Short of a trip to Hawaii, adding the accent of tropical prints to your outdoor patio furniture or even to your kitchen décor can evoke the sense of a vacation in your own home. Add the elements of a tropical style to your décor and the hot July and August weather takes on both drama and fun. Experiment with tropical foliage prints, cooling white and blue fabric contrasts, and the bright reds, yellows, and oranges that evoke the lazy, hazy days of summer. Sewing in summer with airy and breezy cottons, linen types, hand-dyed batiks, Swiss batistes, brightly colored tropical prints with vibrant coordinating solids all bring to mind those visions of barefoot living and seaside cabana suppers.

Define your outdoor entertainment area with privacy and ambiance by attaching clip-on curtain rings to gauzy fabric curtain panels and string on clothes line ropes. It may be that only two curtain sides are needed for privacy and a cabana-like feel. Sew a colorful fabric tablecloth and contrasting napkins for a decidedly different outdoor dining experience. Or simply drape a length of your favorite colorful summer fabric over a white tablecloth then add a few vibrant pillows for a quick dining area transformation.

While you are sewing for your dining space, consider sewing for yourself. Download a free shorts pattern seen in the latest issue of SEW News’ Sew Simple, Volume 5, magazine. Or sew an A-line wrap skirt, free pattern available from Fitz. Add easy trim to a basic blouse pattern to create a dainty blouse perfect for summer entertaining from White Sewing projects.

Decorate your summer table with fabric flower pot covers. No-sew too! Measure and cut your summer print fabric. Using super tacky craft glue, glue your cut fabric to your clay pot. Trim with raffia or wide rick-rack. The covered pot (or pots of various sizes) makes for an interesting table centerpiece when filled with greenery or add small stones to lift up inserted candles. The covered pots also make great flatware containers for a summer buffet table.

Sew an easy summer drawstring tote with just two brightly colored bandannas and contrasting or coordinating fabric for lining. With right sides together sew a 1/2" or 5/8" seam around three sides. Turn right-side out and press. Cut and sew lining fabric the same as the bandannas. Place the lining inside the bandannas so that the wrong side of the lining is to the wrong side of the bandannas. Turn under a one inch casing and stitch closed, leaving an opening to insert a thick braided cord approximately 48" long. Thread the braided cord ends through a decorative scarf pin to act as a closure as you slide the bandanna fabric on the cord to gather and close the tote. Knot the cord ends together.

More summer projects to sew:

Making Tablecloths of Any Size from Sewing.org

Reversible Bandanna Placemats from Jo~Ann Ideas

Indian Summer Color-Block Pillows from Sewing.org

Summery Tea Cozy from Sew-What’s-New.com

Enjoy a barefoot summer. Sew happy, sew well.

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