Oh my gosh, I just cannot stop read the Sew, Mama, Sew! blog.  They dedicated the whole month of August to hand sewing and have gotten some of my favorite crafters to offer up free patterns (yes, I missed it but it’s almost as fun to read the archives and get one huge shot of inspiration).  This set of back-to-school/reading kids will probably go onto a set of napkins for my mom.  Oh, and how much do you love the simple Queen Anne’s Lace pattern from Alicia Paulson?

I’m not quite yet ready to leap out into the world of embroidery without a pattern.  Part of why I love embroidering is that I don’t have to really think too much– just follow the pattern.  Like slightly higher level coloring books or something.  Maybe someday soon, when I’m more confident in my stitching and feel like I’ll be able to maximize “the beauty of ineptitude” thing I’ve got going on (I had an art professor in college who described my drawing that way).