Feb-March ‘26: Valentines, up-cycling, & floral miniatures
Despite it being the shortest month of the year I’ve had what feels like an incredibly productive February. After one final huge blizzard, the weather in Philly is finally starting to warm up, and I’m getting ready for spring by doing a whole lot of sewing at my dining room table while watching Dropout TV. I’ve been altering and upcycling some spring and summer clothes, and also trying to finish a big stack of half-finished sewing projects in my basement. Along with my big spring sew-a-thon, I’ve also been working on a lot of very fun little design projects, noodling around in my sketchbook, and getting my patio ready for spring. More on all of that below…
What I’m currently working on:
Making homemade Valentines; I will forever be a lover of handmade greeting cards, and this year I got inspired by some of these self-inclosed letter folding techniques I wrote about last month! I also have a large stack of astrobright printer paper I’ve been working my way through, and really love how this little heart Valentine I made for my partner turned out. Special shoutout to POSCA markers, you will always have my heart.
Full tutorial for how to make these folded heart cards from @fennuala on Instagram here.
Designing these bookmarks for my bestie’s Bachelorex party; I helped plan a Bachelorex party for one of my best friends last month, and had a ton of fun putting together these romance novel themed party favors. We thrifted a big batch of kitschy harlequin romance novels with some really incredible vintage covers, and I used them as inspiration for designing the matching bookmarks.
Upcycling a skirt into top: One of my favorite spring wardrobe projects I’ve made recently is this little v-neck, bias cut top that I upcycled from a stretched out midi skirt. I used a slightly modified version of this bias cut dress pattern from Coraline Street. I’ve made this pattern a handful of times with different materials—it’s a great beginner-friendly sewing pattern, and I think this is by far my favorite variation of it I’ve made yet.
Starting my backyard vegetable garden: It’s too early to be planting outdoors yet, but I’ve started my tomato seeds indoors! I’m trying out two fun varieties this year—Orange Cherry Sungold tomatoes, and Heirloom Black Cherry tomatoes. Fingers crossed the squirrels take it easy on me this year.
Where I’m finding inspiration:
Patchwork shower curtain inspo
“Stained Glass” Patchwork Curtains; I’ve had a whole board of of these curtains pinned for a while, along with an ever-growing stash of scrap fabric and old curtains sitting in my basement. A friend of mine has a similar style privacy curtain in her bathroom that she made out of thrifted handkerchiefs, and I’m really into the idea of using this technique for a shower curtain. Stay tuned to see how long I get with this project before abandoning the half-finished quilt squares for the next six months.
Browsing fabrics from Matchy Matchy Sewing Club: I actually haven’t bought any new fabric in over a year, and am looking forward to treating myself to one of these cotton-linen blends from Matchy Matchy Sewing Club soon to make a new spring dress.
Miniature Floral Arrangements at the Philadelphia Flower Show; Anyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with miniatures, and this display of light-boxed miniature floral arrangements at the Philadelphia Flower Show did not disappoint. The color! The the weird shapes! The way each mini arrangement is suspended by fishing line and framed up like a painting! These blew me away and are reason enough for me to brave the crowds and make the flower show an annual visit.
Other random things bringing me joy:
Taking a walk through my local park after the big February blizzard; I jokingly was treating it like a sculpture garden, but some of these snow sculptures were genuinely impressive. This park had everything; at least 10 classic snowmen (one of which was about 7-feet tall), two mini guys perched on a bench, a whole snow cave, and a surprisingly detailed snow-mermaid. Great work, South Philly.
“Scrap Night” at Secondhand Circus; I used to think that being a theater kid took me to strange places, but being a part of the Philly circus community has taken that up a notch. Secondhand Circus is a local, sustainable community circus company that hosts experimental “Scrap Nights” at Thunderbird Hall, a two-story thrift store in North Philly. Their most recent February show included juggling, comedy, and aerial acts all based around the theme of “sustainable love”. It was incredibly fun, weird, and culminated in a finale act that involved cooking actual pancakes on a hot plate while hanging off a trapeze. Circus people are the best, and I couldn’t make this shit up if I tried.
Upcoming Projects:
My partner and I are hosting another photo pop-up event! Join us on April 18th at At My House in South Philly for spring-themed, floral, studio photo sessions. Keep an eye on Instagram @atmyhouse.se for full event details and how to sign up coming soon. Check out all the photos from our Valentine’s Day photo event here!
That’s all for now—thanks for reading, see you in May, and subscribe below to receive the next edition straight to your inbox!