Heynen - Stitch Kitsch

Publisher: Amy Marson Creative Director: Gailen Runge Art Director/Cover Designer: Kristy Zacharias Editor: Liz Aneloski Technical Editors: Susan Hendrickson and Debbie Rodgers Book Designer: Casey Dukes Production Coordinator: Jenny Davis and Freesia Pearson Blizard Production Editor: Joanna Burgarino Illustrator: Rue Flaherty Photo Assistant: Mary Peyton Peppo Style photography by Nissa Brehmer and instructional photography by Diane Pedersen, unless otherwise noted Published by Stash Books, an imprint of C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549 Acknowledgments This book is dedicated to my husband, Nik, and my boys, Fletcher and Birkley. I would like to thank: Nik, Fletcher, and Birkley for listening to me go on and on about sewing projects and giving me feedback on ideas when you were probably thinking youd like to be doing just about anything else. Thanks for showing me you care. My parents, because now that I have older children, I realize how brave you were to let your child wear wild clothes to school and then send her off to college to get a degree in ceramics. The rest of my family, Chris, Hazel, Hendrix, Linda, and Jim.

Jason at In the Beginning Fabrics for always considering my crazy ideas and trusting that some of them might work out. Thank you for teaching me so much about the fabric world. And to Leah, Paula, Wendy, and everyone else at ITB for working so hard and always making me look good. Gailen, Roxane, Liz, Susan, and everyone at C&T for having the excitement and giving me the support I needed to write this book. I am honored to have a C&T book. ForewordI believe that my early years of sewing and designing, making my own clothes in high school, my ceramics business, and my parents support all were part of my journey to get to where I am now and what I do.

Dont be afraid to try everything: new techniques, new mediums, things you think would never interest you. Something from all of these experiences always sticks with you and takes you on your journey. I hope some of my projects teach you something new and add to your journey as a sewist. IntroductionWhen I set out to write this book, I had three goals in mind: to give you more confidence as a sewist, to inspire you, and to provide you with new embellishing ideas. None of us has tons of time to sew, including myself. However, when I do have time, I want to make something unique and special as well as have fun.

How many times have you completed a project and not been happy with the results? You could have sewn that stitch a little neater, or the zipper should have been turned around. We all sew because we like the process. The process relaxes some, energizes others, gives an escape, to name a few. If sewing is about the journey, which I believe it is, I say lets make it even more fun. Lets let go and not worry if our stitches are straight, if our colors are matched perfectly, or if our seams are aligned. All of those skills come with time and practice.

If we have fun, thats what matters. Its the journey, not the destination. Or, maybe youre the opposite kind of sewist, always neat and tidy with stitches and really would love to be able to loosen up with your stitching. These projects are a great start to play and try some free-motion embroidery or some fun embellishments that havent been your style. Gain confidence. I also want to inspire you.

The more techniques and projects you try and the more you practice sewing, the more ideas you will have about what to sew next. I find myself constantly full of ideas. This book will show you how to take a project and change a thing or two and end up with something entirely different. Hopefully it will give you ideas of your own to take projects even further than what is shown here. My third goal is to show ways to embellishadd variety, texture, and uniqueness to your project. Embellishing doesnt need to mean hours spent sewing little beads onto a bag for trim; it can simply be a row of gathered tulle or a few felt balls.

Adding ribbons, trims, or other items to a project will add variety without adding tons of time. Besides having fun with the process, I believe you can take a pretty basic project and turn it into something even more wonderful with just a few embellishments, trims, or added stitches. This book will help you take that extra little step. The projects in this book give you the basics and then more ideas. The next chapter is about how to use this book as a starting point to try new projects and create unique projects of your own. I hope you have fun! How This Book WorksOr, how many projects does this book have?11 PROJECTS Do you remember the popular book series for kids in the 1980s called Choose Your Own Adventure? Stitch Kitsch is a choose-your-own-adventure book for sewists.

In this book, you will find 11 projects. These projects range from simple napkins to quilts. Each of these basic projects has step-by-step instructions to guide you from start to finish. 33 VARIATIONS Now, here comes the fun part. Each of these 11 projects has 3 variations based on the original project. Instructions for changes and adaptations are included, where necessary.

Changes might be to add different embellishments, turn a bag into a pillow, or choose a different appliqu design. This is just the beginning of the projects you could make. I hope it opens your eyes and inspires you to continue mixing up colors, designs, embellishments, and more. The sky really is the limit. Youll find plenty of projects to make as gifts for babies, children, friends, and family. With the embellishing and inspiration to mix and match projects, youll be able to make a one-of-a-kind gift for anyone on your list.

Just imagine a spectacular gift using your grandmas old buttons, your favorite trims, or anything special youve collected. HUNDREDS OF OPTIONS (A.K.A. EVEN MORE CUSTOMIZING) All quilts use 6 blocks, so you can make a quilt any size you want, from a baby blanket all the way to a king-size quilt just by adding blocks. The bags are simply constructed, so you can change the measurements to make any size you want and still follow the books instructions. Its the same with the table runners, zipper pouches, pillows Are you catching the excitement yet? Oh, the possibilities. I like to embellish everything.

Adding another ribbon, button, or flower creates just one more bit of interest to your projects. It does not need to mean hours of sewing on tiny beads or sequins, because most of us dont have time for that. We want quick, fun, and beautifuland we can have it. USING THE PATTERNS This books pattern pullout pages are printed one-sided for your convenience. This means that you can cut out the pullout pieces directly or trace and cut them, if you prefer. Dont Forget Lets not forget the journey, a.k.a. letting go and enjoying the process. letting go and enjoying the process.

First of all, embellishing hides a multitude of sins. If youve got a pretty flower on a little zipper pouch, no one is looking at how straight your stitching isthey are looking at the flower. If you sewed that flower on and the seam wasnt a perfect , then go over it twice. Heck, go over it again in a different color of thread. It looks like you planned it that way. Embrace that handmade look and push it a little further; you might learn something you didnt know about yourself on the journey.

Cmon, lets get started. This is going to be fun! Things to Collect If youre like me, youll use a completely different trim or button on your project than you had originally planned. I like to choose the fabrics, textures, and embellishments as I sew. These are some of the things I like to keep on hand while sewing. Its also useful to have them displayed or organized out in the open where I can see them. In my studio I like to use mason jars, vintage metal and glass bowls, and anything else fun to store my supplies.