September is National Sewing Month! I have been sewing since I was five so every month is a sewing month, if I added them all up that would be a very scary number! I can't imagine my life without sewing, all the doll clothes, the high school fashion statements (yikes), baby clothes (sniff), Halloween costumes, toys, home decor and published designs. My daughters would probably say how much they would miss the matching mother daughter dresses or the infamous "little Bo-Peep" costume with the voluminous bloomers and stuffed sheep!

Today everyone is sewing which is wonderful! Paper artist and scrapbookers are adding all kinds of fabric and stitch embellishments. Sites like Burda Style showcase easy wearable patterns and the sewers of all ages who create fashion statements with their own unique take on a pattern. At Spoonflower you can have your very own fabric design made into yardage to sew with. If I didn't sew I would not have any excuse for buying fabric or having a stash to lovingly peruse for inspiration! That would be very sad for me and my favorite fabric store too. This month I get to play with fabrics designed by some very talented artist friends and share the projects with you!

For an easy fast sewing project, prefinished items like a tea towel can be whipped into all sorts of things very quickly. These tea towel baskets I designed for Creative Homearts Club are pretty and simple to sew. Instructions for these baskets and many other projects are found here.

(photo courtesy of Homearts Club)

The therapeutic benefits of sewing and crafting are well documented. For inspiring stories visit Kathy & Barb's site Crafting for Health, it is their 1st Anniversary! Congratulations! I have been honored to have been featured twice this past year.

Have a creative week, sew something! Follow the JOY! Debra, CEO!