​As needle books go, my new one is something of a tome. It's large enough to hold all my hand and machine needles, including my longest doll needle at 5 1/2 inches. It's ten (single-sided) pages include labelled storage for loose needles, small plastic needle cases, and a strap to hold packaged needles that I haven't opened yet.

I designed this needle book myself because I wanted one place to store all my needles. As usual, I took it one step further and made a beautiful paisley motif felt applique for the cover to make myself that much happier every time I open it. And, of course, it took me much longer than it should have to finish it. I mentioned it way back in this post, but it was already long in process at that point. Oh, well. I never do anything unless it's worth taking a long time to do (that makes me sound a bit like Treebeard, though. Hmmmm.).

Anyway, my needle book measure about six inches tall and four inches wide. It holds all my needles, which are organized by type and size so I will be sure to find the needle I want when I need it. Labels next to each type help me keep track of which needles are which. Basically, it keeps me organized and gives me a place to put otherwise homeless needles.

Here's how you can make one of your own.
​

Felt Needle Book Tutorial

Materials:
- Felt for pages (see below for my dimensions or customize as desired)
- Felt for pockets
- Felt for needle holders
- Felt for cover
- Thread
- Twill tape or ribbon for labels (optional)

​
Instructions:
​

Cut a piece of felt 6" x 8"
Cut a second piece 6" x 8.5"
Cut a third piece 6" x 9"

Stack the felt so that the largest piece is on the bottom, the second one is centered on top of it, and the smallest one is centered on the first two.  Use clips to keep the pages in place.  Find and mark the center of the pages (chalk is pretty useless on felt, but pins work well if you don't have disappearing ink).  Using a stitch length between 3 and 4, sew the pages together along the center line. ​

​The pages should fold nicely along the stitch line.  Close the book and trim the pages so that they are even along the edges.

Working one pair of pockets at a time, sew through the pockets and page.  Since this is felt and it shouldn't receive too much stress, you don't need much of a seam allowance.  Starting at one top corner, sew down to a bottom corner, along the bottom, and up the other side.  Remove the pins as you go.  Backstitch at the beginning and end to secure the stitches.

Note: I attached all my pockets toward the back of my book since I don't switch machine needle as often as I want a different hand sewing needle.  ​

Embellish your cover before attaching it.  Applique, beading, embroidery, or stamping are just a few ideas for how to give your needle book that something extra.  Once the cover is all decorated, you can attach it to the pages.   ​

Your needle book is now ready for needles!  Play around a bit with placement, making sure the needles you want most handy are at the front.  As you put the needles in their slots, make a note of which ones you put where.  If you'd like, make some labels so you never forget what needles are on each page.  ​

​​Have you ever wanted to design your own English Paper Piecing patterns, but don't like the idea of spending tons of money on special software?  If so, I've got quite a treat for you!  I've written a tutorial on how to use Microsoft Word as a tool to create your very own EPP patterns.  From simple motifs to alterations of traditional patterns to complex repeating patterns, Word can be your go-to resource, whether you design for yourself or for retail patterns.  You can find my simple tutorial over on Sew Mama Sew.  Let me know if you have any questions about making the technique work for you.  I can't wait to see what everyone makes!  Tag me on Instagram (@carleybiblin) or link in the comments below to share.

 I've lost count of the times I've needed to go to the copy shop to print on heavyweight cardstock for my English Paper Piecing templates.  Most times I just don't want to deal with taking my son in with me.  It's not always a fun experience (him wanting to touch everything and scream at people and all).  Of course, this means that my EPP projects often get stalled simply for a lack of toner on paper.  Well, I finally figured a way out of having to go to the copy store at all.  Plus, for me at least, doing it at home takes the cost from $1 per page to about 25 cents.

