Life of a Sew Girl
* Chart download is at the bottom of the page *
Are you ready for it?
Let's face it. A Taylor Swift album release date is practically a national holiday. I don't know about you but, I am most definitely in my "Sew Girl" era and I love how it coordinates with the twelfth release from our happy musical muse. Stitch it as-is or use it as a foundation to bring your crafty girl style to a new display piece for your favorite sewing spot.
The large amount of satin stitches may look overwhelming or, maybe, you've tried it in the past but it wasn't really your favorite. I recommend you consider it here - especially if you share my love for "bubble letters on all my school folders" millennial nostalgia. It gives the piece a fun, dimensional texture that really adds to the sew life vibe. I found success performing the satin stitch using two strands at once and on the linen I worked through every row of thread instead of ever two as I did with my crosses.
I gave the spools a little satin stitch gradient using two colors of the teal floss. You'll find I've included a diagram in the download that highlights how I went about achieving this effect.
If you really don't want to try it, there is a standard stitch chart included as well.
I stitched my pillow on a leftover piece of 36 count Antique Ivory by Zweigart, so it was an economical project. I used 1 strand of DMC floss over 2 fabric threads.
The called for DMC includes 163, 319, 920, 3776, and 3813, - but I highly encourage you to personalize this piece with your favorites to make it your own.
Those 12 spools at the bottom? You might find some color suggestions in the pattern if you'd like to assign a different era to each one.
The design is only 89 stitches wide by 68 stitches high, and it works up in the amount of time you'll be killing while taking in your first round of binge listening to the new tunes.
Rather than stitching the button motifs onto my piece I opted for adding actual buttons from my stash for a little added flair. You could also try this with the straight pins and safety pins, but I didn't have anything in my stash the right size to fit the piece.
I attached the buttons after applying my lightweight interfacing so the buttons weren't in the way of the ironing process.
I used a little strip of Heat n' Bond to secure my ribbon trim to the fabric before I machine sewed the pillow together so I didn't have to fret about it shifting or becoming misaligned. You might want to do a little hand tacking to really get it on there if you're worried about it but mine has held so far. You will have to be careful when you turn out and iron the pillow because there's a chance the bond might loosen or re-melt!
The measuring tape trim and charms came from Hobby Lobby, and I've got those item numbers in the pattern if you wish to duplicate my look.
I hope you enjoy the new music and find yourself busy enjoying all the things you love while you stitch this piece. Share your finish with me @needleandmoss on Instagram so I can see how you make the design your own!
Happy listening and, as always, happy stitching!
