book review // pretty handmades by lauren wright

For the last week or so I've been stitching, stitching, stitching so I could make something pretty and handmade. Why? Because today I get to show you Lauren Wright's new book Pretty Handmades, along with a project I made from it!

This delightful book is filled with felt and florals, embroidery and hand sewing, and so much more. It perfectly captures Lauren's Molly and Mama style and I was so excited when she asked me to be part of her book showcase, which is a month-long blog tour of sorts. Each day in September, you can see what folks are making. It's a great way to get a glimpse of what's in the book, while being inspired by the different takes each person has on a project.



There are so many beautiful projects in Pretty Handmades, but I went for the Ribbons and Bows Clutch, making it just a little different from the original plan. But first, here's a few other projects that caught my eye...



The Sweet Treat Wall Banner was a top contender for me. After all, I know that I could add a little Wild Olive face to that cupcake to bring my personality to the pastry!



This pillow combines embroidery and English paper piecing, which I love. Isn't the piecing so pretty on this?



And then there's this darling felt kitty and the EPP sleeping bag. So cute! I may convince my little sister that she should make this one.



I settled on the Ribbons and Bows Clutch because I loved the little detail stitching on the outside and the usefulness of the pockets on the inside. But since I don't wear a lot of hair accessories or have need of a large travel case even for jewelry, I came up with a plan to adapt it slightly.



The first change was just for fun. Instead of machine quilting, I hand quilted the outside panel. It really didn't take all that long, and the result is so pretty. Actually, it's probably better than my machine quilting would have been!

I also stitched the flower petals with two straight stitches rather than the suggested lazy daisies. It changes the look just a bit, and it's been a flower stitching method I've wanted to try more.



Inside, I made the pockets a little different because of the crochet trim I wanted to use. Partly because I love this navy lace that I bought in NYC and partly because I hoped to make the entire thing without buying any supplies!



I added a ribbon tie for holding items, and created a third row of pockets in place of the original hair clip band.



The biggest alteration is that I've made my clutch to hold stitching supplies! It's just the right size for a tiny embroidery hoop and lots of EPP. A spool of thread is little lump in there, but I think I can work around that.

If you look closely, you'll notice there's just one thing missing, leaving this project unfinished. A snap! I got down to the last minute and couldn't find my nice sew-on snaps, so I guess I'll be buying a supply after all. Still, not too bad!

And I'm so happy with the result.

One thing I'd point out about the book is that the instructions for each project are extensive. That's good because she walks you through each step thoroughly. But it was a little overwhelming when I first looked at it. Especially as a person who wants to jump right in! If you've done much sewing in the past, you'll find that you can breeze through most of the steps and make something cute in hardly any time at all.

But I think the true test of a project is the repeat test. Would I make this again? Yes! In fact, I'm thinking of making another clutch and filling it with EPP supplies as a gift for my 12-year-old sister for Christmas. And with all the hand work, that's saying something!



To see more of the Pretty Handmades book showcase, visit each stop on the tour! And be sure to enter the giveaway that Lauren Wright will have at the end of the month. Because if you like making pretty things, you'll want this book!

September 1 // Lauren Wright www.mollyandmama.com.au
September 2 // Jemima Flendt www.blog.tiedwitharibbon.com
September 3 // Sharon Burgess www.lilabellelanecreations.com
September 4 // Lauren Nash www.transientart.com
September 5 // Sarah Edgar www.alittlehappyplace.blogspot.co.uk
September 6 // Ange Hamilton www.alittlepatchwork.wordpress.com
September 7 // Elea Lutz www.elealutzdesign.com
September 8 // Sarah Scott www.piccolostudio.com.au
September 9 // Martina Bahre www.avaandneve.com.au
September 10 // Heather Andrus www.quiltstory.blogspot.com
September 11 // Faith Essenburg www.saranaave.wordpress.com
September 12 // Alisha Orlando www.ministryoffabric.com.au
September 13 // Bev McCullough www.flamingotoes.com
September 14 // Stacy Olson www.stacyolsondesign.com
September 15 // Ali Phillips www.arabesque-scissors.com
September 16 // Mollie Johanson (you're here!)
September 17 // Kristyne Czepuryk www.prettybyhand.com
September 18 // Xanthe Grundy www.wife-made.com
September 19 // Anne Oliver www.lolliandgrace.com
September 20 // Larisa Shurupov www.stitchingnotes.com
September 21 // Sedef Imer www.downgrapevinelane.com
September 22 // Wynn Tan www.zakkaArt.blogspot.com
September 23 // Veronica AM www.VividFelicity.wordpress.com
September 24 // Minki Kim www.minkikim.com
September 25 // Elise Baek www.eliseandemelie.com
September 26 // Megan Price www.dollyhenry.com.au
September 27 // Nadra Ridgeway www.ellisandhiggs.com
September 28 // Ayda Algin www.cafenohut.com
September 29 // Jodi Godfrey www.talesofcloth.com
September 30 // Lauren Wright www.mollyandmama.com.au

review // sketch it! stitch it! books

Most of the time you'll see me working on embroidery patterns and projects. Then, nearly three years ago, I was asked to design some cross-stitch patterns. It sounded like a fun challenge, so I said yes. The process of drawing embroidery patterns and cross-stitch charts is quite different, but I've continued to grow in my pattern-making confidence.

