Desert Bloom Hot Pads

When I saw the first pictures of Desert Bloom by Rae Ritchie for Dear Stella, I thought it was lovely. So lovely that I emailed them and said that I'd be happy to join in if they were planning a blog hop to celebrate the collection. Even though they had no official events on the schedule, they were sweet enough to send me a bundle to play with this week.

I had originally planned to make a pillow with this fabric, but when I opened the package, I was floored by those gorgeous watercolor designs. All I could think of were vintage tea towels and linens, and I knew that these prints would look gorgeous in my kitchen. I spent the next two days sewing nothing but potholders and trivets. The mix of botanical prints (those succulents!) and simple basics is just right. That Scallop Dot print in black, white, and blush is a fantastic blender, and it worked perfectly for the binding and loops on these projects. I am so glad I ditched the original plan and went with my impulse on this one. I absolutely love the way these turned out.

But why stop there? I'm thinking cloth napkins, tablecloths, place mats, table runners. This could be the start of a whole new obsession...