Tutorial : quick and easy fabric notebooks

Hello!
I had such fun making these on the weekend.
I made a few as gifts and I thought I would share it by doing a tutorial.

These little fabric covered notebooks are sweet and quick to make!

What you need:

4 A4 sized card
1 piece of approximately 25.4cm x 20.3cm fabric (or 10" x 8")
sewing machine
needle and thread
a little fastner set
ruler, craft knife

step one:
For 3 of the A4 cards, and fold them in half width ways. (shortest side to shortest side)
Slice in half using a ruler and craft knife.
Fold each piece in half again. (longest side to longest side this time)
You should have know have 4 pieces of card measuring 21cm x 15cm (8.3" x 5.9") with a fold in the center.

Step two:
For the last A4 size card, fold in half and slice. (shortest side to shortest side)
With one piece fold in half again (longest side to longest side)
And with the last piece Do not fold.

Step Three:
Take your unfolded 21cm c 15cm (8.3" x 5.9") piece and place it on a piece of fabric 25.4cm x 20.3cm (or 10" x 8").
The fabric right side must be facing down, so you will place the paper on the wrong side of the fabric.

Step 4:

Now cut a small piece of double sided tape and place it in each corner. Take off the backing and stick each corner down as shown below in the photo.



Step five:
Start at a corner and fold your fabric in (you could use double sided tape to hold it down if you liked as well) and sew along the edges, folding in each corner as you get to it , and turning your work.

step six:
Now your fabric is stitched onto your card. Fold your little cover in half. Take the remaining folded card pieces and open them up, placing one on top of the other.

Make sure they are nice and straight and together, place them on top of the inside of the cover, matching up the folded lines and stitch down the center of the "book".

Your little book is almost done!

step 7:
The inside covers don't look too neat, so let's finish them off.
You will need two pieces of card just a few mm smaller than the edging of the cover for the front and back of the inner cover. Cut them to size.
Simply tape onto your inner covers with double sided tape.
You could get really cute and machine stitch your card here too, and make a little pocket in the inner cover for little notes etc.


Step 8:
I like to finish mine off with a little clasp.
So cut a piece of matching fabric approximately 13cm x 6.5cm (5.1" x 2.6")
Fold the fabric with the right side facing in.
Stitch along the seam.
Now turn it the right way again, use a scissor or a something to push the fabric through.

step 9:
Fold over the little edges of the strap and stitch.

step 10:
Using a needle and thread, about half way at the back of your little notebook, take the needle through just the fabric, not the card and attach the strap in place.

step 11:
take the strap to the front and mark where it would close. Sew on your little fastner set.
(remember the bottom will be the hole and the other piece attached to the inside of the strap)

Step 12:
For the last step, attach a flower or button to the strap.

Here are a few examples of others I have made...





I hope you enjoyed the tutorial!

Unlock your Story...

I did this wonderful class with Elizabeth Kartchner.
Wow, what a fun class!

I tried a few techniques I had never used before.

Here is my completed album...

front of the album and above photo



first page which is an envelope with a card for journaling inside.
front of the envelope

other side of envelopesecond page is a fabric page, photos either side...
Two pieces of fabric I put with right sides facing out and simply stitched together with a paper border.
love these gorgeous flowers..it was a strip of flowers on elastic that I bought at a fabric store, just cut them off!

third page is another envelope




4th page is a clear acrylic page with photos and embellishments. I had never used clear acrylic before, it was fun painting on it!

close up of flower I made


fifth page is 2 photos either side with a fabric ruffle (fabric paper is from the dearlizzy line)

Last page is the inside of the back cover.





Thanks Liz, so enjoyed it!!

Today on my own online class I taught them how to make these, with a step by step video tutorial. You can join up anytime, the class is via a private blog. Entry is ongoing. Sign up via my blog side bar "A pocket full of posies" {more details here in this post}Lots of step by step video tutorials on all sorts of flowers.

