Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Jot It Down Organizer for Quilts and More Magazine

Jot It Down Organizer by Heidi Staples of Fabric Mutt for Quilts and More Magazine
Used with permission from Quilts and More magazine. ©2018 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

Back when I wrote Sew Organized for the Busy Girl, my amazing tech editor was Joanna Burgarino, and I was thrilled when she became the new editor for Quilts and More magazine last year. She was kind enough to ask me to contribute a project for the Summer 2018 issue which has just landed in stores. I had a great time designing and sewing up this travel-friendly Jot It Down organizer last fall, and I'm so happy that I can finally share it with you today!

Jot It Down Organizer by Heidi Staples of Fabric Mutt for Quilts and More Magazine
Used with permission from Quilts and More magazine. ©2018 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

The idea for this kit came originally from my daughters. As a mom, I often find myself waiting in doctor's offices or restaurants with three restless girls in tow. I used to try to keep coloring books on hand, but now that my girls are getting older, they're more drawn to games and activities rather than just filling in a coloring page. Last year I started keeping a kit in my purse filled with a few memo pads and pencils for those moments of waiting, and it was an instant hit. The girls loved using them to play games of tic-tac-toe, make birthday lists, or draw imaginary characters. I loved that it was easy to carry, encouraged their creativity, and served as an emergency sketching kit when I had ideas of my own while we were out and about. 

Jot It Down Organizer by Heidi Staples of Fabric Mutt for Quilts and More Magazine
Used with permission from Quilts and More magazine. ©2018 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

The cover of the kit is made of English paper pieced hexagons -- though there's an option to just use a single fabric if you want to make things simpler and quicker. Small projects like this one are such a great opportunity to pull out the hexies, which are more time consuming but oh so fun to make. 

Jot It Down Organizer by Heidi Staples of Fabric Mutt for Quilts and More Magazine
Used with permission from Quilts and More magazine. ©2018 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

One of my pet peeves for these sorts of kits is that the pencils and pads can slide out the top, but I added flaps to the inside which take care of the problem. Extra firm interfacing gives the case a solid feel, and simple elastic/button closures are easy to sew. It's the kind of project you can finish in less than a weekend -- my favorite sort, of course!

Jot It Down Organizer by Heidi Staples of Fabric Mutt for Quilts and More Magazine
Used with permission from Quilts and More magazine. ©2018 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

So many thanks to Joanna and her team for giving me the chance to be a part of this issue and for making the process an absolute joy. Be sure to pick up a copy of Quilts and More on your next trip to the store. And if you make one of these organizers, be sure to tag me @fabricmutt when you share pictures. I can't wait to see them!

7 comments:

  1. Thank you. You pictures gave me inspiration for a different problem I was trying to solve.
    Now I will have to check the store for a copy of the magazine.

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  2. I agree about pencils and crayons sliding out of their holders and like your flap idea. And it makes it extra pretty too!

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  3. Love the idea of the flap to keep things from falling out: That would be good for a sewing kit too! The kit that I made last year tends to let my pens fall out, and I have to be extra careful not to carry it upside down. Wish I'd had your idea when I was making it! :-) Great kits! Hugs, H

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  4. I saw the photo on the cover of the magazine and was glad to see it pop up in my blog reader as well. Such a great design! My son is still at the "toy trucks travel everywhere with us" stage, but we should not be too far from when paper will take over. Thanks for sharing! (I read Quilts and More every issue electronically through Zinio at my public library.)

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  5. I love this!! What fabric line did you use for this organizer? Thank you.

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  6. This is a mix of a whole bunch of lines! You can find some of the Japanese fabrics at Sunny Day Supply online, and there are also some Riley Blake prints including my own Five & Dime collection.

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Aren't you the sweetest for leaving a comment! Due to all the ads that bombard this section, I have to moderate everything first, but look for your comment to post in a day or two. Thanks so much for writing!

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