I actually managed to get a few crafts done in the month of September despite a lot of travel and the usual problem of having a job that cuts into my crafting time. But the cat needs food and toys so I will just have to persist.
First project was a gift for a friend whose husband was retiring from the military. He was justifiably being celebrated for his service but I also wanted to recognize her contribution. I tried to lean into the retirement aspect rather than a patriotic theme for this project and as they live near the beach I thought I’d go with a small project with a nod to having a little more beach time now that they were “retired.” Realistically I know neither of them are going to have much of a break for a while with at least one kid still at home and both of them continuing to work outside of the military. But it was a cute theme so I went with it.
I made a table runner with beach themed fabric using a pattern from TowerHouse Quilts. The seller advertised this as a one hour table runner but sadly I am not that girl. It took me a bit longer to figure out how I wanted to coordinate the fabric and sew it all together but it did come together pretty quickly. My friend had previously made me a hat with pretty cute Volkswagen van embroidery so I tried to find some fun beach themed fabric with that theme and there is a lot of cute “beach van” fabric out there. The main fabric I used is the ‘Goin’ Surfin’ fat quarter bundle by Paintbrush Studios. One of the other fabrics I used that I loved was this fun wave fabric by Spoonflower. I initially bought a fat quarter and really liked it so planned to back the table runner with just that wave fabric. There was some issue with the shipping though so I had to change up the plan and I basically used the pieced table runner pattern for both sides, just using different fabrics. On the side with the more muted wave and water fabrics I also included a little embroidery. I stitched a wave and the phrase “Sun, Sand, Serenity” which is what I hope the future brings for my friend and her family: Lots of relaxation, peace and happiness.
Next up! I’ve been working on this project off and on this summer – a new shower curtain for my new bathroom! We updated our bathroom a few months ago and I tried and failed so many times to find a shower curtain that matched the color of the new tile in my shower. The green was never right. So I figured I would just make my own! Once again Spoonflower came through with the perfect fabric. The bonus with Spoonflower is you can order a bunch of swatches and confirm that the fabric is really going to be the right color for your project before ordering the yardage you need for the project. My choice was this cool art deco fabric. I found a basic shower curtain pattern online but ultimately I didn’t really use it. I wanted the shower curtain to be a little nicer than my usual slap dash sewing style so I booked a couple sessions with Stitch Sew Shop. At this shop I was able to work with a really experienced seamstress who offered so many great tips and suggestions and it was also so nice to work in their big workspace.
Trying to manage all that fabric in my small office/craft room would have been a little tough. Very happy with how it came out – now I’m just working on finding some finishing touches like coordinating artwork and this is going to be my dream bathroom.
Last up I’m not sure I can say this is really finished, but I am going to take the win. This is a punch work kit I got for Christmas a couple years ago.
I think it’s intended to be a small rug but I’m going to make it a pillow instead. This should be fairly quick to finish up, I just need to pick some backing fabric and stuff it. I do realize that “this should be fairly quick” are some famous last words I have said about a pile of WIPs currently languishing in my attic just waiting to be “finished” so I’m hoping that by posting about this I will self shame myself into completing it.
Autumn is officially here, my friend Teresa and I have picked our yearly Christmas DIY project and I have anywhere between 3 and 100 projects that I want to finish in time for the holidays. NO PRESSURE. I really do love leaning into the coziness of prepping for the holidays and stitching or knitting or sewing gifts that I hope will make someone smile. I hope everyone is enjoying the change of seasons and getting excited for the holidays! Happy October!
