My Grandmother stitched.
My Mother stitched .
My Grandmother made crazy quilt blankets for couples as a wedding gift.
It was on her sewing machine that had a place on the kitchen table that she allowed me to try my hand at sewing rows and rows and rows of squares. I loved it. I never created anything with all of those rows, perhaps my Grandmother did, but I remember having so much fun cutting out the squares and sewing them together on many a summer day. She patiently showed me how to wind a bobbin and thread the needle and how to use the seam guide to help me sew in straight rows.
My mother sewed for living working as a sewer in a furniture manufacture plant. At home, she made many beautiful things from fabric including curtains, tablecloths and such.
When I was in high school I learned how to sew on buttons and hem jeans. In the 70's it was very cool to have some kind of embroidery on your jeans such as ...hearts , peace symbol, flowers, and your initials or your boyfriend's initials. I had lots of fun with my embroidered jeans. I wish I still had them! I wish I could still wear them!
So sewing and stitching is part of my childhood past.
Sometimes our plans are not God's plans . My plan was to have a Summer Bible Study that included a fun stitching project. Schedules, a new ministry program and an unexpected surgery put this Bible Study on the bottom of the totem pole.
Praying the Stitches will begin soon but the hands on project will come first.
Over the next couple of weeks I will share with you how stitching can put your mind and soul into a state of calm. Praying for those things that are heavy on your heart. Slowing down . Finding peace and comfort in the moment.
So gather up some fabric, scraps of fabric, lace, trims, buttons, patches, the old dishtowel from your grandma's kitchen....and we will learn how to make fabric collage covers for our planners, small notebook, Bibles and a Memory Maker Smash book ( this is another project in the works.) Watch for it!
A bag to keep your project supplies is a requirement !
This is the fabric collage cover for my travelers notebook planner.
This beauty contains my personal and ministry calendars, daily devotion reflections, visual prayers, project planning, and a daily gratitude dairy.
Each piece of fabric has a special meaning and a prayer as I stitched it into place.
Each day when I pick up my planner I have a visual reminder of prayers lifted up and prayers answered. It is almost like having a secret code. Nobody knows the meaning of it all but me and the Big Guy!
The process I will share can be used to cover anything that has a cover!
The cover for this small scrapbook has been measured, cut and pinned . After the seams have been stitched , the fun collage work can begin. This small book is for my grand daughter. I will be using the fabric from pieces of her clothing that she has outgrown to be part of the collage.
I have another grand daughter due in October and I will be working on a fabric collage cover for her Enduring Word Bible. I love this fabric and it will be perfect to stitch and layer other fabrics to it. Oh the prayers that will go into all of the stitches.
Your finished cover will roughly be the same width of whatever you are covering.
If you have a sewing machine or know someone that does, you can take scraps of fabric and sew them together to make one large piece of fabric for our project.
You will need a piece of wool felt to stitch to the wrong side of the fabric. This helps to give thiner fabric some body.
Lay what you are going to cover on top of your fabric and open the front and back covers to measure for the length . Add 2-3 inches on each side for the side pockets for the covers to slide into.
Turn up the edges on the top and bottom of the fabric to create a seam. Use needle and thread or fabric glue or iron on hem tape to give the edges a finished look.
The process is the same for a smaller cover.
Front cover pocket.
Back cover pocket.
You can even create your own fabric prints. Try it on paper first.
Created your own collage objects with fabric and stitches. These circle flowers are very easy and give the covers a dimensional look. I made this one using 4 different sizes of circles. A button holds them all together.
Patches remind me of my childhood and my grandmother.
Another way to add layers.
These red stitches give the heart a 3-D look.
Simply adding a touch of color can make an object stand out.
Find calm and clarity.
There is a story about the rainbow. Notice how the stitches are very imperfect. Yeah, just like you and me. More about the imperfect rainbow in the Praying the Stitches video. Keep reading!
So, you may be very overwhelmed by now and think you could never do this. No worries. I will walk you through this project in a series of Praying the Stitches videos. Be sure to follow @beebeebost on Instagram and on the Do You F.R.O.G. Facebook page ( like the page to see notifications)
