Elizabeth 1823

Emilia Pool Sewing Basket (copyright 2014)

Stacy Nash

Linen:  Weeks Dye Works Dolphin

Fibers: combination of NPI silks, Weeks and Gentle Arts

Prized Pig Sewing Book (copyright 2015)

Stacy Nash

Linen:  Weeks Dye Works Dolphin

Fibers: Gentle Arts (Antique Rose, Harvest Gold)

What makes us fall in love with a design?  Is it the verse, a border, motifs, colors, a big old house, the proportions?  When Stacy Nash released this design at market in 2014, I fell hard.  I think it was the colors and turning a simple paper mache box into a sewing basket.

Anna Elizabeth was my Great Great Grandmother.  She lived most of her life in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina near Asheville.  The dolphin linen by Weeks was a rich blue color which reminded me of the mountain colors and changing Emilia to Elizabeth was an easy change.  The rest required  time and some thought.  Turning a Hobby Lobby paper mache box into a sewing box and a simple notebook into a journal were new to me finishes.  (I am not a finisher, finishing is a struggle, there are mistakes and tons of room for improvement, watching tutorials is helpful).

The inside cover(s) of the journal is finished using the Nun's stitch.  Years and years ago, Ginnie Thompson released a book called Linen Stitches.  I often refer to this book and if you don't have it in your stitching library, I highly recommend it.  It is an excellent resource guide and Ginnie's step by step instructions are easy to follow and execute.  The Nun's stitch is an easy stitch with the rhythm one-two change direction, one two change direction.  The stitch is pulled tightly and makes a lovely finished edge.  The Nun's stitch works well for finishing when you don't want a hem, it is less bulky.

The back of he journal was the most challenging part.  The back of the design was plain and I wanted something on the back of the journal.  In 2015, Stacy released a design called Prized Pig Sewing Book & Flower Urn Pinkeep, and the design had a beautiful cartouche:  simple and elegant.  It took some careful counting and recounting to see if the design would fit.  I added the letter NC for North Carolina--where Anna Elizabeth was living and attended school.

For the spine of the book, I dug into my wool stash and found a soft cream fabric.  Is there anything more fun than shopping for silk ribbon?  I'm not sure which part I enjoy most:  the beautiful colors, the sheen, or the luxurious feel of the ribbon running through my fingers.  A silk ribbon for a girl living in the mountains of North Carolina in pre Civil War America would have been an extravagance, I doubt Anna Elizabeth tied her journal with a silk ribbon.  I thought it was past time Anna Elizabeth had a silk ribbon for her journal.