June 2017 Papertrey Ink Stitching Focus

Good morning, friends, and welcome to this month's Stitching Focus. I'm Lizzie Jones, your Stitching Ambassador, and this month I'm sharing a couple of quick and easy projects for Dad. Father's Day will be here in less than two weeks, but with these ideas you'll be able to whip up a great gift in no time at all. Just add Dad's favorite beverage and you're good to go!

The first product I'm going to share today is the Coffee Cozy Die. This handy die is perfect for masculine an feminine projects alike. You can embellish it with stitched shapes, flowers, embroidery, or even beading and sequins. The versatility of this die makes it a basic staple for any crafting collection!

1. Nichole used the Headline Alphabet to add a monogram to a Sketched Shapes banner on her felt coffee cozy. The tiny heart flag from the Coffee Cozy Details Die Collection is the perfect touch to add a little love to her project.

2. Cristina used corrugated cardstock to create her trio of sleeves. She used the Headline Alphabet, Autumn Pattern Pieces, Background Basics: Herringbone, and Background Basics: Super Stripes to give her cozies bold, graphic patterns.

3. Erin's starry water bottle sleeve is clean and sleek in Smokey Shadow and Aqua Mist felts. She used the Coffee Cozy Details Die Collection to add a classic star design.

4. Heather used the Rustic Burlap Impression Plate to give her Kraft cardstock sleeve a bit of texture. She paired the Latte Love stamped sentiment with the heart from the Coffee Cozy Details Die Collection to reinforce the love-of-coffee theme.

5. Erin's Valentine's Day coffee cozies are sure to make you fall in love. She embellished her Coffee Cozy Details hearts with flowers created with the Bitty Button Stacks and Mini Blooms leaves. She even used the Stitched Holiday Words die to add a little embroidered greeting to each sleeve!

6. Erin added a sugar pocket to her coffee sleeve using the Coin Purse Pockets die. She even embellished the pocket with the heart patch from the Seasonal Stitching: Eggs Die Collection. How clever!

The second set of dies I'm focusing on today is the Stitched Rectangles Die. These basic dies are just as at home in felt creations as they are on cards. They make beautiful mats with their delightfully dotted edges. And they're adaptable enough to be nearly anything you can imagine.

1. Nichole used the Stitched Rectangles die to add a gingham layer to her thank you card. The stitching detail is such a charming complement to the Friendly Flowers bloom.

2. Betsy paired the Stitched Rectangles with the Double Ups: Rectangles to frame the Botanical Blocks II lilacs. The Graceful Greetings II sentiment beautifully accompanied the delicate floral.

3. Erin's tissues are tucked into a stylish holder she created by pairing the Stitched Rectangles with the 4" zipper die from the Coin Purse Die collection. She even embellished it with the Sew Stylish Alphabet 1 Die and Just Smile floral accents.

4. Nichole created wrist cuffs fit for a super heroine using the Stitched Rectangles and Zappy Birthday lightning bolts. The smallest Stitched Circle and the Polka Dot Parade Alphabet paired perfectly to create a monogrammed medallion.

5. I used a Stitched Rectangle and Background Basics: Super Stripes to create a mini beach towel on this summer fun card. The pre-punched holes made it easy to add embroidery floss fringe. Get Lost and Flipping Out round out the playful design.

6. Maile used the Stitched Rectangles to create the focal point on her Thank You Kindly card. The stitching holes not only add an attractive eyelet feature to her card, but they also make for a handy place to tie her embroidery floss bow.

Father's Day is fast approaching, so quick projects are just the ticket. I have a duo of cozies that you can create on a short timeline. Just package your cozy with Dad's favorite craft brew, specialty soda, or small batch roast for a gift he's sure to savor.

I have two variations on the cozy to share. The Coffee Cozy is wonderful for insulated cups, but it's also ideal for pint glasses and plastic cups. The Stitched Rectangles Die is completely adaptable and makes for a fabulous bottle cozy! Let's start with a closer look at the Coffee Cozy option.

