Nifty Notepads by Pickle Pie Designs are made entirely in the hoop, which is just one of the reasons that I love them. The others are that you can easily customize them for gift giving and it's something that nearly everyone will use. 

The monogram is built in so you don't have to do any design editing or merging. You can use fabrics that fit the personality of the person receiving them and add pretty notebooks, which makes them even more fun to create and give.

Files are included for three different sizes of notepad holders. I used the design to make the small and medium covers for the September/October issue of Designs in Machine Embroidery magazine. The theme was creating projects using denim, so I re-purposed an old pair of jeans.

I added coordinating fabrics for the side panel and inside pockets.I also altered the look of one of the notepad covers, and it was really easy to do. 

I left the ribbon off of both and, instead of adding the monogram on the front, I left off the circle applique and monogram. I found a butterfly design to complement the accent fabric and used similar colors found in that fabric. I also placed ric rac in the seam, using the placement stitches for the accent fabric and Lite Steam-A-Seam 2 to position it perfectly.

I will admit, when stitching was done and it was time to turn the piece right side out, I thought I had made a mistake. "There is no possible way this will work," I told myself. So imagine my delight when it turned out exactly like it should!

These make a great gift and are so much fun to create.