Fabric Journal for Lois

My friend Lois' birthday is in a couple weeks. I pondered about what to give her when a little light bulb went off over my head...a fabric folder would be ideal. My friend Kathy G. brought some cute fabric journal covers to the Columbus Modern Quilt Guild meeting for show and tell. And as I recall, she said she had a tutorial on her Kwilty Pleasures blog. I took a look at it and saw the genius in its simplicity.

Now to the fabric...I know!...I have fat eights of the entire Collage collection. It has a coffee cup design on some of the fabric and Lois loves coffee. But that would mean I have to cut it (gasp!). That's something I've been trying to avoid. Okay, this is a good cause I tell my self and take a deep breath. Whew! So I pick out fabric for the journal cover.

In the tutorial, the outside of the cover is sewn in diagonal strips. Since I want the coffee cups to be front and center, I take a little creative license with the design and am very happy with the results:

 

 

Now its time to select the fabric for the inside pockets and lining. Although I do have the entire collection they are fat eighths. And (of course) I can't get two pockets and the lining out of one piece of the fabric (bummer). The pockets are designed by folding a large piece of fabric in half, so I sewed together a piece of fabric to match the lining to the outside pocket fabric (it kinda looks like deconstructed coffee cups, doesn't it?)

 

  

So I put the pockets together and top stitch them when that darned light bulb started flickering again; I forgot to quilt the cover of the folder! I wanted to do something simple and geometric. I decided to quilt around the perimeter of the folder in a continuous line and then keep sewing around - a Grecian key kind of design. I have a tool that I think is typically used by long armers, but it's nice and small with lines on it that help me keep my lines straight and even.

 

Next I just assemble the pieces and leave a section open so it can be turned right side out. Then a nice top stitch with a pretty heavy variegated thread .

Voila! I lovely journal cover. Now I just need to get a tablet to slip inside. I know Lois is going to love it. Thanks Kwilty Pleasures for sharing such a fun project on your blog!