What’s on My Summer Craft Room Table Now – Mondays in the Craft Room
If you’ve ever wondered what my craft room really looks like in the middle of a busy creative season, today is your lucky day.
Spoiler alert: it isn’t picture-perfect! Right now I have embroidery projects, sewing projects, and supplies covering just about every work surface, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Today I’m sharing what’s on my summer craft table, why I’m finally getting serious about organizing my projects, and how I’m preparing for two exciting new additions to my craft room that I can’t wait to tell you about. This is a fun behind-the-scenes look at what’s keeping me busy this summer, and trust me, there’s a lot happening!
What’s on My Summer Craft Table Right Now
If you walked into my craft room today, you might be surprised.
Actually, you would probably be shocked.
There are stacks of fabric on one table, embroidery thread spread across another, partially finished projects waiting for their turn, and baskets filled with supplies I promised myself I would put away “later.”
My supplies are exactly where I left them after midnight the night before; there are scraps of stabilizer everywhere, and somehow every flat surface has become a workspace.
And honestly? I kind of love it.
Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate a beautifully organized craft room as much as anyone. I have spent years designing mine so everything has a home, and I genuinely enjoy putting everything away after I finish a project.
But there is something magical about a craft room in the middle of a creative season. It tells the story of ideas in progress, projects waiting to happen, and inspiration that refuses to wait until one thing is finished before the next begins.
Because if you know me at all, you know I never have just one project going.
I always have five.
Or ten.
Sometimes more.
This summer has been one of those wonderfully creative seasons, and I realized this week that my craft room has become a snapshot of everything I am excited about right now. So I thought it would be fun to show you exactly what is on my craft table today. The pretty version and the messy version.
Creative Chaos Is My Normal
People often ask how I stay organized when I make so many different things.
The honest answer?
Sometimes I don’t.
When inspiration strikes, I tend to dive right in. I might spend the morning embroidering a sweatshirt, switch to sewing a tote bag after lunch, and finish the evening experimenting with clay or sketching ideas for another project. I don’t always finish one before starting the next because my brain simply doesn’t work that way.
Creative people often think in layers instead of straight lines.
And my craft room proves it.
There are embroidery hoops sitting next to stacks of bandanas. Sewing clips somehow migrate across every table. My ironing station has become a staging area. Fabric has a way of multiplying overnight.
It’s messy.
But it’s also where some of my favorite ideas come to life.
Big Changes Are Coming
The funny thing is, all this creative chaos has actually convinced me it’s time to get more organized.
Why?
Because something really exciting is happening.
I am getting two new craft machines.
Unfortunately, I can’t tell you what they are just yet, but trust me when I say this is BIG. I have been counting the days until they arrive, and I already know they are going to completely change what I can create in my craft room.
As excited as I am, I also realized something.
If I want to take full advantage of these new machines, I need to spend less time hunting for supplies and more time making.
That means creating systems that actually work.
Not just for today.
But for every project I make in the future.
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The Embroidered Bags Are Just the Beginning
One corner of my craft room is currently overflowing with canvas bags.
Not just any bags.
The cutest pink, white, and orange bags that practically beg to be embroidered.
The minute I saw them, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.
I stitched two of them this past week, and I absolutely love how they turned out. They are colorful, fun, and perfect for gifts. Every time I finish one, I start imagining another design that would look adorable on the next bag.
Flowers.
Monograms.
Summer sayings.
Holiday themes.
The possibilities are endless.
So instead of buying just a few, I may have purchased… quite a few more.
I can already picture filling a shelf with beautifully embroidered bags, ready whenever I need a birthday gift, hostess gift, or just-because surprise.
That sounds a lot better than scrambling at the last minute trying to make something before heading out the door.
Bandana Tote Bag Headquarters
If you’ve been following A Handmade Summer, then you already know about my newest obsession.
Bandana tote bags.
I truly had no idea how much I would love making them.
After finishing my first one, I immediately wanted to make another.
Then another.
Now I have enough bandanas to make at least ten more bags.
This is exactly the kind of project that benefits from a little planning.
Instead of cutting everything from scratch every time I make a bag, I’ve decided to spend one afternoon preparing all the pieces in advance.
I’ll precut the bandanas.
The lining.
The foam.
The batting.
Once everything is cut and organized into project kits, I can simply pull out one stack and start sewing.
No measuring.
No recutting.
And no searching for missing pieces.
Just sewing.
I know myself well enough to know that if I make the process easier, I’ll actually finish more bags.
And honestly, that’s the goal.
My Ventura Sweatshirt Collection
Another project that’s taking shape is something very close to my heart.
My VENTURA sweatshirts.
Every time our friends come to stay at the beach house, someone comments on them.
So I had an idea.
Why not keep a small inventory already made and waiting?
That way, when friends visit, I can surprise them with one before they head home.
I love gifts that aren’t expected.
Especially handmade ones.
There is something so special about watching someone open a gift you made yourself.
I don’t want to rush through making these at the last minute anymore.
Instead, I’m slowly building a collection in different sizes so they’re ready whenever we have guests.
I think they’ll become one of those little traditions people remember.
Making Gifts Without the Last-Minute Rush
If I’m being completely honest, one of my biggest crafting habits is waiting until I actually need the gift before I start making it.
Sound familiar?
I’ll suddenly remember a birthday.
A dinner party.
A hostess gift.
And then I’m racing into my craft room trying to finish everything in one afternoon.
Why do I do that?
I know better.
So this summer I’m changing my mindset.
Instead of making gifts when I need them…
I’m making gifts before I need them.
That means embroidered bags waiting in the closet.
Sweatshirts already folded.
Bandana bags ready to wrap.
Seasonal projects organized by holiday.
Future me will be so grateful.
My New Summer Goal
I’ve realized something after looking around my craft room this week.
Being organized doesn’t make you less creative.
It actually gives you more freedom to create.
When I know exactly where everything is, I spend less time looking and more time making.
When project pieces are already cut, I can finish something in an afternoon instead of spreading it over several days.
And when gifts are already waiting, I can enjoy giving them instead of stressing over them.
That sounds like a pretty good goal to me.
A Peek Behind the Scenes
So yes, when you see the photos in today’s post, you’ll probably notice that my craft room isn’t perfectly styled.
There are piles. Projects everywhere. Fabric on every table. Thread that somehow escaped back into the wrong drawer.
And I wouldn’t change a thing.
Because those piles tell the story of a summer filled with creativity. They remind me that ideas are meant to be explored.
Just know, I clean up once a week and it only takes less than half an hour. And that sometimes the best craft rooms aren’t the perfectly organized ones.
They’re the ones where things are actually getting made.
Of course, ask me again in a few weeks after my two new craft machines arrive.
I have a feeling my craft room is about to get a whole lot busier.
And honestly?
I can’t wait.
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