100 Day Project, Stitch Book 2025: a Make Nine finish

In January of 2021, I discovered the 100 Day Project. Since then, I have successfully completed eight of them—including this year’s 100 Day Stitch Book 2025 with Ann Wood. I am counting this project as a Make Nine finish.

100 Day Stitch Book 2025.

Slot-and-tab book binding

The 4-page slot-and-tab signatures are finished and the Stitch Book is assembled. The cover (which was not part of the Stitch Book instructions but was added) was embroidered with “100 day Stitch Book” and the year to document the project. Here are few of the inside page spreads, starting with the first page.

Inside front cover and page 1 of the Stitch Book 2025.

I think a few of the spreads look very cohesive, especially those that had the same background fabric.

Two-page spread of the 100 Day Stitch Book 2025.

As the 100 Day Project progressed, I referenced previously stitched pages and began thinking about side-by-side pages (page spreads). Even though these pages were stitched at different times (not consecutively), the page spread looks intentional.

Two-page spread of the 100 Day Stitch Book 2025.

Two-page spread of the 100 Day Stitch Book 2025.

Two-page spread of the 100 Day Stitch Book 2025.

Here is the last page and the back cover.

Last page and inside back cover of the 100 Day Stitch Book 2025.

Things I learned from making the Stitch Book

The assembling of the pages into the slot-and-tab book structure was quite interesting but somewhat challenging. Were I to make another book with the slot-and-tab construction, here are tips and things I would consider:

• Leave more unstitched margins on the page perimeter. The pages with appliquéd fabrics added to the bulk—especially at the gutter—causing a few pages to not lie as flat as they could have.
• I think less pages would make a better, flatter book. I think an 8-page or 12 page book would be good to try. Or a book with a larger page size.
• Thankfully I added 1 inch to the width of the front and back covers. This allowed the covers to extend past the interior pages. Note: the front and back covers actually wrap around and create the spine of the book, so extra fabric is needed.

View of the slot-and-tab book spine.

View of the stitch book spine.

• For a future book, I would make the “tab” pages with a slightly deeper tab, and the “slot” pages with a slightly larger slot. The initial page assembly of my book was tight and I unpicked a few stitches to accommodate a little bit of “wiggle room.”
• This is a fun scrap buster project. I used four different fabrics I had in my stash for the base pages. With planning, it would be interesting to use the same fabric for all of the pages.
• I would also plan to have front and back covers for the book and incorporate this into the initial design of the book.

A perfect improvisational, stash-busting project

The 100 Day Stitch Book was a good project to use up scraps and random bits of fabric cut-offs. Since this was an “improvisational” themed project, I used scraps specifically from my improv quilts over the years (I’m glad I saved cut-offs from those projects). In addition to scraps from my improv quilts, I incorporated students’ scraps from the “inventory department” of my recent Intro to Improv Quilting class as the Folk School. 

I also used random lengths of embroidery floss, yarn, and perle cotton for the improv stitching and enjoyed researching potential stitches from embroidery books in my library.

Top view of slot-and-tab fabric stitch book.

Make Nine finish: a Wild Card prompt

My 100 Day Stitch Book is fulfilling one of the Wild Card prompts for Make Nine 2025. It was a great 100 Day Project and I would do it again.

Make Nine 2025 Wild Card prompt.

This is the 4th documented completed project for Make Nine 2025.

Make Nine 2025 tracker. 

Assembling the 100 day Stitch Book with the Slot-and-Tab binding method

Last weekend, I completed the final page—number 20—of the  100 Day Stitch Book 2025, a 100 day stitch challenge with Ann Wood. The next step was to use the slot-and-tab binding method to put the stitched pages into book form.

Twenty hand stitched pages for the 100 Day Stitched Book 2025.

Pagination for the Slot and Tab binding method

As someone who studied printing technology, publishing, and bookmaking, I quickly noticed the slot-and-tab binding method does not follow the standard page imposition like traditional book signatures. The number of pages does need to be a multiple of four, but the 4-page folios do not follow the traditional pagination scheme. Slot and Tab binding… a new bookmaking method for me to learn! Ann provides a pagination guide for the Stitch Book challenge on her blog.

