What I’m up to

Currently I’m in the middle of another creative crisis. Sometimes the idea for a project just comes to me in such a clear way that all I have to do is pluck the vision from my head and make it reality. I love those times.

This is not one of those times. I’m making a messenger bag for my sister Lori, and can’t nail down a flap design I like. All I know is I wanted to try a strip pieced flap this time using some charm squares I have. That’s where the vision gets cloudy. After a couple hours of sketching and perusing books and flickr, I’ve decided to just wing it and see if I like it, and if I don’t I’ll trash it and start over again.

I was attracted by the look of this stacked coin quilt in my Last Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts book, so now I’m trying a crooked version of the stacked coins for the bag flap. Sewing the random angles together is kinda fun. I’m just not sure yet how all that is going to come together on the flap.

I’m also trying to put together a sundress for my daughter, but that is stalled where it is because I saw all the gathering I’d have to do and was overcome with a wave of apathy. As an antidote, I ordered a gathering foot to try that out on my sewing machine. While I was at it, I ordered a ruffler for it too, so I’m excited to try that out. I’ve seen one on a friend’s machine and I have to say I was struck with immediate ruffler envy. So when those new toys arrive, I’ll be finishing that project.

Stay tuned.