In-the-Hoop projects are all the rage and so extremely easy to make. I'll give you some tips on making the Nifty Notepads and they will help with other ITH projects too!
One of the beautiful things about ITH projects is that most all of the sewing is done for you. The embroidery is a bonus. So even if you do not consider yourself good with a sewing machine, you really don't have to be. The program has seams built in to the design.
If you remember this blog on
Sew Pretty zippered bags by
Pickle Pie Designs, you know that it is the easiest zipper you will ever sew. The
Nifty Notebooks don't include a zipper so they are even easier yet. Basically, if you can follow directions, you can make ITH projects.
Part of the ease in making ITH projects is in having good instructions with lots of pictures.
Where it can get confusing, is when there are many pieces to the project, as with this one. Even more challenging is that there are three different sizes of notebooks that you can make.
Break the Project Into Sections
Often, I do not have the luxury of sitting down and completing a project in one day so I tend to look at projects in segments: gathering materials, preparing/cutting pieces, embroidering/stitching, and assembling the final product.
One way to keep things less confusing is to have all of your pieces cut before you sit down to stitch. If you have just two or three pieces, it is not bad but if there are six or more, it can get confusing.
Often, I make several of the same item as gifts. It helps to make plastic templates of individual pieces to help in the cutting process. Be sure to mark each one with measurements or another identifier.
Prepare Pieces Before Stitching