The simple tutorial I have for you today is all about how to use a colorless blender pen to transfer a printout from any black-and-white laser-printed image to your choice of paper.  Here's what you'll need:

 - Colorless blender pen (Chartpak makes a really nice one)
 - Cardstock or other paper in the weight you prefer (non-glossy is best)
 - Burnishing tool (such as a bone folder or wood spreading knife)
 - Laser-printed page(s) with your chosen design (each page can only be used once, so you will need one printout for each image-transferred page)

Instructions:
​

Gather your materials.  You can save on paper costs by getting it when it's on sale and stocking up for future projects.  You probably have a burnishing tool around your house.  A spoon or wood knife work fine.  You can find a blender pen at almost any fine art supply store or online.  For your laser-printed image, any will do.  I often have my husband print at work, and the library is my backup option.

Place your chosen paper on your work surface.  Put your printout right side down on top of the paper, aligning all the edges.

If you have a little wiggle room in your printout margins, scoot the printout down 1/4" to 1/2" and tape the pages to each other and to your work surface to stabilize the pages and prevent a misaligned transfer.

Open a window.  Seriously, open it.  All the way.  If you don't have a window to open, go outside to do your transfer.  Ventilation is key with the transfer pen.

​Use your pen to draw over the printed lines on your printout.  The liquid dries pretty quickly, so work in smaller sections if you have a large design to transfer.

Use your burnishing tool to rub over all the lines you drew over with the blender pen.  Continue drawing over and rubbing the lines until you have completed the page.

Carefully lift the printout to check that all the lines have transferred.  If the original copy had thick or very dark lines, it may cause the pages to stick together.  If this happens, peel slowly to avoid tearing.  Don't worry too much about little gaps or splotchy areas.  If the transfer is really splotchy, though, try printing with less toner by lightening the print setting.

If you are using your image transfer for English Paper Piecing, your paper is now ready to cut out the templates.  The transferred image should be permanent, but, just to be safe, put the black lines towards the back of your basted shape (the seam allowance side) to prevent any from rubbing off where it can be seen.

I hope this technique is as useful for you as it has been for me.  Several of my EPP projects have moved forward now and I can't wait to show you what they are.

​I was getting a bit tired (and depressed, really) of the white vinyl machine cover with black piping that came with my sewing machine.  Last week I decided that I had put up with it long enough and I should make myself a new one.  I took some pictures along the way and wrote a tutorial so you can make one, too.  It's a simple design with the added feature of a handle slot so you can carry it with the cover on.  You can leave this feature out if you want to simplify it even more.  The directions work for any size sewing machine.  It just requires you to make a few measurements or find the dimensions of your machine from the manual or manufacturer's website.

Here's what you will need (exact amounts will depend on the size of your machine):
 - 1 yard of fabric for main piece
 - Fat quarter for side pieces
 - 1 1/3 yards of interfacing or stabilizer
 - 2 yards of binding
​ - 2.5" x 10" scrap of fabric to match main fabric
 - Scissors
 - Sewing machine
 - Matching thread
 - Round object (approximately 2" diameter)
 - Marking pen/pencil

​Let's get started!

Cut your main fabric piece to size.  Make sure to square off the edges and sides before cutting to make sure any printed designs are even in the finished piece.  

Cut two pieces of fabric for your side pieces.  Use a small round object (such as a tube, cup, or other household item) and a pen or pencil to draw a quarter circle at the top corners of both side pieces.  Cut along these lines to round the corners.

Cut fusible interfacing or stabilizer for each piece of fabric you cut in the previous steps.  Fuse it to the wrong side following the directions on the packaging.

Fold the main fabric piece in half, matching the shorter edges, and iron a crease all along the folded edge.  This will help you get an accurate placement for the handle opening, as well as placement of the side pieces later on.  The next steps will require your scrap fabric piece.

Cut your scrap of fabric about 2.5" wide and two inches longer than the length of your handle.  Use a fabric marking pencil to draw a line down the center of the fabric.  The line should be as long as your handle plus an inch.  Center the line as best you can, but exactness is not essential.

Place the scrap of fabric on the right side of the main fabric piece so that the line you drew matches up with the crease.  The line should be placed so that it is the right distance from each side.  Refer to your handle measurements for placement, taking into account that you added ease and seam allowances to the main fabric piece.  Pin the scrap in place.