Individual pages for the Stitch Book 2025 with the pagination guide.

For the pagination, I considered keeping the pages in the date order of when they were created. But upon laying out and examining all the pages together, several of them lent themselves to cohesive 2-page spreads—which I found more appealing.

Determining page spreads.

As recommended by Ann, I used painter’s tape to number each page as it would appear in the book sequence.

Labeling the book pages.

Adding a cover to my stitch book required a new folding dummy

I also wanted a cover for my book. I had large scrap of a cotton/linen fabric (white fabric with blue rings shown below) from this Berwick Street shirt that I made. It was large enough to cut out covers for the Stitch Book. The covers were cut about 1” wider to accommodate the book’s spine and to make sure the inside pages of the book were covered when the book was closed.

White and blue cotton/linen fabric cover for the stitch book.

With the addition of four more pages—the front and back outside covers, and the inside front and inside back covers—the pagination scheme needed to be updated (my book has 24 pages instead of 20). I made a classic folding dummy (with paper) to determine the page sequence and accommodate the extra four pages.

Using the paper folding dummy to determine the slot-and-tab folios.

Sewing the slot and tab folios

Following Ann’s instructions and using her page template, the pages were sewn into either a slot or tab format.

Sewing the four-page tab and slot folios.

The next steps are turning the signatures right side out and assembling the book. Stay tuned for more Stitch Book assembly.

Day 30 of the 100 Day Stitch Book project

We’re 30 days and 6 pages into the 100 Day Stitch Book with Ann Wood. This stitch Challenge started on January 17.

Pages 1 and 2 of the 2025 Stitch Book.

Using fabric scraps and leftovers

It’s satisfying for me to pair my leftover scraps from various improvisational patchwork projects with improv hand stitching to create these small 5.5” x 7” pages. This project is giving purpose to my improv scraps. I thought these scraps might find their way into another improv patchwork project, but in this little stitch book, they are the stars of the show. It’s so fun!

Pages 3 and 4 of the 2025 Stitch Book.

I’ve got a mix of fabrics for the base pages—a blue cotton/linen blend from Art Gallery Fabrics and a few 100% cotton yarn-dyed wovens from Diamond Textiles.

Pages 5 and 6 of the 2025 Stitch Book.

The threads I’m using consist of variegated cotton sewing thread, perle cotton, embroidery floss, and an 80 wt. soft poly for the appliqué. I’m using basic, familiar stitches: running stitch, blanket stitch, French knots, seed stitch, feather stitch, back stitch, and an invisible appliqué stitch.

The backs are colorful and interesting as well.

Backs of pages 1 and 2.

Backs of pages 3 and 4.

Backs of pages 5 and 6.

This is the start of page 7.

Page 7 of my 100 Day Stitch Book 2025.

I’ll work on this page for five days and then start another one.

Why new holiday fabric collections arrive at quilt stores in the summer

It’s hard to think about sewing or quilting with Christmas holiday fabrics in the summer. But late Spring and Summer is the time of year when all the new holiday and seasonal fabric collections arrive at our favorite quilt shops.

Hand stitched holiday decorations from the Winter Dreams collection from FIGO Fabrics. 

Summer delivery for Christmas fabrics?

These hand stitched decorations were made with a holiday fabric panel from a collection called Winter Dreams from FIGO Fabrics. The fabric collection was delivered to quilt shops this past June. 

I found inspiration in the Winter Dreams project panel and was moved to embellish the motifs with hand embroidery—melding colors of floss, perle cotton with various stitches. Being that the embellishing was done by hand, this project would not be a quick, over-night completion. 

Fabric panel from the Winter Dreams fabric collection by FIGO Fabrics.

So, unless you have a gang of Santa’s elves to help you, making handmade gifts or decorations for the holidays is going to take time… likely time you won’t have this time of the year—the short, busy timeframe between Halloween and when the decorations go up and gifts are slid under the tree. 

Hand embroidered heart.

