Fabric Journal Cover COLLAGE

As I mentioned yesterday in the Fabric Journal Cover Tutorial, I’m a bit obsessive about making stuff, hence the Fabric Journal Cover Collage.

I’ve always played and experimented, and took an idea and exhausted all possible options. While I may not have exhausted all options – I’m going to share with you a lot of different ways to modify the basic journal cover that was covered in yesterday’s tutorial. There are some tricks, some crazy ideas and some very good ideas for using up stuff.

Sit back and enjoy – but I’m issuing a challenge. Put your creative hat on – find something around your sewing room that you can use up. Make a journal cover and send me a picture. I would love to post it.

In case you’re wondering what happens if you get the incorrect size… my friend Linda made a journal cover and did not measure the correct way. When she slipped the journal cover on her journal, the journal would not close. There wasn’t enough room in the cover to accommodate the coil binding.

Not daunted, Linda slashed the back of the journal cover and added in a piece. oops – she had to do that three times before it was the right size. Hence the importance of measuring the correct way the first time!  (Thanks for sharing that story Linda)

We chose raw edge applique for this piece. No fusible web was used, but I needed to hold the pieces in place while I stitched (yes me – I couldn’t convince M to do the stitching although she knows how to operate a sewing machine). I also didn’t want to use pins, so I put dabs of glue on the back of each piece – enough to hold them down while I stitched. Worked like a charm – nothing moved. Which is important when you’re making something for someone else and they have things exactly where they want.

Remember this cover was for my teenage daughter – we cannot have shifting pieces – that would throw the piece off balance!

At last ready to assemble the journal cover. See the two end pieces which form the pockets for the cover of the journal to slip into. The middle piece provides a nice clean finish along the top and bottom of the journal cover.

For the inside of the journal cover, M wanted 3 different fabrics. Not a problem, just a couple extra seams. Never mind that I had to rip one of them out because I sewed it upside down! What was even worse is that I can’t do math. Do you see that extra little bit – when I had the 3 inside pieces laid out – the center piece was too narrow.

A leftover bit of the map fabric was lying on the cutting table and so it got put into service. I was not going to cut and piece more of the 3 fabrics. Besides – this extra bit is behind the journal cover. No one will know that I goofed.

I dropped the feed dogs on the Husqvarna Viking H|Class 100Q and put the darning foot on.

M had chosen three thread colors – a metallic gold, a brown and a burgundy. I added beige and then I just stitched. Some of the lines are just straight lines (but stitched free motion), I outlined pieces and basically had a great time. The H|Class 100Q had no problem dealing with any of the stitching or thread choices.

M was very pleased with it – a collaborative effort between mom and daughter. I must say that I was very happy with it as well.

One word of caution – when you lay out your elements – make sure to measure to ensure they fit within the confines of your journal cover.  We almost lost a couple of elements because we were so excited – we didn’t take that into account.

In case you were wondering what Linda put on the front of her journal cover…

This is a replica of a mini quilt that Linda made a while ago. She gave the mini quilt away, but now she has a super reminder of one of her favorite pieces. Linda – thanks again for sharing.