A Little Something for Christmas ~ Jewelry Keeper

I like to get a lot of use out of my quilting and crafting books so when I was flipping through A Little Something,  my book published through Martingale , I started thinking about other projects that could be made when you combine pieces from many pages. And then the wheels started turning! Here's one ...  Jewelry Keeper ... but remember ... you need to have a copy of A Little Something to make it. 

To make the Jewelry Keeper, you'll need a 9" square of wool for the outside, a 4 1/2" square for the inside, scraps for flowers and leaves, and a long strip for the ties. Of course, don't forget floss ... matching or contrasting is fine ... sharp scissors, Roxanne's Glue Baste, and #9 embroidery needles.

Use freezer paper to make templates and cut the wool for the scallop and circle. The patterns are on pages 30-31 or a larger circle on page 27. You can find info on how to cut wool shapes on page 78.

On the scalloped piece, use two strands of floss to blanket stitch the edge. I worked from the front so my stitches looked best there, and I hid my knots on the inside as much as I could. You're only working with one layer of wool so it's a bit tricky. Just make it look nice.

  

Press the circle in half, then in half again ... use steam or mist with a spray bottle because you want the folds to stay.

Center the circle on the scallop. Use a running stitch and two strands of floss to stitch along the folds, going through all of the layers. Hide the knots under the circle. This makes the pockets for your jewels.

 

So next you have to make templates for the flowers and leaves. I used the large and small flowers on page 23, the leaf on page 31, the flower and small and medium and large circles on page 33, and the leaf on page 53. Look at the photos to see what you need to cut. I used scraps from my stash.

Fold the scallop in half and then use glue baste to hold the flowers and leaves in place. Notice that the rounded ends of the leaves are facing out. The shapes are only placed on half of the scallop. If it makes it easier to lay them out, lightly press the scallop into quarters.

To stitch the flowers and leaves, use one strand of floss. Try your best to keep the stitches under the inside circle if you can ... but if you can't, make them neat on the back. If you don't know how to make the stitches, we've included photos on page 79.

Make one long stitch down the center of the leaves.

The larger flower is anchored by large X stitches in each petal.  The smaller flower and center circle are anchored with a star stitch over the top of the center circle, going through all of the layers. The small flower is loose.

Whipstitch the larger circle flower along the edges. Make a star stitch over the center of the small circle to hold it in place.

Cut two strips for ties ... a scant 3/8" wide x 10" or so long. Layer a small flower and circle, then glue baste about 1" or so from the end of each tie. Anchor with a star stitch over the center circle. On the back, cover the stitches with a circle, then stitch a large X through the center, hiding the knots underneath. Notch the ends of the ties about 1/2" beyond the flowers. Look at the photos above to see how they should look.

Fold the jewelry keeper into four and press lightly. The flowers will show on the front and the back when it's tied.

Make a mark 1/2" from the scalloped edge along the fold on both folds. Cut a slit a scant 1/4" long along the fold. Push the other end of each tie through the slit to the inside. Tie a knot in the ends and trim the excess.

Tuck necklaces, earrings, and rings into the segments of the inside circle. Fold the jewelry keeper into four and tie it to close.

If you don't have a copy of A Little Something yet, you can order an autographed copy here!

Happy stitching! Enjoy making 'a little something'!!