Project folder #1

Project bags and project folders for cross stitch seem to be all the rage lately. I didn't think they were my kind of thing, but then I started collecting fabrics I liked, and suddenly I wanted to make some project folders. 

This is the first one I made. It started out as a 36 patch of mini charm squares from the Nantucket Summer collection by Camille Roskelley. Originally, I was going to make a square pillow or possibly small wall hanging. Eventually, I decided to make a project folder out of it instead. That's why the layout of squares is 6 x 6 instead of something that makes more sense for a rectangular folder. To make it work for a project folder, I added a piece of fabric to the left side, and folded 1 of the 6 columns of squares to the back. 

Front

Back

I loosely followed the project folder tutorial by Elizabeth Ann Can Stitch on YouTube, but made a bunch of changes. I used ByAnnie's Soft and Stable for the foam, and I made 2 mesh pockets instead of fabric and vinyl pockets. I didn't put a closure mechanism. We'll see if that becomes an issue. The patchwork determined the size of the folder. Theoretically, since the front was 5 columns of 6 squares at 2" each, the folder should have been 10.25" x 12.5" folded (there are 1/4" seam allowances on the top, bottom, and right sides, which are covered up by the binding), and 20.5" x 12.5" unfolded. However, due to inaccurate piecing and also shrinkage when I quilted the layers together, the folder ended up at 10" x 12.25" folded and 20" x 12.25" unfolded. 

Inside

Linking to the Fully Finished Gallery SAL hosted by Rachel the Ten Hour Stitcher. I know it's not cross stitch, but I think it's cross stitch adjacent. 

Off Piste

Hello again. I didn't quite expect to be away from the blog for this long, but it appears time has gotten away from me. 

In July, I started a new project. I was inspired by a color conversion I saw on FrizzyLizzyStitches' Flosstube #61. However, I chose a different pattern. It's not that I don't like the one she's stitching, but it's big, and I decided on something smaller. I picked Patriotic Quaker by Primrose Cottages, and went off piste on the colors, using FrizzyLizzyStitches' palette. 

So far, I've completed one star motif. I think it would make a nice ornament on its own as well. But, I want the whole pillow too, and I'm not about to stitch it twice, so I will continue stitching the rest of the design. 

Sharing with the Smalls SAL hosted by Rachel at the Ten Hour Stitcher, even though this pattern overall is bigger than my definition of a small. But, Rachel says a portion of a big design counts as well, and this project has a theme of going off piste anyway, so I say one motif is a nice delineated small portion of this pattern.