A beginner-friendly sewing pattern to create a functional and beautiful notepad cover
The Journey to Creating the Focus Finder Notepad Cover
When it seems like the whole world has gone digital, it's counter-cultural to go analogue. But for us to find focus and move purposely through life, sometimes this is what we need to return to.
Physically writing a list on paper lets you step away from the screen to a place of calm so you can write your to-do lists, menus, and shopping lists the good ol’ fashioned way. This enables you to plan distraction free before you head to your phone so you can take control of the interruptions that derail your productivity and focus.
Are you ready to rediscover your focus amid a world full of distractions?
If you answered 'yes!' then you'll love the 'Focus Finder' list holder—a sewing pattern that brings a practical handmade addition to your daily planning ritual.
The journey to sorting out the clutter in my head has been a long one.
Part of it has been acknowledging that there is a daily wrestle for focus in the first place, and yearning to go back to a time when things felt simpler.
I’m sure you can agree that our lives have changed significantly in this digital age. There have been many benefits, but other things have been lost. One of these things is the ability to focus on a single task and complete it without interruption. And sometimes the interruption comes from our own scatty thoughts that roam every which way, and disrupt our train of thought before they even get out of the gate.
Remember that familiar feeling of realising you need to do something, followed by the thought, "I should write that down," only to be distracted and *completely* forget? Me too … and it's so frustrating!
I’ve had to re-train my brain to concentrate and stay on track so I can plan and direct my thoughts to completion. It takes discipline and perseverance to work at this lost skill. It’s an ongoing process and one I’m certainly not perfect at.
If you have felt this too, than the Focus Finder is for you!
With the Focus Finder notepad cover, I'm learning to start the day unplugged, with a dedicated place to jot down my thoughts and to-do list. It helps me decompress and get everything out of my brain and onto paper. It helps my train of thought arrive at the station where I wanted it to. And it's a wonderful way to relieve stress and stay organized.
Whether you've thought this deeply about the benefits of list making, or you just love writing lists, I can't wait for you to join me in sewing this simple notepad pattern.
Focus and Productivity: What is the Focus Finder Notepad Cover
The Focus Finder is a sewing pattern for a notepad cover that holds your your notepad and pen. It has two internal pockets for cards and receipts, and comes with a handy carry strap, perfect for popping in your bag to take shopping.
The range of uses is far reaching—use it to plan your day, your menus, and shopping lists the old-fashioned way—without digital distractions. Jot down your plans and capture future inspiration in concrete form where you can easily find it again.
The Focus Finder is a really simple design, meaning it’s perfect for beginner sewists who would like to try a useful pattern. It doesn’t use much fabric at all, making it a great scrap buster.
If you’re someone who never grew out of collecting stationery, this pattern lets you sew a stationery themed cover that emulates the look of paper. How cool is that?? Add your own personal flair and sew the stationery that you've always wanted but were never able to buy!
The Focus Finder pdf pattern comes in two sizes - standard and tall. The standard size holds notepads up to 4” x 8.25” (a standard DL size in Australia) and tall 4.25” x 11” (Quarter Ledger size.) You can find a range of notepads to purchase from Target, Kmart, Walmart, Etsy, & Amazon, as well as newsagents and stationers. Find a notepad here.
I've included links below to find the required supplies:
Interfacing:
Medium-weight woven Fusible Interfacing - Pellon SF101
Heavy-weight fusible interfacing - Pellon Peltex 71f
Hardware:
Kam Snaps: Size 20 Kam Snaps (+ tool to install)
Elastic: Fold over elastic
Sew-Along: Sew with others
When this was first released I held a Sew-Along for where I shared tips and tricks to sew your own cool version.
This is now passed, but you can still experience much of the Sew-Along. When you purchase the pattern we also send you a series of pattern support emails. These are taking the best bits from my Sew-Along and giving them to you step by step over a week. And you also get access to the Arabesque Community where other sewists are sharing their projects and cheering each other on.
If you haven’t tried an Arabesque pattern before, you’re going to love how achievable and customisable they are.
My aim is to give you the Arabesque experience, meaning you’re not just sewing a pattern - you’re improving your sewing skills, making a useful design and creating a memorable project that you’ll look back on with fondness.
In every pattern you’ll find:
- Clear instructions + beautiful diagrams
- Tips for personalisation
- Links to video tutorials
- bonus printable shopping lists and planning sheets
My mission is to impact your life in a positive way, help you have fun and succeed with your sewing projects, grow in your sewing skills and life skills, and help make each day a little brighter and easier than the last.
With this pattern, I hope to help you improve your productivity, to make it even easier to start getting organised.
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