I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! My family and I left town for Northern Virginia to spend time with one of our god-daughter’s and her family. When I got home I realized I had not done a single stitch of sewing all weekend, and, amazingly enough, it didn’t kill me. crazy. If I had found a spare moment amidst all the visiting and watching of 7 kids between the ages of 7 months and 6 years, there are plenty of portable options that I could have taken with me.
With a little prep work, I can pack up a bag or basket and tote my little bit of fabric happy wherever the summer takes me. Here are 4 hand sewing projects ideas for you to try this summer.
#1
Embroidery, Cross stitching, and Other Decorative Sewing Projects
You probably have had enough with my incessant blathering about embroidery, but I am not done yet. It is portable (especially if you make yourself one of my embroidery pouches), cheap ($15 or less to start), and very easy to dive in to. The basic back stitch is all I needed to learn to get started last summer, and I haven’t stopped since.
Cross stitching is another one, and I think it is ready for a comeback. You know I can’t resist a good Wonder Woman project. Wee Lee Stitches‘ Pixel People are too nerdy-awesome for words.
[from Wee Little Stitches]
And who couldn’t get enough of Anna Maria Horner’s gorgeous tapestry prints to frame or sew into a pillow or bag.
[Instagram by The Boy Trifecta, used with permission]
#2
Hand Sewn Quilts
I am not much of a quilter, so I was pretty surprised to learn that some quilts are pieced by hand. It seems like an awful lot of work for something you could be done by machine, but as an On-The-Go project, what could be Back Breaking Labor suddenly melts into Leisure Activity.
[Hexy MF by iamgingermonkey, used with permission]
Hexagon quilts, also known as “Hexies”, are made by English Paper Piecing. They are handbasted around a paper template, hand sewn together, and appliqued onto a background fabric.
[from pigstubs, CCL]
Hours and hours and hours of sewing. It can be a good thing in the right context. 🙂
See jaybirdquilts for a lovely tutorial on how to make your own hexagons.
We don’t have to stop there! Last summer, I had the pleasure of seeing a friend work on an heirloom cathedral window quilt. If my memory serves me right, her grandmother started it and she is working on finishing it. It was a gorgeous work to behold.
[from bekkats, CCL]
I would love to try one of these someday, even if it just a little pillow. They are so lovely and delicate looking. Interested in learning more? The Sometimes Crafter shares a wonderfully thorough tutorial and roundup for cathedral window quilts on her blog.
#3
Hand Sewn Clothing
[by madebyrae]
I had never heard of Alabama Chanin and their hand-stitched clothing ways until Made by Rae posted her cute Babydoll Top. Whoa. It looks so comfortable and soft and funky, girly without being too froo-froo. I’ll be getting my hands on this book soon enough, I think.
#4
Forgivable Felt
[by Sew Fearless]
Felt lends itself easily to hand sewing, and there a oodles of quick and simple projects to make with it. Like…
That should keep you busy until the weather gets cold. Pack yourself a sewing basket and get outside!
Did I leave out your hand sewing fav? Share your ideas in the comments!
*Just a Note: Be Nice. Please pin from projects from their original blog posts.*
Ooh yay! What a great post idea. Hand sewing is perfect for summer, camping trips, hanging out by the pool….totally agree!!
🙂
Love this!!! I live in Dubai and definitely need hand sewing ideas for hot summer days!
wow !!! i love the dress. i’m going to make one 🙂