Baste the scrap of fabric to the main fabric piece along the blue line using a long stitch on your sewing machine.  Using a shorter stitch, sew 1/4" to either side of the line along the length.  At the ends of the line, your stitches should be right up against the line.  

Fold the main body piece and scrap in half across the line and cut through all the layers (you should be cutting along the blue line only).  Unfold and cut through the blue line and basting stitches, stopping 1/4" from the ends of the line.  Then cut towards the corners, being careful not to cut through the stitches.

Cut off any excess fabric and cut away the corners of the scrap fabric, angling the sides as shown in the picture.  Make sure to leave at least 1/2" of fabric on all sides.

Push the sides of the scrap of fabric through the cut you made.  Pull the fabric until it disappears underneath the main fabric piece.  Press with a hot iron.  Top stitch to secure all the layers.

You will now pin the side pieces to the main fabric piece.  First, fold a side piece in half so that the rounded corners meet, then finger press to make a crease along the top edge.  Match this crease to the crease in the main fabric piece and pin at the creases.  Continue pinning the side piece to the main fabric, paying careful attention at the rounded corners.  Use as many pins as you need.  Begin sewing where you matched the creases and stitch to the bottom edge.  Cut the thread, then go back to the center crease and sew to the other bottom edge, overlapping the stitching at the crease.  Do this for both sides.  Turn the cover right side out and trim any edges along the bottom that are too long.  Test the fit on your sewing machine and trim if necessary.

Beginning on the back side of the cover, sew the binding to the inside, matching the raw edges of the binding and cover.  When you get all the way around and back to the back side, join the ends of the binding tape.  Iron the seam, then finish sewing the binding down.  

​Note: If you need a refresher on binding tape, this one is great.  

Flip the binding to the right side and top stitch in place close to the edge.  You can use pins or clips to keep the binding in place, or you can "freehand" it.

Your done!

I love the way mine turned out.  I even added my current mantra "Progress happens stitch by stitch" to one of the side panels to remind me that even a little work at a time adds up.  And my sewing space looks so much brighter and cheerier.  I hope this tutorial can do the same for you.

My little guy's birthday is creeping ever closer, and there is still so much left to do.  I gotta figure out what cake to bake, some favors to give to the guests, and a gift to sew for him.  For that last one I was thinking about "big boy" underwear using some really soft knit fabric I've got in my closet.  Any pattern suggestions?  Tips?  I don't sew with knit very often, so I'm a bit worried about how it will go.  I'll just have to decide on a backup in case it goes badly.

My tutorial is all about creating signage to direct guests to the celebration.  We're just doing the party at our local park, but some guests have never been there before and I want to make sure they find the right spot.  The supplies are pretty simple and the options for design are limitless and open to your imagination.  I went with a simple, two-word phrase and three arrows that can point any direction I want.  Here's what you'll need.


Materials:

 - Cardboard (I used cereal and cracker boxes)
 - Craft paint (acrylic, washable kid paint, etc)
 - Large paint brush
 - Pencil
 - Awl (or other strong pointed tool for poking holes)
 - Tapestry needle
 - Yarn
 - Scissors
 - Tape (optional)


Directions:

Gather all your supplies first.  Cut pieces of cardboard to the size you want.  It's best to cut out the creased sections and only use smooth, flat pieces.

Paint a base layer on your cardboard.  Mine warped from the wet paint, but it dried pretty flat so don't worry too much if it happens to yours too.  After the first layer dries, add any additional layers until you get the effect you want.

Use a pencil to sketch your chosen design on the painted side of cardboard.  Avoid touching the pencil lines because they can smudge onto your hands and across the painted surface.  Do this for all your pieces.

Use you awl to poke evenly-spaced holes along the pencil lines.  The distance between holes depends on the size of your letters or shapes.  Mine are 1/4" to 1/2" apart.  You may want to space holes closer along curved sections to get a smoother line.  Make the holes big enough to fit the eye of the needle through without hurting your fingers (trust me on this).  Also, try to poke holes along parallel lines at about the same level to achieve a more symmetrical look.