The hand stitching on these decorations took a number of hours over a course of several months. It was my portable travel project during this time. Now that it’s November, I pulled out these embroideries—I finished 8!—to match them with coordinating fabrics for the backs. 

Three embroidered stars ready to be sewn to a backing fabric.

Stitched and turned right side out, these stars are ready for the filler/stuffing.

Once stitched and turned right side out, the pieces were stuffed. I used batting scraps for the stuffing and then hand stitched the opening with Scanfil organic cotton thread and the ladder stitch (not a whip stitch) for an invisible closure.

Batting scraps used for the filler/stuffing.

The sewing, turning, and stuffing takes a bit of time. Here are two finished trees that I think are quite charming and festive.

Hand stitched stuffed holiday decorations.

So this is why holiday fabric lines are delivered from May to July. And why quilt shops and independent sewing centers promote "holiday making" with classes and events in the summer. If one waits until November, you might be giving an IOU as a gift... and your decorations will be held over for next year. 

Stitched and stuffed holiday heart decoration.

A few tips about these holiday stuffies

A few things to note about the motifs on the Winter Dreams project panel:

• there are no seam allowances for the motifs. If making stuffed decorations, you will need to take the seam allowance out of the printed areas.

• I used a 2.0 stitch length on the machine to sew the fronts to the backs. Leave an opening for stuffing.

• Clip the inside acute angles (on the trees, between the star points, and the top of the heart) for easier turning. Clip the seam allowances up to (but not into) the stitching line.

• I used the ladder stitch to close the opening after stuffing. It makes a neater, more invisible join.

• Thread a needle with a strand of embroidery floss or perle cotton and sew a loop into the stuffie so it can be hung.

• This was the perfect travel project for me because it was small, portable, and required minimal supplies—an embroidery hoop, a small baggie of left-over strands of embroidery floss, a needle, and a pair of scissors. 

Coordinating fabrics for the backs.

The clock is ticking... are you in a hurry?

Check with your local quilt shop for the Winter Dreams collection. There is a project panel and several coordinates in this fabric line. For a quick holiday project:

• Forego the hand stitching and embellishing and just sew and stuff the motifs. 

• Use a fusible appliqué technique to appliqué the motifs onto a base fabric. Think: mug rugs, pillows, a banner, or table runner.

• The panel has a bunting project that could be no-sew by using a fusible.

• Fuse the motifs onto card stock for gift tags or greeting cards.

• Embellish the motifs with fabric paints or crayons.

• Find a pattern for quick patchwork and make something all by machine.

Enjoy your holiday making!

Create Daily 2024 tracker: Q3 is complete

Three-quarters of 2024 have passed as we say “goodbye” to September. On October 1, I’ll begin filling in the last diagram of My Create Daily tracker.

Create Daily 2024 tracker, September 30.

During the last week of the month, the squares were colored with four different colors—each representing a different creative activity. While traveling, my take-along project is hand knitting.

I’ve also been active in a new sketchbook with exercises from the Sketchbook Revival online workshop. This page was nature journaling and contour drawings with Melinda Nakagawa.

Sketchbook page: Nature journaling and contour drawings.

On the weekend, I made a thread sampler stitch-out with Scanfil Organic Threads for one of my customers. It shows examples of free-motion quilting, hand quilting, hand embroidery, and machine decorative stitching with Scanfil’s 100% long staple organic cotton threads; 50wt and 30 wt.

Thread sampler detail: free-motion quilting, hand stitching, decorative machine stitching.

The sample was improvisationally pieced with American Made Brand [AMB] solids from Clothworks. The binding is from the 2.5” Edition collection by Art Gallery Fabrics.

Scanfil thread sampler, 8” x 10.5”.

And I rounded out the last day of September with slow stitch mending. It’s been a colorful and productive month. 

Welcome October!

Make Nine finish #9: the Triangle Pouch

The final finish for the Make Nine 2024 Challenge is this group of triangle pouches. This new-to-me pattern was introduced to me and participants in a summer workshop with Arouna Khounnoraj. The triangle pouch is a perfect little project for featuring special fabrics, using up batting scraps, slow stitching with decorative threads, and it can be made exclusively by hand (if you choose).

