365: Day 34 Bound in Stitches

Last night I went out with a good friend and we saw a great movie and shared a good meal. I got home early and found I had time for a creative project. What's something I could do while sitting on the couch AND not make a big mess? Make a book.  

A teeny book. A teeny yet useful book with some really cool embroidery stitches. Friday my daughter and I went to the library whereI found the Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Embroidery Stitches. (How funny, I just realized it was an RD book. I get no points for being observant.) I wanted to try out some different embroidery stitches on the Dead Parrot Pirate Art Quilt, but nothing in the book screamed pirate. However, I had been thinking about making a fabric book or doll featuring some of the stitches. 

It occurred to me that I could just sew these stitches on heavy card stock paper. Being part ferret I have a craft closet full of crafty stuff and set to work. I decided not to worry about the colors of the paper or embroidery floss. My mission was to create a resource.

Luckily I had a bag of pre-cut card stock that was just the right size. I made 8 pages total by folding rectangular pieces in half to make pages. Each page contains 2-3 stitches along with minimal instructions: very cryptic instructions.

First I embroidered the pages and then wrote the instructions as I went along. Sometimes I left the floss hanging and a pattern of holes I could follow if the instructions I wrote were too sparse. Other times I just drew a picture of the sewing needle and embroidery path next to the stitch it creates. Here are a few of the pages:

After the pages were sewn together, I added the cover and yarns to keep it tied and tidy. A little bit of scrapbook paper glued on the right side of the cover completes the book.

I have to thank my good friend Kathy Hart. She is amazing and also taught me how to make books. If you are interested, she teaches book making, jewelry making and lots of other great crafts. Check out her website: Kathy Hart Designs.