Sewing with pencil patterned fabric
Hi friends, let’s sew something shall we?
I bought a beautiful pencil patterned fabric a few years ago “for mom”, but secretly wanting it for myself. Just look at it: those pens and pencils are yummy! Yellow, green, orange, pink and turquoise pens with a light gray background. Gorgeous pattern, right?
I love it so much that I am very happy to report that now we’ve used up most of this fabric and most all of it ended up with me…
Mom is kind like that. She sews me cute stuff all the time, and then helps me when I have projects that I want to execute. And Smilla…
…was present but not helping at all.
We had a lovely sewing day together, mom and me. I love those kind of days. Smilla spent some time on the sewing desk along with us. This lady is 16 years now but still likes to play, although sleeping might be her favorite past time.
Unfortunately, at first mom was busy with her own sewing, so the fabric book cover I wanted to make turned out too small for my Five Year Journal book. Leave it to me to mess measuring up. I had already quilted that piece a lot, so instead of tossing it I decided to make it into a small table cloth for my desk at home, and now I can’t imagine my table without it. It’s so cute!
And after re-starting the book cover project (with mom’s measurements and help) I got that finished too!
Book Cover for my Five Year Journal
It’s a simple slip-cover that I quilted to a thin batting to give it some texture and weight. I think it turned out great even though it too is very tight and when I first pressed the diary into it I was holding my breath. But now it’s on, and it will protect this journal for the next five years as I continue writing in it daily.
I am happy to rapport that the progress of my my Five Year Journal is going very well! I have written my little blurb daily all through January and into February, and the fear of failing it has yet to come to pass. I am really enjoying the process of thinking back on the day’s events (when nothing much is even happening) and then writing it down on the five lines in the journal. It is totally different from everything else, journaling vise, that I have been doing before. It makes me reflect more often on my days, and even though it will not change the pace of my day and my (often times bad) habits, it does help me think about them. I really like it a lot, and I think I can say it’s a new habit to write in it before bed each night.
And now mine is pretty too, even though today I saw that Kindah Khalidy (who I follow on instagram and whose art I love) had come out with a Rainbow One Line a Day Journal that looks so very yummy too! But maybe in, say, about five years I can get one of those?
My dear mom sewed us both pen cases from the pencil patterned fabric! Mine has a pink zipper and polka dot lining. As if the gifts she had already made me wasn’t enough? I got this pink and turquoise pouch with a squirrel (a Tula Pink fabric called Sorbet from the Chipper line) that I also bought her along with the sewing pattern to make it:
It’s a make up bag really, but I will keep something art related in mine. The inside lining is made from an owl patterned fabric. I love it inside out!
Here’s the one mom sewed for herself, same pattern but another fabric (also bought by me) also turquoise and pink but with a sewing themed fabric:
I had to photograph hers too, to document and show you. Those scissor illustrations are amazing, right?
That’s four pouches made by my awesome mom, and a book cover and a table cloth made by me, all with fabrics that I picked up. They all make me happy because these colors, patterns, and now items, are so darn cute and lovely.
Happy colors makes me a happy girl!
Pens, pencils, pen case, the black five year journal in a new cover and my collaged Moleskine diary (see how it was put together in my video Journal Cover Patchwork | Collage Process) all together on my desk.
My colors, my happy desk. All I need now is some magic dust to keep it this clean for the rest of the week… oh, never mind. Can’t see the desk face right now anyway.
That’s all for now folks. Take care.
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I love the pencil fabric with its happy colours. It looks lovely on your desk and your journal cover too!
You’re absolutely right, Hanna, those pens and pencils on the fabric are so adorable – and very you! So glad you were able to create some fun and useful items with the fabric and with your mom! So many times I am afraid to use the adorable fabric because, what if I mess up or create the “wrong” thing with it? But I think I need to be braver and make something with my adorable fabric so I can actually see and enjoy it instead of hiding it in the closet. Thanks for the reminder!
Oh Hanna, I “LOVE” them all! The fabric is so awesome and too, love your Journal cover and your pencil case from that fabric but then also I loved the sewing themed fabric just as much as your pen and pencil material. How I wish that I could sew … it’s been SO many years since I have (I was in high school so that was 50+ years ago!)
Over the years I’ve bought a few different sewing machines but couldn’t find anyone to show me how to sew and I am NOT a person who learns by reading a book or directions. I’m more like – show me how and then let me do it while you’re there until I can get it and then I’ll be okay! The #1 problem is that I couldn’t get the machine threaded.
I live in a new place now and know for certain there are people who sew here so maybe I can get another machine one day and try it again. I’d so love to learn how!