The biggest difference in making patterns for these two processes, of course, is that instead of an outlined drawing, you need to work on a grid. That's where these adorable sketch books come in handy! Betty from Make it Betty makes these soft-cover sketch books filled with grid paper that is already sub-divided into 10x10 blocks.



Betty sent me a set of Sketch It! Stitch It! books to try out, and I used them for a recent set of designs that were a hybrid between embroidery and cross-stitch. To design my patterns, I started out like to do with any of my cross-stitch designs: with a sketch.

It's easy to think that you need to begin with a drawing that looks a lot like the end will...something like pixel art. But actually, I just rough sketch in my normal style over the grid, trying not to think too much about details at this point.

By the way, those purple boxes are my own addition to mark out the space I wanted to work within.



Then I start filling in or outlining based on the grid. Usually colored pencils are my go-to. In this case, I was following the grid with longer lines of back stitch, rather than filling the squares to represent cross stitches.



The result of my chart was this stitched bracelet! You can find this and the rest of the charts I worked on in my Sketch It! Stitch It! book over at The Spruce.



These lines of varying lengths became the last chart in the set I shared. It's inspired by the knotted friendship bracelets we made as kids!

For the past few years, as I've created cross-stitch charts for Cross Stitch Crazy magazine (including a set of party designs that you can now find in my shop), I print out graph paper to work on. When I finish, the sketches often get misplaced. What's handy about these sketch books is that my hand-drawn charts are all in one place and I don't have to hunt for them!

When I go to make the final charts, I use an iPad app called StitchSketch (no connection to these books!). But if you're just stitching for yourself, rather than selling charts to others, the Sketch It! Stitch It! books will become your own pattern spot!

Thanks, Make it Betty, for giving me the opportunity to work with your delightful sketch books!

blog hop // modern folk embroidery book

I'm so happy to be a stop in the Modern Folk Embroidery blog hop! From the moment I saw this book, I was eager to take in all of the stitching, and very thankful to receive a digital copy for review. Folk-style artwork is so charming to me, but not always my thing. So making it a little more modern and doing it with embroidery? Perfect!

One of the things that appeals to me the most about this book is the projects create opportunities to use stitches that I don't use too often. Most of the patterns I design work best with back stitch, french knots, and a few other basics. Modern Folk Embroidery, however, uses all the stitches that you've wanted to try, but haven't quite found a good use for yet.



Truth be told, I didn't venture too far into new stitches for my first project, but I did find a new favorite. More on that soon. First, let's take a look inside...



The photos are beautiful. Everything feels modern and colorful, filled with the busy details often found in folk styling, but simple at the same time. And who can resist a gorgeous photo of scrumptious supplies?



And then there are the projects. Honestly, I want to make so many things in this book. The circle pillow above is one of my favorites, but there are very few that I would pass by. Which is what you want to see in a book, right?

One thing I do want to note is that the book cover says there are 30 projects, but it's really more like 15 plus variations. That shouldn't make you think that this has half the content, however, because there's still so much treasure coming.



I mentioned that Modern Folk Embroidery presents ways to use fun and unique stitches, and it also gives illustrated instructions and variations for those stitches. This is where it starts to get interesting, because the author, Nancy Nicholson, shows so many ways to change up the stitches you already know.

For all of the embroidery I've done through the years, I've never seen so many ways to customize running stitch, and that's just one example.




And then there's the ways that you can combine all those stitches. Throughout the book, there are illustrations of stitch designs. Sometimes they are connected with a specific project, but other times they are just there to introduce a section. And they are a priceless component of Modern Folk Embroidery. Use them as a guide for the projects in this book, or to get your creative juices flowing on other things.



There are plenty of photos of each project, usually with good detail shots, but the step-by-steps are shown with illustration, which I love. That said, they aren't a substitute for the written instructions.




This tote and the floral brooches were a few more of my favorite projects, but I went with a flower brooch to start.



I made the large round flower, but dropped the leaf. I also adapted the stitches slightly, and again, this is one of the great things about the projects. You can easily adjust the stitches and colors to suit your needs.

One thing I wasn't going to change was the use of the stitch around the edge: Eskimo Laced Running Stitch. It's new to me and I heart it so much!



The garland and ornaments use a similar construction method to the brooches, and I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that they use a basic craft supply in a super smart way. They are next on my list, and sure to show up around my house this Christmas.



For a peek at a few more pages in Modern Folk Embroidery, take a look right here. You can also find it on Amazon to take a look inside and pre-order. Then be sure to visit the rest of the stops on the #ModernFolkEmbroidery Blog Hop!

Monday, October 17th - SewandSo
Wednesday, October 19th – Wild Olive (you're here!)
Thursday, October 20th – Kate & Rose
Friday, October 21st - Lilipopo
Monday, October 24th – Anna Scott Embroidery
Wednesday, October 26th – Carina Crafts

book review // cuter stuff by aranzi aronzo

If you saw a book that claimed to have Cute Stuff in it, you'd want to look, right? What if it declared that it was filled with Cuter Stuff? Well, you'd pick up that book, find that it was indeed super cute, and then you'd buy it. Full price. This is what happened when I spotted this Aranzi Aronzo book at Barnes & Noble the other day.

