I loved sitting next to my mom when I was little as she sewed away in our attic nook (usually making something for me). I recently inherited her sewing table and that combined with my Grandma Myrt's sewing box (read about that here), makes me feel like I'm continuing on a tradition of female crafters by being the latest link in a very long chain. Summer is a time for sewing in our house. Yes, my lap is usually occupied with a giant pile of wool, alpaca, linen or cotton yarn, but there's something really satisfying about washing up fabrics, pairing them together, ironing them out and sewing them up to make something special. I sew when I'm happy, when I'm sad, when I need to think through some problems, almost always when I can't sleep (fellow insomniacs, fist bump!) and when my wrists need a break from the knitting needles.

This summer has been a major season of binge-sewing for me. My insomnia gets worse in the warmer months and while some people would pop a sleeping pill, I cozy up to my sewing machine, sewing late into the night, audio book streaming through my headphones and gentle snores drifting down from upstairs. I never minded not being able to sleep. I choose to embrace it and use that time to create.

I just listed a batch of 40 new knitting project bags in my Etsy shop here. Many are knit-themed! This rounds out about 150 bags I've made this summer so far, and with 2 weeks left of summer camp followed by a brief sojourn up north, I hope to knock out 60 more or so before heading up to Squam to teach.

Check out the latest batch of bags here!