Hand stitched triangle pouches.

The first triangle pouch I made was in the workshop using fabrics that were dyed with natural dyes. I started a second one. This one incorporated a naturally-dyed fabric that was also hand stamped with a tjap design.

Triangle pouch using natural dyed fabric scraps and hand embroidery stitches.

You can see the tjap I used to hand-stamp the design on the hand-dyed fabric.

Tjap and hand-stamped fabric for another triangle pouch.

Last weekend, I started a batch of these pouches for a take-along handwork project prior to an overnight camper trip. This part of the pouch was sewn by machine (for expediency), but could also be done by hand. I’ve used a variety of commercial fabric prints in various colors.

Prepping the pouches for hand stitching.

After the decorative hand stitching is used to “quilt” the pouch, it is assembled with a drawstring and a decorative bead, button, or charm. The pouch can be used to hold small notions, a spool of thread, candies, or other small treasures.

Opened pouch showing the drawstring and vintage button.

One of the fun parts of making these pouches is searching the button stash to choose a complementary, decorative or vintage button to coordinate with the fabric.

Triangle pouches with vintage and decorative buttons.

Hand stitched triangle pouches.

Make Nine 2024 is complete!

These triangle pouches fulfill my “Learn more in ’24” prompt. 

“Learn more in ’24” prompt on Make Nine 2024 tracker.

And thus completes my Make Nine 2024 Challenge! It’s my 6th year participating and I’m feeling quite productive about this year’s projects. 

Completed Make Nine 2024 Challenge tracker.

Earth friendly 100% organic cotton thread hits the quilting and sewing market

There’s a new thread in the market! It’s a 100% organic long staple Pima cotton thread for sewing and quilting by Scanfil. This thread has all the best qualities you want in a sewing and quilting thread and it’s kinder to the earth, as well. 

Scanfil 100% organic cotton threads at the 2023 Quilt Market.

What’s “organic” thread?

I was introduced to this organic thread product by one of my fabric rep associates, Andy Jacobs. Scanfil was looking for new sales representatives in the US so he put me—and a few other sales reps—in contact with the company. Thread is a good complement to the quilting fabrics I rep, and I trusted Andy's recommendation. 

Six- and three-spool thread sets from Scanfil Organics.

The manufacturing and thread specs, and the benefits of this organic cotton thread are:

• extra long staple organic Pima cotton thread. Pima cotton is responsibly grown in the USA.
• GOTS [Global Organic Textile Standard] certified to ensure ethical and sustainable production; free of pesticides and toxic chemicals.
• OEKO-TEX certified—tested for substances that could be harmful to human health.
• Forbitex, the parent company of Scanfil, is a second-generation family-owned business in the Netherlands. The company's threads are all manufactured in Europe.
• a unique spinning process provides strength to the thread.
• dyed and coated with natural solutions that are free of impurities.
• mercerized for smoothness, more receptive to colorants, and yields virtually no lint.
• precision wound with no knots on biodegradable wooden spool cores (no plastic).
• thread will not shrink or bleed with washing.
• packaged in recyclable, biodegradable kraft paper products (no plastics are used).

A bamboo thread stand comes with the 6-spool thread sets.

• currently available in 2-ply 50 wt and 2-ply 30 wt solid colors.
• individual spools, cones, and curated thread sets in both weights are available.
• a bamboo thread stand is included with each 6-color thread set.
• the smoothness of this thread will feel better to the skin. Those with allergies or chemical sensitivities may find relief from using certified organic thread or items sewn with it.

The packaging of the six spool thread set.

Let’s “Kick the tires”

Before discussing this product with my client base, I wanted experience using it. I put the thread through the paces—piecing patchwork, free-motion machine quilting, and hand stitching. My new zipper tote is proof of the testing.

Zipped tote bag pieced and quilted with Scanfil 100% organic cotton threads.

Piecing and patchwork

I loaded the 50/2 wt. thread in both the top and the bobbin for testing patchwork construction and piecing. The blocks shown below are pieced improvisationally. 

