Bitten

I was bitten by the sewing bug this week. Sewing is something I've been thinking about for a good while now but I've never been motivated enough to actually dig out my machine. Two things changed this recently: (1) I cleaned out my crafting area which freed my sewing machine from behind a pile of books; and (2) I received this beautiful little sewing book, Everyday Handmade, from my mother-in-law for Christmas.

This book has a variety of cute projects in it, from a jackalope (on the cover) to a messenger bag to a Kindle cover. Many of the projects caught my eye, but I settled on making a box bag because it seemed very achievable for someone who hasn't done any serious sewing in years. And it turned out to be a very fun back-to-sewing project, even if my corners didn't end up completely square.

Part of the appeal of this project is how little fabric it required--only 2 fat quarters plus a little more for the zipper edging--allowing me to use up some anchor-themed fabric I've been hoarding since college. I even had some nautical fabric on hand for a perfect inner lining. Between the fabric, the red and blue thread, and all of the little details in the pattern, this project is a winner.

I've already followed up on the box bag with a second sewing project, but I will save that for a later post. Until then, I want to thank my mother-in-law for jump-starting my motivation to sew!