Around here...

What I have been up to...

* Attending a kids party
* Attending a 10 year wedding anniversary part
* The above two on the same day!
* Participating in this amazing class {will share photo's at a later stage}
* Doing another round of the 21 day Challenge {share photo's at a later stage}
* blowing bubbles with my daughter
* cleaning out my computer
* organizing my scrap book pages into dates.
* getting ready for my online class {you can join in anytime!}

What have you been up to?

"Hello Granny"

is what my hubby says to me, when at 31, he thinks possibly, I should be reading a book or paging through a magazine whilst lying in bed, I whip out my crochet stuff and crochet to relax and until my eyelids start to droop!

Maybe I am old-fashioned....

But then again who says crochet is for the "old".? Who says knitting is for the "old"?
I have noticed there is a big movement...ladies young and old are picking up their knitting needles and crochet hooks once again, like their grandmothers did and their grandmothers mothers did before them...

They are learning these age-old skills with renewed relish and energy...

It's everywhere I look...the latest fashions of clothing...hand crafter goodies for the home....
blankets...its all back!



So Ill continue to crochet and knit, like my granny before me. One of the best family things I have are two blankets my granny crocheted herself many many years ago...at least 40 years ago.... they are still going strong and a lovely reminder of her. I want to pass on the same to my children...

The false teeth stewing in a cup next to my bed can wait another 40 years!

Have a great weekend!

A Pocket full of posies... {Surprise reveal}

Online Class Workshop

Do you enjoy making things by hand?
Are you a creative person?
Do you like to give hand made gifts?
Do you like flowers?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you will enjoy this class!

About this class:
*Begins 12 November 2010
* 11 Self-paced lessons given on a private blog.
*full video instructions
* step by step "how to"

What you will learn to do:
-make organza flowers
-felt flowers
-crochet flowers
-fabric posies
-Attach flowers to Alice bands
-brooches
and lots more.

What you need for the class:
felt in various colors
Organza and tulle
Fabric remnants
needle and thread
scissors
buttons
yarn in various colors
crochet hook size 3.5mm and 4mm
ribbon covered alice bands
glue gun
candle and matches
safety pins
ribbon
hair clips


Registration is now open.
Class commences 12 November 2010.
Upon receipt of payment you will be sent an email with an invitation to a private blog.

{secure through paypal}

Pencil roll-ups and SURPRISE coming soon...

I recently made these pencil roll-ups for my kids and then I made one for myself but instead of putting pencils in it, I use it for my crochet hooks! (and there is a pocket for my scissors too).
They are so quick and easy to make and make great gifts.


This is mine, for my crochet hooks.

handy huh?


I made some gifts for some family and friends last week...and so enjoyed it!
I even enjoyed the packaging I made for the gifts...




Want to know what was inside?

you will have to find out tomorrow!
I have a special surprise and announcement to make tomorrow (and no, I am not pregnant!)
Come back..here is a clue in the meantime...

A Room full of gifts...

Hello!!
I know,...it's been a while since I posted! Had a hectic week this past week, running around like a chicken without a head! (that's actually quite a gross visual ha ha)
Anyway...I have so much to share...so will have to do a daily post for a while until I have shared it all!

First up, on Wednesday this past week, I went with a good friend of mine to the "Kamersvol Gesenke" (Afrikaans for a "a room full of gifts") Please have a look at all the links-nice eye candy!
The photos in this post are all my own, taken with by me.


It really is the BEST market for people that love crafty things. I nearly fainted cos I was spinning every which way to look at all the stuff! There are just tents and tents of all kinds of wonderful handmade things! Here are some photos from last year which I went to as well.

Beautiful things from jewelery, to handmade toys, stationary, tons of crocheted goodies

(so back in right now!) like brooches, bags, quilts, FELT goodies also very in-pins, brooches, bags, I could go on and one! This beautiful store was there Amulet , Queen magpie (take a look at her gorgeous felt and vintage inspired neck ware) and stunning ribbon from Ebony and Ivory.

