I’m so glad my last post struck a chord with many of you. In all honesty, for some reason it’s gotten more difficult for me to open up in this space and share more than my latest finished project. Even though I’ve been blogging for over eight years things have changed and this space has changed. I hope to keep reaching toward some kind of nice mix, but it’s hard to feel vulnerable, too.

This is my Harvest Top that I’ve had on my ‘list’ for quite some time. It’s features kept me curious and I hadn’t seen a million of them being sewn up, so I wanted to give it a shot and see how it went. I like the fact that there’s no sleeves to set in. The details of the sleeve band, button-up back, and blocked bodice pieces made it a super fun sew.

I almost forgot how fun it can be to make a garment for myself. It feels like so long since I’ve really put much effort into sewing something to wear. I tried the Willow Tank at the beginning of the summer and then got busy doing summer stuff and never got around to sewing anything else to wear. I still need to make some fit changes for my next Willow, but the Harvest top came together so well and I’m pretty happy with it.

This sweet subtle print was one I’ve had in my stash for a bit. I picked it up from the Jones & Vandermeer shop. I think it pairs pretty well with the top, but I’m curious about maybe making another in a sold or maybe a more graphic print like the one in the pattern.

Now that it’s almost fall here I’m going to make a solid effort to make a few more cozy items for myself. I’ve even planned to make a few things for Natalie and Emily, too. I guess I definitely get on certain kicks and I’m hoping this kick will land me with something cute for my closet!

Pattern: Harvest Top (it’s called Boxy Top in the listing, but the pattern files call it the Harvest Top so I’m going with that!)by Pattern Runway free for Peppermint Magazine
Fabric: Sparkle in Midnight by Atelier Brunette

Oooo. I felt this post coming for a long time. Hmmm, orginally I was scrolling through my pinterest boards and was thinking, gosh, I really hope other sewists find this board, it’s so cool! And I don’t mean that in a ‘look at my stuff’ kind of way. I typically only share sewing or creative diy projects on my pin board that I think are inspiring. I hardly ever pin my own photos, I’m not sure why, but I love pinning what others make using my patterns as well as other patterns and DIYs from so many talented people.

And then I went and typed that title of the post up there, you know the one, inspiration + real life. It gets me thinking deep about my creative life and all that. I feel like maybe that’s the missing link that I’ve been searching for to try and connect in my mind. I often find myself scrolling through instagram endlessly and thinking, gosh I just feel so inspired but not necessarily motivated to actually throw myself in and do something. It’s kind of a ishy feeling actually. I want to do the things and yet it’s hard to do the things! It’s hard to commit to projects, hard to find the time, and hard to sort through all the amazing inspiration out there.

So I’m sure there’s people out there that see my work and feel the same, inspired, but not sure how it fits into their real life. Well, I can tell you that I started super small. I mean, like nothing. I had a small desk and one shelf. I started with a free, yes free, sewing machine. I knew how to sew, but at the same time didn’t let myself get wrapped up in knowing everything. I just started.

this is my honest craft space from January 2010

I followed where my heart lead me. Sure there were times when I was scraping together a tutorial, feeling pressured to complete another project, or just generally feeling like I needed to make all the things, but that’s not really what kept me going. It was the community, this beautiful, sometimes mysterious world of online creatives. Having those relationships and sense of community always drew me back. There were times that weren’t so great in my life, but sewing was never something I stopped craving. Yes, my creativity comes and goes, but it’s always been there, and more importantly, I never stopped.

So what I’m trying to say is just keep going. Do what your heart wants. Creativity is not a contest, that I know for sure, but it’s such a great reminder. I hope you have fun with whatever you create, even if it sucks. I’ve made a lot of things that suck. But I also never questioned if I should stop creating. We were born for this.

I’m excited to share a quick video I made about quilting the back panel of the Range Backpack pattern. Just to hopefully make things super clear, I suggest this option only for when you choose to use quilting cotton for the exterior fabric requirement. Got it? Great! In the pattern I suggest a few options for the exterior fabric choice: waxed canvas, canvas, or quilting cotton. So if you’re going the quilting cotton route there are a few additional steps that you’ll need to take, and quilting the back panel is one of them.

If you’ve never quilted before, this is a great time to give it a try! A small project like the back panel of a backpack is a great place to learn while also being manageable to get through your machine. There are a few items that I mention in the video so go grab them at your local quilt shop (and because I can’t link to everyone’s local shop, I’ve linked to a few online sources here as well).

• Quilter’s Spray Baste 505
• Clover Hera Marker
• Curved basting pins
• painter’s tape
• Quilter’s Dream Cotton Batting
• Cotton canvas (used as stabilizer)
• Walking foot

Click here to watch the video!

It’s just about ten minutes long and make hope is that it’ll be easy to understand and help you feel confident when making your own Range Backpack! I’m trying to make an effort to get better at video, so I’m working on it! My hope is that it’ll still be worth viewing even though I’m so not an expert at video and editing.

Your backpack is about to get fancy!

Pattern: Range Backpack, hardware kits available
Fabrics: Cotton + Steel Double Dots Dark Grey, Waxed Canvas for Contrast Bottom (black) from AL Frances Textiles, Lining is Robert Kaufman Canyon Colored Denim in black (6 oz. weight)