Where I’ve been & how Bohemilu found its way to watercolour printables

Since I started to explore an idea of learning how to sew and showing my creations on Instagram, I have always noticed a rhythm in my creativity — periods of intense creating followed by quieter moments when I needed time to recharge.

One of those quiet periods is already reflected in an article called Where do wander my mojos?, which I published a few years ago.

However, this time it was a little bit of a different story – I cannot say that my creative inspiration left me for a while, but I simply had to consciously make room in my life for something else: becoming a parent.

A defining moment

Life got beautifully busy after I got pregnant in 2024, and with the arrival of my child, I had to temporarily put sewing and pattern making aside and make space for this completely new chapter of my life.With the initial sleep deprivation (which, nevertheless, significantly improved over the following months), I simply didn’t have the energy, time, or even a proper space to sew.

My days as a new mum were full from the very morning, and in the brief moments of my baby’s naps, I just wanted to have a little rest or go for a walk with the pram. Yet, the urge for “making something beautiful” never disappeared, and three months after my baby’s birth, it started calling pretty loudly.

Besides sewing and making patterns, I have always liked the fashion illustration part, as well as drawing and painting in general. One day, I was scrolling on Pinterest, looking for inspiration for a floral watercolour wreath, and I accidentally came across a French author’s book called Jardins fleuris à l’aquarelle, whose watercolour illustrations and theme got me totally excited.

Looking back, this moment became a real turning point for me.

How Stitch & Bloom came to life and the Bohemilu redesign

Since that moment, I started to rediscover the universe of botanical illustrations that I had always liked. I wanted to progress, so I bought the book, slowly started to follow tutorials on YouTube and got some more professional watercolour equipment. Before I knew it, I found myself painting in watercolours almost every day after I put my little one into bed. Despite the fatigue, I slowly turned my evenings into my little creative ritual.

Over the months, I learnt more about good-quality watercolour paper, and discovered some fancy watercolour brush brands. Nine months after my first watercolour tutorial, I found myself finishing a sketchbook I had bought about 8 years ago, starting a new one, and having my head full of ideas about how to develop this watercolour adventure into something I could share with others.

Moreover, I wanted to find a way to connect these two passions of mine together – and that was where the idea of watercolour printables, which people could buy and decorate their sewing studios with, came from. The rest is simply a complete redesign of my website and the launch of an online shop with watercolour printables, which I decided to gently incorporate under my main brand, Bohemilu Sewing Patterns, as Stitch & Bloom by Bohemilu.

Finding my way back and new online store

I always wanted to open an online store and offer my own sewing patterns to like-minded customers. But creating sewing patterns is very time-consuming, and again – with the pregnancy and taking care of my newborn, I couldn’t manage to dedicate enough time to make this dream a reality. So I decided to go ahead with an alternative idea.

That being said, my first year as a new mum was full of caring for my beautiful little one, flowers in watercolours… and also a little bit of sewing for the baby (despite not having enough time, I still succeeded in working on some baby sewing projects – but I will go further into this topic in a new blog post).

I still plan to add some sewing pattern designs to my online store, but I don’t want to put any pressure on myself. At least, I was able to include a sewing planner that I originally designed for myself, which is now offered as a free gift in my e-shop.

If someone had told me even 12 months ago that I would finally start my tiny online business with my watercolour downloadable designs, I would never have believed it. But this unexpected twist taught me a lot about my own creativity. If it exists within us, it won’t disappear just because our lives change and we shift our priorities. It will live on in a different form. And it is up to us to embrace it and transform it into something beautiful that we love.

Some inspiration for the books

• If you can read in French, here is the book I’ve written above – Jardins fleuris à l’aquarelle
• This one is also in French, but I really liked it and recommend it – L’aquarelle par Bleu Tango
• The Flower recipes book is great as an inspiration for your watercolour flower designs

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