I have a new Free Ribbon Survivor Embroidery design being released today. Click the link above to be taken to our free design page where you can download one or all.  This time of year we are coming into the month of October and Breast cancer awareness. There are many other Ribbon causes that use the ribbon and this design is perfect to use for all of them because you can choose your own colors.  

Notice the ribbon, text and each rainbow line are all different shades of pink or purple.  You can stick with those or stitch out with your preferred thread colors. This is also sewn in a 5x7 hoop so it is a good size design that will show up on your projects. Let's look at some mock ups to give you some inspiration.

How about doing a tea towel for someone you love?  The open stitching would work very well on flat cotton towels. Fluffy towels might hide the open stitching so if you are going to do this project try to find those broadcloth or diaper material towels.

If you have a run or walk event planned, you could sew the design to a shirt . This baseball style with colored sleeves would be really cute.

Lunch bags or any kind of tote would be a great gift for a loved one so they can be reminded daily that they are a survivor.  This bag could be for an ovarian cancer survivor.  Just change the thread colors to lighter shades of teal.

How about sewing the Ribbon Survivor Design to the back of a jacket?  This black jacket would really showcase the stitching and if you use metallic threads it would pop.

This would be a "cheeky" survivor display. Stitched on the back of a pair of sweats for a Ribbon Run and you would give someone a smile.

Finally how about on a pocket of your luggage? You may strike up a conversation with other survivors while traveling. 

Are you inspired to do some embroidery?  Remember, this would be a great design to add to your donated items.  There are several other Service Projects on my site here.  I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work.

If you have visited my site in the past you may have noticed that my projects are varied and unique according to the materials I have on hand. That is because I have a habit of shopping in the remnant bins and clearance sections.  I love to find items that are on are their way out because of season changes. In fact, if you use your creativity, you can save some money and sew projects to donate. This solves problems. First, those items will become something brand new and usable. Second, you will be giving back to your community which is always positive. Third, you can lift your own spirits if you suffer from feelings of depression or getting low. It is true that doing for others always makes you feel better. The hardest part is getting started. This Felt Crayon Pouch is a great project for accomplishing all of those things.

So this picture might pique your interest a bit.  A 9x12 piece of felt is the main part of the Crayon pouches. I was walking in my local Hobby Lobby and in the rear corners, they usually have the clearance section. Sometimes you find gold there.  The felt pieces are usually .99 cents each.  I found these for .19 cents.  There were others for .24 cents.  There is nothing wrong with them.  The store was restocking to move in their fall merchandise and these were from the previous season. Now you may have thoughts of Pumpkin Spice and Falling leaves in your head right now, BUT.... the receiver would love these bright colors and cute designs ALL YEAR ROUND.  So when you are feeling low, drive to your local store and just walk, look and keep an open mind. When you find a great deal, buy the materials bring them home, sew then give it away. You will feel better.

This project really lends itself to assembly line production. I was able to mark pin and sew several of these then move on to each step in the pattern. I finished 36 of them in two sewing sessions of about 4 hours each.  It is all straight sewing so beginner friendly too. Do you belong to a sewing guild or lead a scouting group?  Your members could whip these out quickly for Christmas shoebox giving.

I wanted to include crayons and a small tablet in each of the pouches so I calculated the cheapest crayons I could find locally. Right now school supplies are marked down in most stores and you will probably be able to find them cheaper than these. I went to Walmart and the usual price on a 24 pack of Crayola crayons are. 50 cents each. If you have ever purchased them you will notice they have duplicates of several colors in these boxes. You will have multiples of blues, reds, oranges, greens and purples in one box.  Weird but true. So these are perfect to split up and use.

The small tablets came from the Dollar Tree. These composition books are usually in packs of three for $1.00. The size is perfect to slide into the crayon pouches.

When you download the pattern you will also receive this cost breakdown sheet.  I wanted to show each unit cost including the crayons and tablets. Also, this will  make it easy for you to buy enough materials for 36 pouches.  Where I got everything, yardage amounts for the Velcro closures, ribbon for the loops, Felt squares, crayons and tablets.  It assumes you will have thread and free labor also.  But if you are looking for a service project for your organization, you could print this page off and take it shopping. It also shows three different price ranges depending on whether you are able to find the felt at a discounted price. If you pay full price, each unit would be around $1.55. If you are able to find the felt for .19 cents, each unit will cost around .80 cents. WOW!  Kind of fun to see what you can do with materials that might be overlooked and a little bit of creativity.

Wouldn't you love to get something this cute for free? I can think of so many places these would be appreciated. How about, classrooms, libraries, doctor's offices, shelters, retirement centers, adult daycares, cancer treatment centers, police and firemen, counselors?  Have I got your creative side sparked?  GO HERE to get the FREE Pattern. Watch the video demonstration below to get even more inspired.  Better yet, September is National Sewing Month. What a great way to celebrate by sewing and donating. 

I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work!

A brand new FREE embroidery design has been released today!  Daddy's Little Helper is in honor of LABOR DAY.  When I was growing up, our household was a working one.  That meant we didn't take a lot of vacations or if we had an extra day off from work and school, we utilized that time for home projects.  In fact, anytime Mama or Daddy were working around the house inside or out, we were right there beside them. It was encouraged and today I am glad because I can do just about anything around my house.  Or figure it out.  So I digitized this cute design to pay homage to those times.

 All of my free designs are available for download here in my store. So check  them out.  They are very easy to receive. Just add them to your cart, enter some information and you will receive a link via email.

Daddy's Little Helper has been digitized for hats so it will sew center out and up.  You can also stitch it on flat items.  Here are a few ideas. Remember the little helper could be a boy or girl so the sky is the limit on your color choices.

You could of course do hats or you could decorate little aprons.

Hoodies or sweatshirts would be other great items to add this cute design.

So what are your plans for Labor Day?  Maybe this project? GET THE DESIGN HERE. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work.