One thing leads to Another

It all started with another custom pillow... this time in the shape of a book with a tea-related theme. As with most of what I design, I rack my brain for a few days trying to give myself a rough idea of how I might construct it. I then draw a few sketches and if I find it very tricky I may even make a muslin prototype.

I went through several failed attempts before I came up with a way to make a pillow that actually looked like a book. I was happy with the final product but I still needed to make the page part and cover separately and then hand-sew the cover to the pages. I need to find a faster & easier way!

I was making my prototypes at a much smaller scale. I found that if I left the front page loose and added ribbon to tie the book closed it would make a very cute sewing caddy! Thread and scissors can be stored in the slot at the book's binding, needles can be attached to the inside of the cover, and pins in the pincushion page unit. I am playing with the idea of sewing part of a story into the top of the pincushion part to make it look like a real first page...

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)