Findings:

• bobbins were easy to wind and I was able to get a lot of yardage on the bobbin using the 2-ply 50 wt. 
• There were no issues threading the machine or with machine piecing. I used the 50/2 wt for piecing with an 80/12 universal needle. 
• after piecing the outside of the tote, the bobbin area was fairly lint free.

Patchwork blocks and bag construction. Layers were hand basted for doing hand stitching.

Hand stitching/Hand quilting

After patchwork and construction of the bag's outside, the quilt layers (patchwork top, a 100% cotton quilt batting, and a quilting cotton for the bag lining) were hand basted. I used several colors of the 30 wt. threads to do a bit of hand stitching/quilting. 

Findings:

• The 30/2 wt gives more prominence to the stitches.
• The thread glided easily through a hand sewing needle and through the fabrics. The majority of the fabrics are Painter's Palette solids from Paintbrush Studio.

Hand stitching using 30/2 wt organic thead.

Machine quilting

The 50/2 wt organic cotton was used in the top and bobbin for the background fillers. The 30/2 wt was used in the top for the decorative quilting details on the block motifs. The machine needle used was a 11/75 quilting needle.

Free-motion quilting starting at the bag bottom.

Findings:

• For the free-motion quilting (on a domestic machine), I used the 50/2 wt. for the background fills—spirals and bubbles.
• Thread tension was easy to balance. No thread breakage or shedding through the needle occurred. I used nearly two bobbins to quilt this piece.
• Back-tracking had minimal build-up using the 50/2 wt thread.
• Minimal lint in the bobbin area of my machine after 3 - 4 hours of machine quilting.

The 30/2 wt thread was matched to the patchwork motifs. The 50/2 wt thread was used for the free-motion quilting.

Decorative machine stitching

I put a green 30/2 wt thread in the top thread and used a decorative 3-step zigzag stitch on the bag handles. 50/2 wt was used in the bobbin. 

Findings:

• No issues or skipped stitches using the 80/12 universal sewing machine needle.
• Although I used the built-in decorative stitch on just the bag's handles, I feel confident this thread would do a beautiful job with other decorative machine stitches. As with any thread, I do a sample swatch to determine what stitches, stitch width and length, and thread weight give the desired effect.

A decorative stitch was used on the bag handle with the 30/2 wt thread.

Machine friendly threads

Serged skirt using Scanfil organic cotton thread.
Fabrics from The Ghastlies collection from Alexander Henry.
Photo credit: S. Zimmerman

The Scanfil organic thread line is rated to perform well in other sewing machines such as sergers and longarm quilting machines. 

One of the new Scanfil reps used the cones on her serger to sew a gored skirt. She informed us that the thread worked like a champ. She noted her well-loved and well-used serger had “very little lint in the mechanism… demonstrably less than [another well-known brand of thread].” I suspect the mercerization and gassing processes performed during the manufacturing of the Scanfil thread greatly contributes to its success. 

Customer testimonial

This past August, I left a sample spool of the Scanfil thread with one of my shop owners. The shop owner, in turn, gave it to one of her regular customers to run it through the paces. Determined—at first—that she would not like the thread, the customer gave it a go anyway. 

I'm happy to report that @combat_quilter was pleasantly surprised with the Scanfil thread's performance. (Thanks for keeping an open mind, Terri!)

More thread uses and techniques 

In addition to the sewing and quilting techniques discussed here, there are other uses for this organic thread: hand or machine appliqué, decorative stitching, heirloom sewing, home decor, thread painting, to name a few.

Scanfil organic thread sets and appliqué example.

Need thread? Choose organic!

The next time you reach for thread, why not go earth-friendly with organic? With Scanfil Organic, you won't be giving up any of the characteristics of a fine, reliable thread that you've come to know and trust.

Visit your local quilt shop and ask for Scanfil organic threads. Independent quilt shops and sewing centers are beginning to carry the full collection of colors as well as the thread sets. Treat yourself—and a quilting friend—to a spool (or three) of Scanfil organic thread.

Try Scanfil 100% organic Pima cotton thread on your next sewing or quilting project.