Autumn journal cover

By Spotlight

We love this clever idea for turning spare fat quarters into inspirational journal covers. Created by Zoe Ferguson from Spotlight’s Mt Barker Store.

Final Result

Materials

• fat 1/4 background fabric
• iron-on pellon
• thread to match background fabric
• variegated machine embroidery thread
• various synthetic organzas, including gold, maroon, green & blue
• 0.5m dissolvable 541 vilene
• various autumn coloured textile paints
• vliesofix
• fabric to make piping or ready-made piping
• small amount of maroon or black fine netting
• collection of autumn leaves
• pencil
• scrap paper
• baking paper
• 8” (20cm) wooden embroidery hoop
• general sewing supplies
• paint brush or small foam roller
• textile tool or candle
• newspaper
• A5 visual diary

Step 1

Cut background fabric, one piece 38cm x 25cm, two 38cm x 2cm and two 25cm x 8cm. Cut pellon 34cm x 21cm. From your collection of leaves choose several smaller leaves and one larger leaf, trace around them onto paper to make leaf templates.

Step 2

Lay the largest piece of background fabric on top of some newspaper. Take one leaf and using the paint brush or roller apply paint to the front of the leaf, place paint side down on to fabric, and with a piece of scrap paper over the painted leaf gently apply pressure with your hands to transfer the leaf image on to the fabric. Repeat using different leaves and colours until the desired effect is achieved. Allow paint to dry then iron to set the paint.

Step 3

Using the leaf templates created earlier trace leaf shapes onto the paper side of the vliesofix. Roughly cut around the shapes then iron onto the organza between two sheets of baking paper to protect the ironing surface and iron. Cut out the leaf shapes along the lines then iron onto the printed background fabric using baking paper as before.

Step 4

Thread machine with variegated thread, lower the feed dogs and using the embroidery or darning foot, free motion stitch around the outside edge of the leaves and add the vein detail.

Step 5

For the leaf on the front cover place a piece of the Vilene 541in your hoop and before attaching the other ring cut snippets of organza and sprinkle over the 541. Make sure there are no gaps between the organzas. Place a piece of fine netting over the top to hold the snippets in place. Using a HB pencil trace the large leaf shape onto another piece of 541 and place this over the netting. Pin the sandwich to hold all layers in place then add the second ring.

Step 6

With variegated thread in the top and bobbin of the machine, free motion stitch the outline of the leaf and add the detail of the veins as before, making sure to stitch into all the snippets. Stitch a small zigzag border all around the outside of the leaf for extra stability. Once the stitching is completed remove the work from the hoops then roughly cut the leaf shape out. Put the leaf under running water to start dissolving the 541, then soak it in water for about 1/2 an hour to completely dissolve the 541. Squeeze out excess water and pin out to dry. Use a textile tool or a candle to carefully burn the edges of the leaf, the organza will stop burning at the stitch line. Work in a well ventilated area and have some water on hand. Take a gentle approach if this is the first time using this technique.

Step 7

Iron pellon onto the back of the cover, there will be a 2cm border around the outside. With right side up sew piping along the edges matching the raw edges of the piping to the edges of the cover, snipping the corners. Zigzag stitch along one long side of the long background fabric strips. Fold over a 2cm seam on one side of the shorter background strips and press, these are the sleeves.

Step 8

With cover right side up, place sleeves on each end of the cover with the fold facing up. Place the long background lengths along the top and bottom edges overlapping the side sleeves with zigzag edges toward the centre.

Step 9

Pin and stitch in place. Clip the corners and turn through. Iron the cover. Pin the large leaf to the front cover then hand stitch in place. Insert the diary.

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