My Father-in-law loves to sit on his porch every warm Summer evening with a tall glass of iced tea and a book, so I used the Coffee Cozy Die to make him a monogrammed glass sleeve. This sleeve will keep his fingers dry when his glass starts to sweat so he won't leave wet fingerprints on his books' pages.

I started by cutting the Coffee Cozy from Pure Poppy felt using the standard pieces. You can always make your cozy a little more snug by just using the small pieces or loose with the larger pieces. Try making a typing paper cozy first to see which variation will work best for the cup you're looking to fit. I used the holes-only oval from the Baby Bootie: Details Die (the Spatted Bow Bootie) to die cut the oval detail. Then I used the Small Stitched Alphabet for his first and middle initials. I used the Sew Stylish Alphabets to add the Blueberry Sky monogram in the center of the oval.

These colors coordinate with the hometown hockey team, his beloved Columbus Blue Jackets, so I'm hoping he loves it. This same style of cozy could be packaged with a reusable cup full of whole beans, a gift card for a favorite café, or a case of Dad's favorite specialty tea and a book.

Supplies:

Pure Poppy Felt	Blueberry Sky Felt	Coffee Cozy Die	Baby Bootie: Details Die Collection
Sew Stylish Alphabet 1	Sew Stylish Alphabet 2 Die	Small Stitched Alphabet

InLinkz.com

The other cozy was super easy, thanks to the Stitched Rectangles Die! My dad is more of a beer guy, so I wanted to make him a cozy that would fit around a standard 12 oz bottle. It would also work on a specialty soda bottle if the man in your life is a small-batch root beer guy instead.

I cut two Smokey Shadow rectangles using the third largest rectangle. Then I used the holes-only diamond pattern from the Phone Case Details Die Collection to add the harlequin pattern. Then I trimmed off the holes along the long edges. You could stitch along these edges too, but I preferred the clean edge for this project.

I stitched the diamonds using three threads and then added the crosshatching with single threads. The white thread contrasts nicely while keeping the cozy masculine.

I used the Sew Stylish Alphabet 1 to add an Ocean Tides monogram and then stitched up the short sides just like you would with the Coffee Cozy. It's a perfect fit!

Supplies:

Smokey Shadow Felt	Ocean Tides Felt	Stitched Rectangles Die	Sew Stylish Alphabet 1
Phone Case Details Die Collection

InLinkz.com

I also wanted to share a crazy story with you about today's post. I was out on our side porch taking the photos of my cozies when a thunderstorm rolled in. I was annoyed because the light suddenly changed and I was cranky about the lack of sunshine. I was totally focused and scowling at the sprinkles that threatened my projects. All of a sudden I noticed something tan and out-of-focus in my camera's viewfinder. I figured it was a stray cat (someone in the area feeds a large number of them) and didn't even look up at first. When I finally did there was a tiny, soaked fawn heading swiftly in my direction, looking to take shelter on our porch. I gasped and froze and she stopped in her tracks. Apparently she hadn't seen me either. She surprised me just as much as I surprised her! She ran and hid in the underbrush in our side yard while I gathered all of my props and hurried in the house in the event that she would still want to take refuge on the porch. I was so stunned I didn't even get a great photo despite the fact that my camera was in my hands. This is the only picture I have of the encounter.

You have to understand - I love deer. Like, absolutely love them. I know they eat my hosta like they're a delicious salad buffet and I can't have a vegetable garden without major infrastructure, but I don't even care as long as I get to enjoy these docile beauties. I've been waiting to see a fawn for weeks. I call this time of year "baby season" and I anxiously await my first sighting. This was an absolute thrill! It was completely bonkers!

Thank you so much for joining me today! I hope today's projects have inspired you to whip up some last-minute gifts for the deserving dads in your life. Have a fantastic week and I'll see you again soon!