Summer Wraps

Posted by Kate on 10 April, 2012 · 1 Comment 

I should really just switch my Monday-scheduled posts to Tuesday, shouldn’t I? Then you readers wouldn’t have to listen to me explain my blogging tardiness every week. Try and bear with me a little longer? Let’s see if I can’t pull together my case of the Mondays over the next couple of weeks, and then start thinking about scheduling changes. Sound good? On to the real post then!

Like every other young woman in the United States, I remember spending my childhood taping embroidery floss to my knee and tying up colorful friendship bracelets. I’m not certain, but I would hazard a guess that females living in any country where embroidery floss is easily available and summers are long and dull enough to spend hours knotting and wrapping thread. Lately, it seems that embroidery floss cuffs, braids, and hair wraps are having their very own renaissance–with a few updates courtesy of the modern day technological enlightenment (see the DIY wrapped ear buds, below). As Boyfriend duly noted last weekend while I put on a friendship-style wrap bracelet from Gap, it’s not usually the sort of jewelry I prefer. However, it seems that even my stubborn streak when it comes to fashion preferences isn’t immune to the trendiness of the colorful, comfortable, and beach friendly style. Free People’s take on the retro, summer-friendly trend is a personal favorite–they always do have a knack for mixing-and-matching brights, neutrals, neons and pastels. If shelling out nearly thirty bucks for a nine inch embroidery floss braid isn’t your thing–it’s certainly not mine–find some of my favorite DIY options below. Braiding and wrapping your own summer accessories has one more benefit: you have an excuse to buy beautiful embroidery thread by Sajou, available (on French-language cards, no less!) through Purl Soho.

{All images via Free People, and one lovely watercolor via Caitlin McGauley}
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

{Sajou Laine St. Pierre & Retors du Nord thread}  

{DIY ideas via BLDG 25 (1 & 2), Uncovet, and Purl Bee}

Filed under [Scraps], [Sew] · Tagged with accessories, art, beach, colorful, colors, crafts, design, diy, embroidery thread, fashion, free people, friendship bracelets, illustration, jewelry, neon, purl soho, sajou, sewing, spring trends, style, summer, summer trends, trends