Once all the holes are poked you're ready to embroider

Thread a length of yarn onto your tapestry needle.

Push the needle up from the back to the front of the cardboard and pull the yarn through, leaving a 3" tail.  You can either knot the tail or tape it down to keep it in place.

To create fill lines, cross the yarn to the other side of the shape or letter and put the needle down through the appropriate hole.

Bring the needle back up through the next hole where you want a stitch to begin on the front.  Continue until all your fill stitches are complete.

As you can see, you may not use all the holes you made for your fill stitches.  Don't worry about that, though, because they can be covered up with a border stitch.  For the border stitch, you can use every hole or skip several.  Either way, try to keep the distance of each stitch under about 2" to help the yarn lay flush with the surface.

Continue the border stitch all around the shape alternating straight stitches and back stitches. 

For large letters with only an outline, the easiest thing to do is to go around once with a running stitch and then around a second time with a running stitch to fill in the gaps.  To end a length of yarn and begin another, take the yarn to the back side and tape or knot it.  Begin a new length in the same way as before.

Once all your embroidering is done, your signs are ready to lead your guests to the right place.  You can display them on steps, pin them to a wall, or use another length of yarn to hang them on a fence post.  No matter which way you show them off, your guests will be able to find the way.  Unless, of course, a wily toddler decides to flip the arrows around...

Here's the first post in my birthday prep series.  Only 27 more days until Goen turns three (I bought myself a few days by waiting for the weekend to have the party) and still so much left to do.  Today I'm sharing a tutorial for a stitched mini paper banner.  It's a great project that you can make as simple or as fancy as you want.  For mine, I had Goen help me paint the paper before I punched my shapes, and he even pressed the foot pedal on my sewing machine while I ran the paper through.  If your kid likes to help make things, this is a fun way to do it.


Materials:
 - Paper (cardstock or similar weight)
 - Paper punch (I used a Fiskars tag punch)
 - Paper scissors
 - Sewing machine
 - Sewing thread
 - Well-used sewing machine needle


Instructions:

The first thing you will need for this project is a piece of paper.  You can use plain paper or stamp and paint it first (a great kid project!).  Use your paper punch to create shapes for your banner by punching along one side of your sheet of paper. 

*Alternatively, you could cut shapes with scissors using printed templates or freehand.

Once you've punched the first row, use your scissors to cut off the scrappy bits so you have another straight edge to work with.  Continue punching and cutting until you have the number of pieces you want.

If you are making more than one banner at a time, sort and stack the paper pieces into piles.

If you have a well-used sewing machine needle lying around, now is the time to use it.  Paper will dull your needle, so don't waste a good one on it.  Thread your machine with a coordinating or contrasting thread.  Set your stitch length to three or thereabouts.  Pull several inches of your top and bobbin thread to create a tail.

Begin sewing the first paper piece across the top edge.  Add a second piece, leaving a quarter to half an inch space between them.  Continue sewing until you have used all your shapes.

Before cutting the thread, pull another tail for the end.

Use the tails to tape or tie your banner for display.

There are lots of ways to personalize this project.  In addition to the banners above, I created a special birthday banner for my little guy.  I used paper with a colorful painted background, then used sharpies to write "Happy Birthday" on it.  You could get really fancy and use scrapbooking supplies to decorate the banner.  Letter stickers, flat wood shapes, or sequins are great ways to give it your own spin.

A while back I found an adjustable knitting board at the thrift store and immediately saw its potential to be made into a weaving loom.  I've wanted to get back into weaving for quite some time.  I have a full-size, four-heddle floor loom at my parents house, but I've never had a place to put it in any of our apartments.  So, you can imagine how excited I was to make a loom that was both simple and portable.  Since our table saw is in storage at my sister-in-law's house, a couple months passed before I was able to move forward with the idea.  Finally, over the first couple weeks of January, we (my husband helped, of course) were able to put it together.  Here are a few pictures showing how we did it.

