🎃 Gourd vibes only: folds, flags, and fall inspiration
Do you ever feel like there’s just something in the air?
A project that won’t quite come together. A pile of emails or issues landing all at once. A bad letter in the mail on a day that was already too much.
For me, creativity is the antidote to that kind of chaos. When everything feels out of control, I find release in sitting down with a project. Cutting, gluing, beading—piece by piece, I process the noise in my head. I may sit down scattered, but by the time I walk away, I feel a little more whole. The project might not be finished or perfect, but the act of making is its own kind of repair.
Between the Folds, our September challenge, has me thinking about what lies beneath the things we make. How even the silliest little “creature magnet” can hold pieces of us—our moods, our worries, our hope. Each project is a pause, a small reprieve, and a reminder of how art can heal.
We’re in the final week of this challenge, and I encourage you to take a moment, fold something of your own, and share it with us.
Let’s get into it →
💥Pro tip: scroll to the bottom to vote for next month's theme.
📖 Between the Folds: Flag Books
If you haven’t yet stumbled across a flag book, you’re in for a treat.
This post from Byopia Press revisits the storied origins of the form—highlighting Hedi Kyle’s original April Diary and tracing its evolution through contemporary makers like Robin Muller and James Bailey.
✨ Project One:
James Bailey uses the consolidated image to good effect in this self-portrait. He has adapted the structure so that the flags change size from side to side.
✨ Project Two:
Robin Muller‘s Homage to Hedi Kyle and Ted Naos (2009) uses laser cut flags.
Flag books are a perfect fit for our Between the Folds theme—folds, layers, and surprises at every turn. This is your last week to post a project for September’s challenge and be entered to win a bundle of creative reuse supplies from Remnants. Don’t miss your chance to share what you’ve been working on!
🎃🍂 Seasonal Finds: Halloween & Thanksgiving Treasures
The holidays are creeping closer, and our sellers have stocked Remnants with plenty of festive supplies to spark your seasonal creativity. From spooky Halloween fabrics and patterns to autumn-hued trims and Thanksgiving-worthy décor, these listings are perfect for getting ahead on fall projects.
👉 Browse the entire collection on craftremnants.com
💐Ephemera Finds: Postcards & Vintage Greeting Cards 💐
A unique estate sale find...
Caught our👀
👕 Shirt curtains we honestly don't hate.
🪭 A clever way to stay cool.
📦 Cardboard fantasy lands.
👔 Maybe the best necktie projects we've seen yet.
📝 New in the Blog
Kimekomi Ornaments: A Japanese Craft Discovered at an Estate Sale
In one of my recent estate sale hauls, I uncovered a small collection of ornaments that stopped me in my tracks. At first glance, they looked like colorful fabric balls, carefully patterned, glossy in places, with seams so clean they seemed impossible.
🗳️ Time to Vote: October’s Project Theme
We’re wrapping up Between the Folds, which means it’s time to pick what we’ll all be working on next month. Cast your vote and help shape October’s creative challenge! Here are your options:
Primary Colors: Keep it simple and bold with red, blue, and yellow. Think Mondrian-inspired blocks, bright stitched accents, or playful mixed media projects.
Fall: Crisp leaves, cozy vibes, and warm tones. Channel autumn into your creations with textures, colors, and motifs pulled straight from the season.
Pets: Because our furry (or feathered, or scaly) friends make the best muses. From pet-inspired crafts to upcycled items for pets, this one’s wide open.
👉 Head to the community to cast your vote. The poll closes September 30th at 11:59pm PT, and we’ll reveal the winner in next week’s newsletter!
Don’t forget: there’s still time to share your Between the Folds project for a chance to win creative reuse supplies, and to cast your vote for October’s theme. I can’t wait to see what unfolds next.
Until then, happy making,
Molly ✨
We're mission-driven to gather a community of upcyclers dedicated to reducing waste, sharing resources, sparking ideas, and bringing reuse to the forefront of our daily lives. But we can’t do it alone.