A few years back, I picked up the Japanese version of Cute Stuff (before it was translated), and loved it. The sequel to this title is similar to the first and both are true to their names.




Each item in the book has a photo, or sometimes several photos, but all of the instructions are illustrated. This was a huge inspiration to me when working on my own book, but I don't think anyone could do it better than the Aranzi Aronzo books. The projects and motifs are cute, but so is the whole process!

Along with the project photos throughout the book, at the back there is a gallery of pictures showing some most of them in use. I love that they are often modeled by stuffed animals designed by the authors!



And here's a better look at the illustrations. These are from the basics section. Sewing instructions from bunnies? Yes please! This is a good example of why buying the Japanese version of Cute Stuff worked for me. I can't read Japanese, but the illustrations explain so much. A picture is worth 1000 words, right?



The projects range from magnets to pencil holders to coasters and more, most of which have a useful quality to them. This doggy is just cute, and I'm good with that. I think my sister and I might make one to play with her American Girl dolls.



Some projects are rather simple, for example, I didn't need a book to show me how to add faces to fruits and vegetables. But you can bet that I'm crazy for this page. Seriously...things are better with faces.



One thing I really appreciate in Cuter Stuff is that you don't absolutely need a sewing machine. They tell you when you can use one, but nearly everything works with hand sewing. Even a panda zipper pouch!



Most projects have a distinct Aranzi Aronzo style to them, but a few feel more generic. They are all still super cute, and I'm looking forward to making these felt flowers. Speaking of felt, that is the most common material you'll use for the Cuter Stuff in this book. Love that!




Working with felt is one of my favorite materials, and seeing easy ways to work with it is good for me. There are several projects that use the collection of felt applique motifs in the book, including hiragana. Just seeing these kinds of ideas is helpful, because it will get you thinking about new ways to use favorite patterns.

Cuter Stuff by Aranzi Aronzo is simple and good for kids or beginners, as well as for those who just need a dose of cute inspiration. Look for it at your local bookseller or at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

book review // your sharpie style

Do you love Sharpie markers? I mean, I really love any set of markers that comes in a rainbow of colors, but it's hard to resist these. It has nothing to do with my longstanding love of the smell of permanent markers. (I promise I don't have a problem!)

Anyway, I received a copy of Your Sharpie Style to check out, and now I want to draw on everything.



From the cover, I was excited about the 75 projects, as well as eager to see what this would look like. After all, would it just be a book about drawing on things with Sharpies?

The back gives you a good overview of what you'll find in Deborah Green's book, but I get to show you some pages. Yay! Are you ready?




So, the reality is, this really is 140+ pages of drawing on things. Draw on a jar, on a headband, on a pencil case, on wrapping paper, on a tote bag and so on. Would I have thought to do many of these on my own? Definitely not.

But it's also more than all that. What makes this book a good idea is that it's something to get you started. Believe me. After you've worked through the projects and ideas, you'll be ready to make more and more pretty things with your Sharpies.

For example, the geometric design on the jar is something you can use to embellish the headband, and the bird could go on the jar, and that's just a quick swap. Now think of all the different jars and what you could put on them. Or the designs not in the book (think embroidery patterns!) and start adding them to anything you can imagine.



You might not have thought about drawing on your furniture with permanent markers, but isn't this chair so cute? It actually reminds me of something you might find at IKEA.



Some of the projects are shown as a photo of the finished item with instructions. Others are a more condensed version with illustrations of the projects. Usually these are some variation on another project or something that is especially easy to do. I'd love to see more photos, but these get the point across.



One of the most helpful parts of the book is section on supplies and techniques. Sharpie makes several types of markers and the author helps you understand which marker to choose and how to get the best results. Since you might not want to freehand the artwork, she also talks about transfer techniques. They're a bit like embroidery transfer, but working on different materials




These flamingo headphones are definitely my style. The instruction page shows how to draw the flamingo, which is a feature on many of the projects. Rather than just giving you a motif to trace, you can learn how to recreate the designs yourself.


See the kitchen item drawings on the left? Some of the projects give you a collection of patterns that you can enlarge. Oh, and the author lets you know how to work with the markers on items on which food would come in contact (or when to avoid that entirely).

I should also point out that these designs could be used for other things and not just decorating with Sharpies.



This set of kitchen items is so cute, and would make an excellent gift. But I like that you could choose to just update or upcycle something you already have or that you find at a thrift store.



And then there's this scarf. It's certainly more than just drawing on things. The author has several projects using this technique, and they are beautiful! You don't look at this and think "permanent markers." For stitchers, I think pairing this with some embroidery would be amazing.



One last favorite project from Your Sharpie Style. But only a tiny peek. This is a whole lot of drawing, but it takes something fairly inexpensive and ordinary and makes it really special.

Are you inspired already?

Find Your Sharpie Style at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, or check your local bookseller.