Mini pocket sewing kit

 

Every year I offer a free Christmas ornament, or pattern. But this year I thought to do something a little different, and design a small embroidered item that could be given as a gift. I had a couple ideas, but quickly settled on a pocket-sized sewing kit. 

 

For years I had carried around a small sewing kit, the kind you get for free in hotels, and many times it had come in handy and saved the day when I was far from home, and needed a few stitches to fix a rip, or sew a loose button. I thought this would make a useful, and thoughtful gift, beside being a fun and interesting project. 

 

I tried out a few different versions, first on paper, then simplifying the designs, and stitched a sample on 28ct linen. I had originally thought of making a Christmas themed cross stitch design, then I considered a geometrical pattern, but after posting on Instagram and getting suggestions from followers I settled on a floral pattern. That way it is more versatile and not just a Christmas item.

 

The tiny sewing kit is approximately 6.5 x 5 x 1 cm. It is fine to stitch it on a lower count linen, the size would then be slightly bigger, but I would not recommend using a higher count linen, as then the size would be smaller and since thread bobbins are generally standard in size, it might not fit properly.

 

The pattern is available for free here: https://www.roland-designs.com/free-patterns/free-christmas-patterns

 #pocketsewingkit

#rolanddesigns 

 

Playing around with the idea

Stitching a prototype on 28ct linen

Finished sample

For my sample, I used cloth for the inside, but later decided to use felt instead.

Kind of cute, just like a mini book

After a discussion on Instagram, I settled for an antique, floral design

All done with the embroidery

The finished pocket sewing kit

'Help me to help myself' - Free pattern

 

A little pattern with a well-known maxim that sums up the essence of the Montessori method.

“We can sum this up in two sentences; the first actually said by a child to his teacher: ‘Help me to do it by myself’. The other is one we gave: ‘Every useless help is an obstacle to development.”

Maria Montessori - Citizen of the World

 

Christmas ornament 2023

About a year ago I made a note to myself to use a specific Christmas themed design from my Alpursa vignette album for my next ornament. The pattern is rather small and simple, so I knew it needed a little something more, and I tinkered with the idea of stitching it in tent stitch on canvas, but after a couple tries decided against it.

 

Hardanger is just so lovely for small, decorative items, and a blanket stitch edge is a nice finishing option. I gave it a couple of tries, then settled for this design.

 

I stitched my ornament on a small piece of  28ct linen, and with threads I had in my stash - Small ornaments are a great way to use up leftovers. It is also possible to stitch the Christmas tree motif alone, or to work it in Assisi. 

 

Have fun being creative!

 

The pattern in PDF format is available as an instant download here: https://www.roland-designs.com/free-christmas-patterns

 

For photos of the Alpursa album see this blog post: http://roland-designs.blogspot.com/2013/05/more-alpursa.html

 

Video of the album on You Tube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXaiS0jb4Qc

 

Roland-designs Christmas ornament 2023

If you stitch one of my patterns, and share a photo on social media, you can tag your work with #rolanddesigns

Anchor - Free cross stitch pattern

Like most needlework interested persons, I have far too many UFO’s (UnFinished Objects). Such as the sweater I started knitting a year ago, the large sampler that has sat on my desk for a couple years, and ‘shame, shame, shame’, a glorious cross stitch picture from Lavender & lace which I started over a decade ago and never got around to finishing. 

 

With a full time job, and studying (almost finished though), I have found that 24 hours days are just too short for doing all that one needs, and wants to do. That is why a little while back I started on a spot sampler. When the need-to-stitch starts to itch my fingers, I can stitch a small motif and not feel guilty for not completing a large project. I would definitely recommend it to others who like to embroider, but don’t have much time. 

 

The newest addition is a little anchor pattern, re-charted from an antique bookmark in my private collection. The anchor was stitched in cross stitch on punched paper, then sewed on a decorative ribbon.

I stitched the flowers in petit point, and the rest in cross stitch. 

 

The pattern is available on the website, and for those who are curious, here are the colours I used: 

 

DMC 3346 – Medium green

DMC 3348 – Light green

DMC 3328 – Medium pink

DMC 776 – Light pink

DMC 3371 – Dark brown

DMC 801 – Medium brown

Antique punch paper and ribbon bookmark

 

In the Victorian era, an anchor was a symbol of hope and was often paired with a

heart, and cross to symbolizes Faith, Hope, Love.

 

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love!”

1 Corinthian 13:13 NIV

 

Close up of the original embroidery

Link to pattern: https://roland-designs.com/free-patterns

 

M.E. Sampler + Free pattern

 

M.E. Sampler

 

This colorful sampler is worked mostly in cross stitch, but with some motifs in double cross stitch, and a long cross stitch basket (?) under the main initial. It is undated, though most probably dating from the second half of the 1800’s.

Along with the classic uppercase, and lowercase alphabet and numerals, the sampler also has four decorative border strips and several little motifs which could be used for other projects too. Note the large, yellow bee (bumblebee)

I named it the M.E. sampler, because those were the prominent initials. One more reason to date and sign your needlework, imagine a collector finding your piece a hundred years from now and trying to figure out the date it was made and by whom.

With little fading, the back and the front has just as crisp colors

 

The pattern is available on ETSY, and the website.

 

Free pattern - A little rooster from the Alpursa collection

Here is a little cross stitch pattern for you from a vintage Alpursa vignette design.

I did not include a color code, as it uses so little threads that it is best to make use of those you already have in your stash. 

 

Here I've added the little rooster to my spot sampler

 

Other blog posts about the Alpursa album:

 http://roland-designs.blogspot.com/2012/12/alpursa-chocolate-cross-stitch-patterns.html

http://roland-designs.blogspot.com/2013/05/more-alpursa.html

http://roland-designs.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-soldiers-life-cross-stitch-pattern.html

YouTube video where you get to see the complete album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXaiS0jb4Qc

Website:

The Alpursa box and The soldier is available here: 

https://www.roland-designs.com/gifts-from-our-past

Four small Norwegian school samplers

The four samplers

As a collector at times, you come across similar, though not entirely identical items, this is the case with four small school samplers I recently acquired. Two of them were stitched eleven years apart by girls sharing a similar last name (Stavern), the other two are practically identical, but were worked four years apart at two different schools.

This makes me wonder if this was the standard form for school samplers of the time, or if the teacher was the same for both young girls, and as for the two near identical samplers, if there also it was the case of the same teacher relocating to a different school? These theories make for some fun speculations.

The samplers are very simple, just an alphabet in different stitches, and a set of numerals. The letter J is missing in three of the samplers, but Helen’s 1905 sampler has both the J, an extra half alphabet in Algerian eye and no numerals, all samplers have the letters Æ, Ø.

The cross stitch and Algerian eyes are stitched in red, the straight Gobelin stitches are white, blue or yellow.  Three of the samplers have a simple blanket stitch around the edge, the last one is stitched within the woven frame of the cloth.

If you want to try your hand at a stitching a historical sampler reproduction, these would make the perfect project. Simple, but with three different stitch types, plus the blanket stitch edge.

Another possibility is to select your favorite version of the alphabet and numerals and create your own sampler, using the colors of your choice. Because of the specialty stitches the samplers must be stitched on an evenweave fabric; look closely at the details photos for ideas of which material to use. 

The samplers are available as a set of 4x here: ETSY, Website

Close up of the details - Note the neat blanket stitch

Close up of the details

The 'Stavern' samplers