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

printable // wheekly goals guinea pig list

I love lists. I also love a good play on words. So I've been waiting for the perfect time for my guinea pigs to have their own "wheekly goals" list, and back to school time feels right. Especially because they have their own pencil and crayon to help out!

Besides the pun, the inspiration for this form of list comes from how I've been writing out my task lists lately. I frequently change up my methods to go with what works for me at the time. Often I have projects that I need to work on over several days, and a lot of those things don't have hard deadlines. And I like flexibility.

So I figure out what I'd like to accomplish during the week. I always know which items NEED to happen, especially those that are more urgent. The rest are there to keep things moving forward.



I grab a piece of scrap paper, fold it in half, and list out my plan. Which is why this is a printable list that folds in half and has 10 lines (with room for an 11th item underneath). This isn't a list for all of the little details. This is bigger picture. And you can't usually accomplish more than a couple big items each day. Having less room to write out the list reminds me and you of that.



My scrap paper lists aren't nearly as cute as Captain Cuddles and Lieutenant Nibbles, right? I probably will still use my old method when I have unneeded pattern pages around (so I'm not just recycling without getting a little more use out of the paper). But when I need an infusion of cute, I'll print off a few Wheekly Goal lists and get to work!

DOWNLOAD THE WHEEKLY GOALS LIST PDF

pink stork scissors for snipping threads and stowing needles

Do you love embroidery scissors as much as I do? I have an ever-growing collection of them, many of which are vintage, and my latest addition is both a usable pair of pink storks as well as my own homage to stork scissors!

The tiny enamel stork scissors are my own design, created for Cloud Craft, an online stitching shop based in the UK. When Nicole asked me to create an enamel design, I was excited, and when she suggested stork scissors I knew that it would be a fun project. And they're even more fun to admire when you're stitching!



The needle minder is hard enamel and comes with a large magnet that goes on the back of the hooped fabric. I often think of these as needing to have a magnet attached to the back, PLUS a separate magnet, but the stork itself is magnetic.




And here's how it looks when it's in use! Yay for a needle that's not lost!



When I designed the needle minder, the idea was that the pink represented pink gold, which is a little fancier than standard gold stork scissors. But then, Nicole did something magical. She had pink stork scissors made to match the needle minder!

I was so smitten, and they've become my favorite embroidery scissors. I mean, aren't they cute?



Speaking of cute, let's just look at this needle minder once more. I always try to make things cute, but the size of this really locks in the cuteness.

Oh, and if you're really a fan of embroidery scissors, this same enamel design is also available as a necklace! And maybe, just maybe, you might see another needle minder design coming along in the future. Just sayin...

CHECK OUT THE CLOUD CRAFT + WILD OLIVE COLLABORATION

calendar // september back to school guinea pigs

And just like that, it's September. The weather has been cooler where I live, and so I guess I should have seen this coming. Never mind the school supplies that are everywhere, or even starting to disappear. Thankfully, Capt. Cuddles and Lt. Nibbles were able to get their paws on a few items so they can go back to guinea pig school.

If you're wondering what guinea pigs learn in school, today's lesson plan is "share your cucumber snack with your sister."

Anyway, they're showing off their new supplies and are ready to grace your screens for September.

Download the Desktop Wallpaper

Download the iPhone Wallpaper

Download the iPad Wallpaper

These wallpapers will fit most devices (I use the iPad one on my lock screen), and they'll keep your company through this new month.

When I open up Blogger to set up a new calendar post, I always become very aware of how many (or often, how few) posts I've actually written in the month. August only had a total of four posts, which is a crazy low number for a girl who, at one time, posted nearly every day. Months like these are a good time to remind myself of the other things I've done outside of this blog. Here are a few of them!



Technically, I designed these Christmas food pun cross stitch patterns prior to August, but the issue of Cross Stitch Crazy Magazine just came out, so it seems appropriate to share them now. You'll find them in issue 234, and you can keep your eyes open for more of my designs in future issues, because I finished another set last month and I'm working on another now!

By the way, these puns have me thinking of ideas for new patterns. Would pun-themed embroidery patterns be a fun thing you'd be interested in?



Also in stitching, I researched and learned about Kasuti embroidery! It's a rabbit hole that I'm delighted to have fallen down. You can find my post on this beautiful Indian embroidery over at The Spruce.



These rainbow mini books are based on emojis (❤️📙😸🌵💎☂🎀) and they're stitched together with a Japanese bookbinding technique. They're over at Handmade Charlotte. While you're there, look for my Wacky Arm Clothespin Dolls, inspired by Nintendo's new game ARMS.



To help hold on to summer, I created a Printable Beach Windsock project for kids at Hello Bee. And I'll point out that those little fish and other creatures make excellent embroidery patterns. Just sayin...



Oh, and August was also when we were finishing up the About the Town Stitching Club! During my stitching clubs, I stitch ahead of the rest of the club, but I'm still stitching and finishing things along the way. So this was a lovely thing to complete. AND I get to see tons of others as they stitch their own projects!

Now I'm working on the next club, and will post details here soon. But if you missed the last club, you can still purchase the entire set of patterns and instructions as one download.

August was definitely full, and I'm on track for an even fuller September. Maybe I'll even manage to post more right here at Wild Olive!