Happy Friday + Winter Tour Week 1 Wrap-up

Happy Friday! Blown. Away. That’s all I have to say for the first week of my li’l virtual international Sewing Happiness tour.

Well, okay, I have a little more to say.

It’s been an exciting week for me. The week kicked off with Ute and Lara showcasing a multitude of goodness from Germany:

 

Ute, as you know, is my Secret Valentine Exchange collaborator extraordinaire, and has been a bedrock of support and encouragement for many years. She’s one of my most favorite people in the world. Ute introduced me to Lara of 1000 Stoff, a former architect turned fabric shop maven, whose aesthetic I immediately gravitated toward. Look at the details that Ute and Lara added!! Check out full details on the 1000 Stoff blog here (Lara’s post about the aprons is in German, FYI).

Then on Tuesday, An of StraightGrain wowed with her distinctively stylish look and feel. I love everything An makes – they’re always so sophisticated yet playful and bold too. I can’t even remember how An and I first connected, but I wasn’t surprised to learn that we have a very similar background. Granted, I wasn’t a professor/lecturer like she was nor am I from Belgium, but we both studied Communications and have a deep love of making things. I’ve been cheering her on from the sidelines as her pattern-making business has grown and expanded and one of my favorite anecdotes about her is that she used to cut fabric on the train during her commute to work. It shows such chutzpah, confidence and dedication! I adore her! See her Origami Pillow and Everything Bucket post here.

And then there’s Trine of Groovy Baby and Mama, who swooped in on Wednesday with the most luscious-looking Origami Pillows. Wool! Why didn’t I think of making the pillow out of wool? I’ve heard that Danes are considered to be the happiest people on earth, and this über hip and fashionable Danish Mama certainly seems full of joie de vivre. All I know is that Trine’s creations make me very, very happy. I’ve even made a dress or two for K, totally inspired by her. When I grow up, I hope to be the kind of chic, put-together and joyful woman like Trine! See her Origami Pillow post here.

The week wrapped up with the always on-point and hilarious Shelley (aka Lightning McStitch) of Bartacks and Singletrack. Her love of all things bicycles is well-documented and you get the sense that her family is superlatively fit from her Instagram feed. I was half expecting a bike-related theme to emerge from her tour stop, but instead I was gobsmacked with an amazingly thorough and wonderful review of Sewing Happiness that made it sound so good that I forgot that it was my own book and was tempted to go purchase it. I am smitten with the floral crown and Eco bag, but the tooth fairy pillows (I still can’t believe that she made all four of them) are hard to beat. Hailing all the way from Australia, it’s not winter there now, but she was a good sport about participating even though she was going to be on vacation. I owe you one big time, Shelley! Get your giggles on with her blog post here.

So that’s it for week one! I didn’t give these lovely bloggers a whole lot to work with…I essentially said, “Do whatever you like, you don’t even need to make anything!” and boy, did they all over-deliver. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Ute, Lara, An, Trine and Shelley!

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing some of the project from my book so far, interpreted in various ways. It’s been so fun for me and it’s definitely boosting my sewing mojo. Alright, I better get going. Until next time, have a relaxing weekend!

So looking forward
to next week’s lovely makers
Winter Tour Week Two!