Gardener’s Journal Set - Free sewing patterns

Prep for days outdoors with our Gardener’s Journal Set How does your garden grow? Well, with a little help from our machine embroidered journal set of course! Designed by Carolyn Letten, you can keep your schedule, tips and inspiration in one place, plus the pretty, coordinating pocket is just the right size for seed packets and comes with a handy loop for the greenhouse.

Essentials

A5 journal with 1cm spine
Fabric: floral prints, two; bright yellow; pale yellow; green spot; scraps, salmon pink, pale brown, dark green; lining
Lightweight fusible interfacing
Ric-rac trim: green, pink, 10cm each
Acidfree glue stick
White tissue

5mm seam allowance used throughout, unless otherwise stated.

Make a notebook cover

Download and print the templates from sewmag.co.uk. Cut out a daffodil head and bud from yellow fabric, a trumpet from salmon and a long stalk from dark green. Mark out the placement by wrapping the cover around the journal and tucking the front and back flaps inside the cover. Use an acid-free glue stick to secure the flowers in the correct place, then allow to dry. Remove the journal and sew in place using navy thread.
Use the template to trace the words onto white tissue, check the placement again and pin the tissue in place. Use navy thread to stitch twice over the words then tear the tissue away. Iron on the reverse.
Pin the finished front right sides together with your chosen lining, which is cut to the same size. Sew a 5mm seam all the way around, leaving an 8cm gap for turning. Trim excess fabric from across the corners, then turn right side out. Iron flat; the gap will be closed when you topstitch to finish.
Cut out a spare red flower from the floral fabric, back with interfacing and iron or sew it in place so that it sits over the seam as shown. With the cover placed right side down, lay the journal in the middle and fold both ends of the cover in to cover the front and back flap. Use pins to mark the fold lines. Remove the journal, then create the flaps by topstitching all the way across the top and bottom of the cover, as close to the edge as you can while making sure you catch in each folded end.

Make a seed pocket

Using the templates, cut pale yellow fabric, 15cm x 32cm. Fold the pocket in half, wrong sides together, to aid with placement. Snip out a pansy, lilac, pink flower and some leaves from floral fabric.
Using the template provided, cut out a seed plant marker and three rectangles: two from two shades of green and one from a contrast floral fabric. Overlap onto the front of the pocket as shown and pin in place. Stitch in place.
Use acid-free glue to secure the flowers and leaves in place, then allow to dry. Sew in place with navy thread. With the tissue method, sew ‘seeds’ in navy.
Stitch 2cm x 10cm lengths of pink and green ric-rac in place as shown, making sure to sew over the raw ends several times. Fold the pocket in half, right sides together, pin up the sides, then sew a 1cm seam in coordinating thread up both sides. Fold the top raw edge over twice by 5mm, and sew across to finish, catching a loop of narrow ribbon under the seam at the back for hanging.