Homespun happiness

As Jenn mentioned yesterday, the gap between scrapbooking, sewing and mixed media art is lessening all the time.

When my babies were born I was insistent on making them their baby blankets, because if they weren't going to be sleeping in my arms, I wanted them to sleep wrapped up in some thing I lovingly created. I don't think I put Morgan down for the first two months after she was born.

When I was pregnant with Payton I referred to her as my baby bunny because we didn't know who we were having but she was due around Easter time. I found this bunny fabric which worked perfectly for what I had in mind. Around the blanket amongst the cute little bunnies it says "Plant Smiles" "Grow Giggles" "Harvest Love". I just loved that so much.

I intentionally purchased extra fabric so I could make additional keepsakes with it. One of the projects I've been meaning to do is a layout using some of this fabric with photos of Payton when she was little and her blanket was still fresh.



And because this layout was about a blanket, what perfect stitch to go with it than a fun blanket stitch down the middle. With this one I eyeballed it and pierced the holes without measuring because i used the white edge strip from Bazzill as a template of sorts.





Aren't those bunnies the cutest?! Even now it's Payton's favorite thing, and she has a particular way she likes to be wrapped up in it too. She likes to hold a corner of the satin binding where she can put your finger in the fold, and she wants the "rabbit side" to be up. She's so cute about it!


If you need assistance on stitching, one thing to go to is a stitching template. My favorite template is this one from Bazzill. When these first came out I didn't think I would use them because I stitch all the time without needing a template, but I did the following layout last fall and really wanted to use the blanket stitch, and this template allowed me to easily pencil in where I needed to pierce my needle and took a lot less time than my former method:

I now use it a lot or at least refer to it when I'm thinking of adding a bit of homespun to a project, so that it can spark a stitch idea.

Bazzill has several stitching templates including shapes and words, and also has some additional fun border stitches that I may just have to pick up! Templates allow you to be haphazard and homespun in an organized way. You can lay the template where you want the stitch to be and move it around until you have it where you want it, and then pencil in where you will pierce your holes.

A good rule of thumb is to use approximately 3 strands of floss when you are doing a shape. I often use all 6 when going in a straight line, but it does create a larger hole where the stitch goes through the paper.

Jenn will be back later in the week for more fabric and stitchery ideas, and I'll be back to discuss that fabric album in the project kit.

Have a great day! Davinie