These gorgeous fun ideas from recreate.She takes things no longer in use and redesigns it into something else functional or practical but beautiful! I love it!



Some photos of various stalls.



I hope you enjoyed that! Please come back tomorrow...more stuff to share!!

pink and green

Friday....what a lovely sounding word!!
Tonight we are going to watch my daughter's ballet concert, I am so excited!!! She has been practicing for this the whole year! She has done a few already, but of course I haven't seen them, only helped her to get ready backstage, so it's going to be so nice to watch it tonight as part of the audience!

Just sharing two cards I made, both anniversary cards for friends. I was in a pink and green mood!



Hope you have a lovely weekend! Thank you for your comments and continued support. :)

Cards and sweet peas.

Still enjoying the sweet peas from the garden. Just picked another big bunch this afternoon that is filling the house with it's sweet aroma!

I made a few cards this week which I will share over the course of the next few days.
Here are two...I love this range from Cosmo cricket is it? Can't remember now! But I love them...
The little butterfly is actually a negative from a punched out butterfly on the dotty paper and then I just outlined it in black pen. I liked the effect.
Congrats to Mrs Priss (Morgan) who won my little giveaway (what you didn't know about it!? only three people entered, ha ha! what a laugh. Oh well...you snooze you loose....)
Hop on over to her blog, she is one funny lady! I love reading her blog.

The power of female friendships

Something you may not know is that I get together once a week with a group of my friends-about 8 of us sometimes to scrap book.

The funny thing is that for years I tried to get some of my friends interested in scrap booking but they just were not interested, or maybe they were, maybe there just felt over whelmed by it, thinking they couldn't do it.
Then earlier this year around June, I decided to give classes for two of my friends and took them through the basic -tools, methods, techniques etc over about 4 lessons. That started out as two and then another one joined and another and another....soon I had 5 friends who up until then had not scrapped at all-ever!

It was amazing to see their love and passion for this new joy and hobby grow in their lives and week by week the pride on their faces as they added more pages to their scrap albums...there is no stopping these ladies! Some have filled about 3 albums already in the space of 4 and a half months! But it has been great.

Two of these ladies I only really got to know this year through this scrap booking venture and the others I have been friends with for years. With three of them we had our kids together and at various stages were pregnant together. We used to get together for what we called a "moms tea" with the babies and whinge about our extra weight, breast feeding, stretch marks, give each other advice, suggestions...soon our babies were off to play schools and yet we still stuck to our tea dates, and before we knew it..our toddles were off to "big school" grade 1...2...3....
And in between all of that the tea dates became a bit more sporadic. But the scrap booking seemed to have pulled us all back together again and of course there is tea and lot's of chatting!

I am telling you this because It always amazes me that no matter what you go through in life-crushes, lost loves, marriage, children, the death of loved ones...your female friends are always there for you. They see you through some of the toughest times in your life. And even when you don't see them for years but keep in contact with email or post, you can pick up where you left off. I so value and appreciate my female friendships and for the blessings and joy they bring into my life. Each one so different, so unique.

Somehow, although not quite the same, this extends through to blog land too. Over the years of blogging I have met some amazing women who I like to call my "friends", we email, we keep in contact via each others blogs and we give support. This too I value and appreciate.

Thank you to all my friends near and far-you know who you are....For bringing that extra sunshine into my life. For without your friendships, I would be lost.

{the pics are of some fabric flowers I made, I make scrap booking embellishments and other little things which I sell in my Etsy store and also here locally, and all my friends support my little venture-each week I take my little basket of goodies with. so this is what is on the menu this week!}



I wanted to show you what hubby got me for our anniversary! It is something I always wanted-an old looking worn window turned into a frame for photographs! It is about a meter high. I love it! The photographs in it are pictures that came with the frame, I still have to mount it and add my own!