Showing posts with label 2016AugSK. Show all posts

MWL DT: Single Coptic Stitch with name - Mini Album

Hi crafters! It's me today sharing my mini album as Made With Love DT and I had so much fun with stitching this time round!

I wanted to personalize the album for my friends. My best friends. There are so many albums I want to document our friendship so I reckon that an album with a named spine might be useful. Think of how they look if you create a few albums and put them side by side on the book shelf?


This form of sewing uses the single coptic stitch. There is so many possibilities with one form of sewing, and I am happy to be expanding the stitches to create the spine I want.


This mini album took me 2 hours to sew and another half hour for decoration. I have to say that the sewing time was long, but definitely worth my efforts! Here's a look into the album.





Sewing cultivates my patience. Really it does. There are so many ways to make the sewing process a lot easier, but nothing can make the perfect sewing except if you are patient enough to go through each and every step with accuracy. One wrong step at the initial stage, and you could go hay wired in the next steps to come. With every practice, the stitching becomes easier, and there would be less room for errors. There is no short cut in sewing, and as the saying goes, practice makes perfect.

I can't say this enough. Each binding is unique to the receiver. I can create different types of binding to suit the occasion, and I can alter the stitches to make it work for me. That is why I keep binding. This is also why it intrigues me every time when I see a particular pattern I want to add to my album. Or maybe I see an apple on the table, and the next thing I know, I would pick up my pencil to draft the sewing pattern on my notebook. (okay, maybe not apple, but you get the point.) 

I like this kind of challenge. It spurs me to think of new ways to showcase my albums. It pushes me to be more patient with every mistake I make (yes, I tend to re-do the entire album until I get it right.) But that's how we learn right?

Look forward to my book binding classes! There is something new which you can pick up to customize your own album!

All materials used for this project are available at Made With Love. Don't forget to also look out for more book binding projects / classes available only with Made With Love

Thanks for dropping by my blog today! 



SS DT: 12x12 Layouts | Happiness & Joy

I'm on the Simple Stories blog today with 2 layouts. 

I have been inspired by stars recently, and I love how brightly they shine up above the skies. There is much hope and joy, so I would like to share that today.

In my first layout, i titled it Shine Like a Star, using Sunshine and Happiness collection. On the backdrop, i did some stitching of the Star of David and had them spread out randomly. Add some enamel dots at the corners of the stars, it helps to highlight the shape of the star!


Here is a closer look on the title. I like to stitch through my title and give it emphasis. Here you can also see how I varied the size enamel dots on the edge of the sewn stars.



Layering embellishments is always easier with Simple Stories. The collections can also be mixed to achieve what you desire. Here I used the chipboard frames, floral and memory stamp embellishments (bits and pieces) from Life in Color collection, wood veneers from You Are Here Collection and decorative Clips from Carpe Diem Collection. I think it is cool to mix and match the pieces required to complete the layout, and having significant embellishments to tell your story.



The other part of cluster which I adore! Here you can see the remains of the chipboard frame. I cut them up using a strong pair of scissors and layered it here. 



For the second layout, my influence came from some circular structures I have seen around the buildings recently. I tend to draft and doodle ideas on the go in my notebook and sometimes using them in the layouts I create. In between creating this layout, I decided to go ahead and add some string art! This was fun! 


To create a subtle focus to the circular elements, i added some arrows on the sides and machine stitched them. I chose a plain white cardstock so it does not overwhelm the entire layout and blend with the backdrop. Here I also added some embellishments to cover the area. Love this bird! Around the photo, you can see a scallop border and some string art added as a matting for the photo.


More string art here to the main cluster of embellishments.


Let's take a closer look at the circular elements in this layout. I like how simple it is to embellish using the pattern papers in the Sunshine and Happiness collection!



There has not been much sunshine in my area recently, most days are covered with clouds and the day seems less bright. Using this collection in the layouts have given me much shine and happiness, and I hope they brighten your days too!

For more details, check out Simple Stories blog! I had so much fun with these layouts and i hope you enjoyed them too! There are so much packed in the kits, there is always something in the Simple Stories collections that you will find apt for your crafting needs!

For those residing in Singapore, Simple Stories is available at Made With Love! :)

 Visit Simple Stories for more inspirations!


Simple Stories Supplies: