

See her tutorial here for using ribbon tape accents!

I bought my ribbon tape 

from Billy Cotton Shop on Etsy 

and can recommend this shop wholeheartedly.

Now, on the inside, I've used some luscious wool felt,

which I bought from another favorite shop on Etsy,

Retromama.

I could not resist buying a stack of felt,

in gorgeous bright colors.

Also, I chose some neutrals.

For my needle book, I selected,

after much thought and consideration...

the WHITE felt.

{The irony is not lost on me. But it just looks so good.}

See that golden ric rac?

I had a tiny spool of it, part of a set I found at JoAnn,

and I think it looks great, holding some fancy pins

and a little swatch of the lilac fabric.

Do you like my little sample?
I've decided to give it away,

to someone who joins the

Need A Little Needle Book Swap!

Everyone who signs up is automatically entered

for the random drawing.

{Because everyone needs a little surprise in their mailbox now and then.}

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CLOSED... The Need A Little Needle Book Swap! ---CLOSED

Sometimes we all need a little encouragment

to try something new...

or we need a little break from everyday stress...

or we just need a little bit of beauty in our day.

That's why I'm putting together the 

"Need A Little Needle Book Swap".

GUIDELINES:

1. Join the swap by May 31, 2014.  
Entries are now CLOSED. Thank you, all!

All you need to do is send an email to me at

eamylove@aol.com
with your mailing address.

 {You can comment on this post, too, but please also email me.}

2.  Let me know if you could do an international swap,

or if you prefer to stay within your own country.

You can also let me know if you have any preferences of colors

or styles you would like to receive from your partner.

3. I will assign you a partner. My target date is June 7, 2014.

You will receive an email from me, near that date.

4. It's up to you, whether you would like to keep your identity

from your partner, or would like to contact her to get to know her tastes.

Either way is fun!

5. Create a needle book for your partner and mail it out

by June 30, 2014.

6.  Feel free to include any extras your partner might enjoy...

sweets, sewing notions, fabric scraps or another handmade item.

7.  Have some fun posting pictures on your blog or on Flickr.

Our new Flickr Group page is here!

You can give sneak peeks or just go ahead and show it all.

It's fun to get inspiration from others.

8. Reach out to me, via email, if you have any issues.

Things happen...and sometimes we need a little support

or just can't meet the target date.

I can contact your partner to let them know to be patient...

something good is about to happen.

9. If you need to bow out gracefully, that's okay, too.

No stress permitted in this swap!

10. Above all, encourage one another.

Make new friends with your fellow swappers,

visit their blogs, comment on their photos, and enjoy the group.

So, now...we need a little information...

just what are we swapping???

A needle book is basically just 

a pretty little sewing booklet 

with pages of fabric or felt,

for keeping pins and needles safe and handy.

For my model,

I used the fabulous, free tutorial found

at Nana Company.

You can find many other awesome designs

and tutorials out there for needle books,

so you are not limited to this particular style.

{But isn't it just so cute?!?!?!?!}

Check out my Pinterest board,

Needle Books,

and you'll see a few more ideas.

Sewing-Time Needle Book from thehappyzombie.com

Here's another style I love...

Tutorial by Stitch Craft Create

I need a little more space...this post is long enough!

I'll be back soon to share more details

about this little needle book,

along with an exciting little surprise!

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