Similar to embroidery, gardening is one of my favorite “creative outlets” for refueling. I love plants and although I wish I had my own urban jungle, my cats would make short work of anything inside! So I wait for the warm weather and my garden to enjoy being a plant mom.
If you’re like me, you love summertime for checking on your plant babies and watching everything grow, as well as just enjoying the sunshine and what’s generally considered vacation season! But even though we associate summertime with slowing down, it can become an even busier time as we try to fit in all sorts of warm weather activities. So after you’ve weeded and watered and pruned and picked, I wanted to help you take some time out for yourself on those hot afternoons. Grab a glass of sangria, and enjoy one of these free projects - perfect for the crafty plant ladies out there.
I’ve created two free downloadable embroidery patterns you can enjoy whether you’re in the shade of your patio, or poolside with your kids. The “Plant Lady” and “Plant Mom” downloadable pdf patterns include a suggested list of materials, a design you can print or trace for your project, a color key with suggested stitches and a picture of the finished embroidery art. Plus you can mix and match these with the downloadable herb patterns available in my shop!
For the “Plant Lady” pattern, I’ve used colors similar to those in my lavender herb pattern so the two can go together, but you can also choose any colors that suit you! Display your hoop in your potting shed or on your desk near your favorite succulent. Or incorporate it onto a project like this tote and take it to the local farmer’s market! Download the “Plant Lady” pattern here.
For the “Plant Mom” pattern, I wanted to show you how you can add some Crayola watercolors to your embroidery project! So while this pattern can be completely embroidered, I’ve also given instructions for filling in the text with watercolor after you embroider an outline, which I demonstrate in the timelapse video below.
Download the “Plant Mom pattern here and read other tips for combining watercolor and embroidery in this article!
Whether you’re an avid gardener or cultivating an urban jungle indoors, I hope these projects provide you with a fun creative outlet to help you pause and relax this summer!