Seriously, I think this was the funnest part! I just loved getting to know Tammy, and then thinking about what I was going to make for her. The possibilities were endless!
At first I wanted to make something I had never made before, but when she mentioned that she had visited my shop and that she really liked my needlework, I thought, why not stick to what I do best? That is when I decided to make a dish towel, and add a bit of cross stitch to it.
I think I may have been drinking a glass of wine when I thought about this, so grapes seemed like a great idea!
I choose a light pink waffle weave towel that came with an aida cloth insert. Then I stitched and stitched and stitched: red and green grapes. I also added a purple and green trim above and below the grapes to frame my work, if you will.
But I could not stop there. I wanted more more more! And I happened to see this on Etsy one day . And this is how these coasters came to be:
The dandelions are hand embroidered, using regular as well as satin embroidery floss (I learned about satin floss in All in the Details, the embroidery project). I. HAD. SO. MUCH. FUN. drawing the dandelions and then stitching them up.
Because I wanted to keep them simple and sweet, I used some super cute yellow fabric I had in my stash for the back of the coasters. Unlike the coasters I saw on Etsy, I ended up top stitching the borders.
And although Tammy said she did not want to use them because they were way too cute, I do hope she enjoys them.
And last but certainly not least, I have really been into purses lately! I have recently purchased some patterns from Keyka Lou, and this is what I came up with the night before I mailed Tammy's package off (apologies for the photo quality - it was quite late at night by the time I was done).
This way she can store all her loose coins in one stylish little coin purse.
I think the orange and yellow fabrics scream summer, don't you agree? I just love how the pearl snaps and the little bow give this little lady so much personality.
A few finishing touches later...
And it was ready to be mailed!
I had so much fun participating in this handmade gift exchange. And I was so lucky to have such an awesome partner to work with!
What about you? What kind of fun projects have you been working on this summer?
So glad you stopped by! Have a wonderful Wednesday!