I decided to make my frame loom a little over two feet tall, so I bought 4 1/2 feet of 1 x 2 lumber (at about 60 cents a foot).  The great thing is that you can always make more sides of different lengths depending on your project.  After taking apart the knitting board, which was held together with wing nuts and bolts, I marked where the new holes were to be drilled at the front, taking into account the width of the wing nuts. 

The new construction method required four sets of bolts and wing nuts, so more had to be purchased.  The hardware that came with the knitting board was metric, so I opted for buying all new standard 1/4 - 20 pieces rather than pay the exorbitant price for matching metric hardware.

Using a table saw, my husband cut the wood to size.  Then, using the same table saw adjusted so that the blade was only 1/2" above the table level, he made many side-by-side cuts to create a channel the same width as the knitting board pieces.  A router would have been way easier and more precise, but, use what you got, right?  Once the sides were cut and channeled, I used the holes I drilled in the knitting as a guide for drilling the matching holes in the side pieces.  The corresponding holes are labelled to make it easier to put together.  To assemble it all, I laid out the side pieces, stacked the knitting board pieces in the channels with their corresponding letters, and bolted it all together. 

Now I can warp my frame loom...as soon as I have a spare few minutes...

If you have bits of scrap wool felt hanging around your craft room that you just can't throw away (it's expensive stuff, after all) but don't know what to do with, today's tutorial is for you.  I'll show you a fun way to use those leftover bits to create a scrappy felt patchwork that can be used to make softies, accessories, or other projects that call for felt.


Patchwork Felt Tutorial

Materials:

 - Scraps of wool or wool blend felt
 - Ruler
 - Rotary cutter and matt
 - Sewing machine
 - Thread
 - Fusible web (optional)
 - Cotton fabric (optional)


​Instructions:

Gather all your felt scraps.  They can be larger pieces, smaller pieces, pieces with straight sides, or pieces with funky shapes cut out of them.  With the right tool, even tiny bits can be used here.

Set your sewing machine to the widest zig zag stitch with a short stitch length.  I chose 0.8 for my stitch length, but you can experiment to find what you like best.

Select a piece of felt to start with.  Use a rotary cutter and straight edge to cut it to the size and shape you want.  It helps if this first piece is large enough to easily hold with your fingers as you sew.  You can add tiny bits later or cut it down after you sew.

Select a second piece with a side at least as long as the side you are joining it to (or the length you want the piece to be after cutting it down).  Longer is fine since you will trim it down.  You have the option of cutting the second piece to the right size either before or after sewing.  Lay the pieces on your sewing machine and arrange them so that the edges meet but do not overlap.  Place the felt pieces under your presser foot so that the line where they join falls about at the center of the zig zag stitch.  Lower the presser foot and secure the thread with a backstitch or two.  Continue sewing until the end of the line, then backstitch to secure.

Use your rotary cutter and matt to trim the uneven edges of the resulting patchwork piece.  All edges should be straight to make joining the next scraps easier.  Don't worry if you cut off your securing stitches.  They will be stitched over later when you add more scraps.

Continue trimming and adding scraps to the patchwork.  You can keep building onto the original piece only or you can create patchwork sections that will be joined together (as I have done here).

To keep sharp corners and small pieces in place while you sew, it helps to have a stiletto or other pointed tool.  My tool here came from a craft kit for kids.  You could also use a sharpened pencil that has been dipped in glue and dried

If you want to cut a specific angle from a scrap of felt, simply lay the patchwork on top of the scrap until only the portion you want to fill in the space is sticking out.  Lay your ruler over the patchwork so that it meets up with the edge, then cut the scrap piece along that edge.  

After sewing the scrap to the patchwork, trim any sides that are not straight.

Continue adding scraps and segments until the felt patchwork is the size you want.

Once you patchwork is complete, you can leave it as is or line it with fabric to hide the stitching on the back side.  To line it, iron fusible web to the back side of a piece of cotton fabric.  Trim the fabric to size then iron it to the back of the patchwork felt.  Trim any loose threads.

Your felt patchwork is now ready to be sewn into your next project.  This here was made into a cute little pouch for business cards, but you could also use it for softies, bunting, ornaments, quiet books, and more.  Happy scrap-busting!