Is Christmas over? I've barely dug myself out of the pile of yarn I was using to make presents. I might still be in post-holiday shock.

Japanese Circles

You know what I love about being able to make my own stuff? How ridiculously personalized I can make it. I can make something that suits me perfectly.

In this case, I'm making a messenger bag (the photo/pattern on the right), but instead of making the bag I found a pattern for, I'm going to change a few things. Namely, I'm making a mini quilt for the outside instead of using a patterned fabric.

It's not as complicated as it sounds...particularly in this instance when the measurements match exactly (how convenient!) with the quilt squares. There are a lot more OF them, but I am madly in love with this mini quilt pattern and have been for quite some time. My problem has been that I like practical things, and a mini quilt, while beautiful and decorative, isn't really practical. A potholder would be too small, and I knit and crochet so trust me when I say I have an abundance of potholders.

I love bags. I have tons of them in various shapes and sizes with varying numbers of pockets. I use them to store all the supplies I'll need for an individual project so I can grab-and-go, which I've likely mentioned before. When you're a "rabid" crafter...crafting constantly is kind of what you do and what better way to kill some time than by crafting while waiting?

I'll also be adding more pockets to the inside of the bag to hold all my smaller supplies for whatever projects will go in the bag.

As for the fabrics I'll be using...well...



 I've got some Civil War Era reproduction quilting fabrics I've been dying to find the perfect project for, and what better project than one I can take with me?

A project to hold projects. I love it when crafting goes meta :D

Is it Fall already?

I've managed to get nothing done for National Sewing Month. This picture, like the cake, is a lie. I actually got these book covers done LAST month, and am just getting around to sharing them. So what am I doing this month instead?

**sigh**



I'm getting really sick of looking at graph paper. I'm designing hardanger patterns because I have the stitching bug and not the sewing bug. On the plus side, I've made progress. On the downside, it's mixed progress...



I made this pattern, and then borked it. I'm sure it'll be reappearing at some point as something else, but I tried an outer border (after trying 5 different ones) and the results were not what I anticipated, and I've already cut so I can't undo it. I'm sure the pieces of it will be recycled into something else but if you're eager to try it, let me know and I'll try to get it into pattern form faster.

On the plus side, I DID get this done, and the pattern and the finished piece itself are both listed in my etsy store.


Do you read my blog? A winner is you! Get 20% off anything in my store through October with the code: RABIDBLOGGER :) You should probably tell your friends though because I'm too busy reading quilting books for an upcoming fall project to track them all down.

In the works?



I'm tackling fall crafts because I live in Michigan and it's cold here. I've moved and have a room just for sewing and quilting, so the machines are in good working order and I'm perusing fall fabrics to inject a bit of steampunk into my wardrobe, and I'm in the middle of donating yards and yards of Waverly fabric for my rabbit to shed on and devour because he's too special to walk on hardwood floors and I have to make a rug. A dry clean only rug. Logic was not my strong suit in this endeavor.

National Sewing Month?

I'm excited! I have tons of projects I can work on/finish. I guess I'll have to stop crocheting til October...just as soon as I finish this potholder, and this afghan, and...