Are you thinking about summer sewing? We are! We reached out to a few of our members and asked if they had any summer inspiration to share. Whether you are looking for machine embroidery, quilting, garments, bags or even beading and weaving, we have a few ideas to get your summer creative juice flowing!
Machine Embroidery
Ginny shared a link to Sew Daily’s website where they have listed several summer embroidery patterns. Why not try adding a cactus or some summer blooms to one of your projects?
And for a local company, you might look at Sew Inspired by Bonnie for some cute children’s designs as well as try out her GlitterFlex product which can be used in machine embroidery or appliqué.
Quilting
This Flowers in the Sunshine quilt immediately made us think of summer. It is easy to make and can be completed using just 2 packs of 5″ precut charm squares, Layer Cakes or fat quarters!
Another source of lots of inspiration can be found at the 3rd Story Workshop. And if you subscribe to their newsletter, you get to download a free printable CMY color wheel, with a corresponding chart of Kona Cotton solids!
Indie Garment
Sheryl shared her two most recent makes for some summer inspiration. Consider making a ClosetCase Patterns Kalle Shirt dress out of linen or breathable cotton like she did. Or for a relaxed and comfy t-shirt dress, try out Pamela’s Patterns Classic T-shirt Dress. And this pattern has the added bonus of a 10% discount for ASG members if you use the code found in the Members Only Special Offer section of the national website.
Commercial Garment
Monica suggests you consider McCalls 8047 in a lightweight ITY knit for a fun summer jumpsuit. Or if you are looking for a flowy summer dress to help you catch that summer breeze, why not consider McCalls 8035.
McCalls 8047 
McCalls 8035
Bags
If you are hoping for a quick make, consider the Lucky Penny wallet by Sallie Tomato. You can just get the pattern or for an even faster make, why not get the precut kit in cork so you can try both the pattern as well as sewing on cork!
If you are itching for a challenge and want to make something sturdy to haul your summer gear around, why not check out Klum House for a variety of bag patterns and kits. The Slab Town roll top bag would be perfect to load up with all the things you need to take with you for a morning hike.
Beading
Marie and Penny have some bead weaving ideas for you when you want to keep your hands busy but need to be inside in the A/C.
Marie made the white with silver edging triangle earrings and Penny made the multi-color earrings using the technique demonstrated in the video below.
And if you would like to try your hand at creating a beveled bracelet like this one Penny made, take a few tips from the tutorial video below and give that a try!
Weaving
Debby suggests you take some time to learn all about a new quest in fiber – weaving.
The ancient craft of tablet weaving is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to make trim. Several YouTube sites demonstrate tablet weaving. You can purchase the cards, or even make them yourself. Just type in “tablet weaving” on YouTube.
Debby’s Inkel Loom 
Trim in Progress
Debby is spending her summer inside working on her inkel loom . She is using the tablet weaving technique to making custom trim for a leather jacket she has planned for when things are much cooler.
If you are in the market for a small portable loom for tablet weaving (or other woven items) you can use either an inkle loom or a 15 inch rigid heddle loom. Liz Gibson at is a great resource. She has online classes, weaver support through Zoom and Facebook, and online free weave-alongs. Her online Yarnworker School of Weaving teaches everything about rigid heddle weaving.
Debby’s Heddle Loom 
Scarf and Table RUnner
Debby also enjoys using her cricket heddle loom, pictured above. With this kind of loom you could make a scarf or small table runner that has an inlay pattern like the ones she made.
We hope this article has sparked some new summer inspiration. The interests of our members spans such a wide array of fiber arts! Thank you to all who shared your ideas. And if you try something out, let us know. We would love to see your makes!
