More than just a pair of days, a weekend is also a state of mind—a feeling of relaxation and the freedom to immerse ourselves fully in a favorite activity. In Weekend Sewing, designer Heather Ross presents creative projects for clothing, accessories, and home items that can be made in a weekend or less. Some, such as the Quick Garden Gloves and Ruby’s Bloomers, take a few hours; others, such as the Weekend-Away Travel Bag and Trapeze Sundress, require a day or two—but all of them capture that weekend feeling. And because weekends are often the most fun when they’re social, Ross features ideas that encourage us to share our stitching and our time, such as a recipe for soup to simmer while sewing, then serve to guests later in the day, and tips for transporting a sewing machine to a friend’s house for an afternoon of social stitching. The sewing instructions are beautifully illustrated, and patterns for the projects are included on pullout sheets.

Photographs by: John Gruen