Introducing the Sewing Kit Essentials Collection

Good morning, everyone! Boy! It has been a fun week, hasn't it? Today is our last day of introductions and we have a lot to see, but first I want to remind you that I will be going live on Instagram this evening at 9pm ET to answer any questions you have about today's new products. Speaking of, let's take a closer look!

 First up, we have the Sewing Kit Essentials: Needle Book Die (retails for $50).

Creating on the go just got easier! This needle book keeps your needles and notions convenient even when you’re away from home. With optional pockets, needle channels, and floral embellishments you don’t have to choose between function and style when keeping your sewing basics close at hand.

The next die in this collection is the Sewing Kit Essentials: Scissor Keeper Die (retails for $18).

Keep your scissors safe and secure with the Sewing Kit Essentials: Scissor Keeper Die. You can travel with confidence knowing that your scissors are tucked neatly in a sleeve that you created yourself! Not only is this scissor keeper functional, but it’s cute too! That’s a crafty win-win!

You can't have a sewing kit collection without including a way to store and organize your thread! We have the Sewing Kit Essentials: Thread Bobbin Die (retails for $6) and Sewing Kit Essentials: Floss Drop Die (retails for $4) debuting this weekend.

Create color coordinated thread bobbins with the Thread Bobbin die! The inner core die includes an extended tab for easy labeling and the assembled bobbins fit into a standard embroidery floss organizer for tidy storage.

This Floss Drop Die will help you organize your thread without those pesky creases. This floss drop includes holes for a full skein of thread, a smaller hole for split strands, and a hole for storing your drops on binder rings or hooks.

Let's pop over to see what the Guest Creators have in store for you!

Lin's lovely color coordinated set is perfect for creating on the go...and in style to boot! See more of the details of her projects HERE.

I love the Autumn flair Chari added to her monogrammed Sewing Kit Essentials set! And just wait until you see her thread organization. The details she added are so clever! Check out her blog post HERE.

I can't wait to show you what I've been working on with these new dies. I named them the Sewing Kit Essentials because they really are essentials!

I created this set using the new Scenic Route Color Story. I love how warm and inviting these colors are together. I incorporated a bit of Pearl, too.

Let's start with the needle book. I used the flower and vine designs to decorate the cover. I found some measuring tape ribbon that I've had for, oh, probably 15 years, that I used for the tie. I used the slot die to cut openings in the cover though you could also just sew the ribbon between the inner and outer covers if that was your preference.

On the inner cover I used the large pocket die to add a generously sized pocket. This pocket will easily fit a bobbin, threader, paperclip (for poking out felt plugs), etc. I designed the inner page to be just a simple, 1-ply page. The simple style minimizes sewing around the perimeter without sacrificing style (peep that pinked edge). I have another needle book that has served me well over the years, but I've noticed that I tend to just poke my sharp needles into the pages instead of taking the time to stick them into the carefully incorporated channels.

That said, I find the channels handy for things like beading needles and blunt needles, so I included needle bars in the die (there are single and double bar options). The fact that the pages are single layer just means that you can sew two pages at once by layering bars on both sides of a page (I hope that makes sense). You could do the same thing with the small pockets if you wanted to have more pockets handy. 

The back page sports another large pocket, but this time I layered a small floral pocket on top as well. I also embellished the cover with one of the embroidery details included in the die.

The Westcott scissors we recently started carrying are a perfect fit in this pocket. I love that I can keep so many necessities on hand in this needle book!

The coordinating scissor keeper is fabulous for securing my favorite pair of Ginghers. The strap on this scissor keeper is fastened with a pair of strong 12x3mm neodymium magnets. You could also use a magnetic snap (up to 15mm). 

I sewed the strap to the back cover using the "holes only" rectangle die to make the placement easy. I added "X" stitches to make things a little fancy (the stitches are more for decoration than actual function). It's a little difficult to see in the photos, but I used panels of Chai to line the inside of the Scissor Keeper (for a total of four layers). I stitched together the top, curved edges first and then sewed down the sides to create the final pocket. It feels so strong and trusty.

I wanted to show another set so you could see more closure options, so here's a polka dot monogrammed set I made for myself.

These are going to be wonderful for gifting to my crafty friends this holiday season! I used Petal Dot, Indigo, Taffy, and Tundra to create this set. I added the monograms using the Monogram Alphabet.

I decided to use an elastic band to keep the needle book closed. I used the slot die to add openings for the elastic along the spine. I sewed the ends of the elastic together and then sewed through the ends a second time when I did the binding. The double stitching makes me feel confident that it will hold for the long term. I used the embroidered designs on the corner around the monogram. I wanted the top branch to be the mirror image of the original orientation, so I just cut the design in from the opposite side of the felt to flip it.

Inside the front cover I used the double bar element to secure my beading needles and blunt needles. I'm a lefty, so having this on the front cover makes it easy for me to slip the needles in from the left. The back cover might be easier for someone who primarily uses their right hand to stitch.

I left the center pages really simple. This leaves lots of room for my sharps and pins.

I used more Petal Dot to create a scissor pocket on the back inside cover. A little Indigo flower dresses up the pocket and adds a bit of interest. Plus, how cute is that pop of polka dots?!

The coordinating scissor keeper flips the colors of the embroidery and monogram. They're like sisters not twins, know what I mean?

I used Taffy on the inside of the scissor keeper and this time I sewed ribbon between the layers of felt to tie it closed. This die does come with an Inspiration Guide that goes into detail about a few different closure options so you'll have a reference handy when you start to create.

Now let's talk thread organization!

I prefer to organize my thread on bobbins and I have wanted a bobbin die for quite a long while.

The thing I love about felt covered bobbins is that they keep your thread from getting strong creases, especially there toward the end. Plus, you can make your bobbins in the color of felt that coordinates with your thread! So for this bobbin, I cut the insert from cardstock and labeled it with the thread number. Then I sewed the felt on the outside.

But I recognize that not everyone wants to use their felt for thread storage. So this Indigo bobbin just uses white cardstock for the bobbin itself and colored thread to stitch around the perimeter. I simply wrote the thread number on the bobbin. When I'm getting low, I have two points of reference for which color belongs on the bobbin. You also see here how I save partial strands for later use. I just wrap them around the bobbin from pole to pole. That way I can see easily when I have a length of thread available to use and I don't end up cutting off more than I need.

These bobbins also fit into a standard bobbin box. I tested the fit in two bobbin boxes I've had since I was a kid, but I bought this one recently at a big-box craft store. It had additional dividers, but I just removed them to make room for these bobbins. This is admittedly a weird assortment of colors, but I'm just making a few at a time as I have the opportunity.

Some folks prefer to use floss drops for their thread storage. If you're one of those people, we have you covered too! Our Floss Drop Die includes a hole for your skein and a hole for your partial strands as well as a hole for hanging. There's a little something for everybody!

Thank you so much for joining me this week! I hope you've enjoyed all of the introductions and are getting excited for Autumn creating. I'll be back in the morning to announce our giveaway winners and maybe share a bonus project, so I hope you'll check back tomorrow before the release.