Hand Sewing Folder
This project has been almost six months in making. I am SO happy to have it finished!
Back in the spring of 2023 I saw this beautiful rendition of the Creator’s Compendium. Ali of Arabesque Scissors converted her planner cover pattern into a gorgeous craft project folder. I really, really wanted to buy her pattern, but I ended up just creating a project that was inspired by hers.
I love doing hand sewing projects, but it always ends in a mess. Needles stuck into pillow, scissors lost in couch cushions, and tangled thread nests everywhere. I am so excited to use this folder because it will keep all my notions in one portable package that is easy to grab on my way out the door, and keep things from getting lost.
My favorite thing about this folder is all the little details. The (unprofessionally applied) piping adds a professional touch and the metal zipper makes the folder feel more substantial.
The inside is full of functional pockets. It has two large zipper pockets for scissors, seam rippers, patterns, etc. The large folder pocket on the right will probably a embroidery hoop. It could fit up to an 8” hoop. I installed a small loop for a fabric marker, and two nice size pockets for little things like floss cards and EPP papers. The two strips of fabric hold wonder clips and loose floss.
I went for a fairly muted color pallete with beige, charcoal gray, gray-green, and a dusky red. The blue interior is a little splash of color, courtesy of Joanns fabric, all the other fabrics were already in my stash. My only regret is using a jeans zipper for the exterior zipper, I’m not sure why I thought that was a good idea. It constantly gets stuck and doesn’t run smoothly.
But, overall, I’m pretty happy with this and I know I’m gonna get a ton of use out of it. I work on a crosstitch, embroidery, or crochet project almost every night in front of the TV, so this is really going to help me be more organized.
Keep an eye out for two future crosstitch projects using these gorgeous thread colors! I’m working on them right now.
Project Overview: Hand Sewing Folder
Time: 18 hours
Fabric: Stash and Joanns fabric
Pattern: Made it up as I went, inspired by the Creator’s Compendium by Arabesque Scissors
