Thursday, January 25, 2018

Tangentially related...

... to stitching, that is.

Shortly after I began working on Jane Turner, I realized that Amy Mitten’s fat little book on everything you ever might want to know about executing the Montenegrin stitch (HERE in case you’re curious about the book) was going to be a necessity as I had never stitched it as anything but a dividing line straight across a sampler.  If you follow that link, you’ll see that Amy Mitten designed a humorous pocket to store and carry the book – fun, yes?  I thought so too, but figured I didn’t need it, so couldn’t justify it (and didn’t want to have to complete that project in order to work on Jane Turner).

Now that I’m getting really close to the bands that are filled with Montenegrin, I was thinking more and more about that pocket and how something similar would keep my book in better shape than just dropping it into my stitching bag every night.

So I dug out some supplies…


… and measured and marked and made a pattern.


Then I rooted through my denim stash till I found a piece that was tough but still soft.

And then I got too tricky for my own good – something I absolutely excel at when finishing smalls or making things like this.  Wouldn’t it be much nicer if the pocket was lined?  Yes, of course!  Cut two pieces of denim …


Uh oh.  How am I going to construct it?  Well, just sew the two pieces together, turn, and then … oh wait, can’t do the pocket side seams easily that way....  Okay, sew the pocket sides together for each piece and square off the bottom corners, turn one inside out and stuff it inside the other and then … oops, that’s a LOT of hand stitching to finish it.  Seems there should be a way that I could sew the two pieces mostly together and then turn it all through an open part (I’m still pretty sure this *can* be done… but work seems to be using the entire allotment of brain power these days and I just couldn't see how it ought to be done).

But at this point I was, as we say in our house, a bear of very little brain (apologies to A. A. Milne).  Think, think, think…

All right, let’s go for the least amount of hand sewing:  sew, turn, press, fold, pin …


Sew down the sides by hand.  Ah, at least I can shape the bottom.


Now slide the book in …


… and, finished!




>^..^<

15 comments:

  1. Perfect. Love denim anything. I've heard of the stitch, the book, and will wait for the movie.

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  2. Impressive, although I have no idea what the stitch is.

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  3. Brilliant!

    And that book lives by my stitching chair . . . alas, unadorned and uncovered. I may have to do something about that, now that I've seen it can be done!

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  4. What a great idea to protect your book. Now you should make a doodle cloth of Montenegrin stitches and applique it to the front of the pocket.
    Or maybe I should shut up talking!

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  5. Wow Deb this is great! You did a wonderful job thinking up your pattern and seeing it through. Now your book has the perfect cover. Denim was definitely a great choice in fabric and it looks wonderful too. Great job!
    RJ@stitchingfriendsforever

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  6. Such a cute idea, Deb! I really should go through my jeans and repurpose the denim from them in some way :) Looking forward to seeing this Montenegrin stitch--good luck!

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  7. Deb, great idea and execution of your book cover. Love the denim and the fact that you worked your thoughts through and voila....an adorable book pocket!!!

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  8. That is a great name for a book hah! I have tons of scrap denim too although I think if I started making book covers (or cases), it would never end. Jo has the right idea, add some stitching to it and make more work for yourself :D

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  9. Well done, Deb! A great book cover ..... I think Jo could be right, it needs a little stitching!
    I too, have no idea what the stitch is, but it must be good to have a book this big written about it!
    Barbara x

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  10. Great work - it's amazing what we manage to do with time and patience 🤔

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  11. Very nice! Good for you for figuring it out.

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  12. Great work - it looks like it fits the bill nicely.

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  13. Great work Deb and the perfect book cover.
    Have a great weekend
    hugs
    Carolyn

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