A small step, a giant leap.

My first craft blog entry -how exciting, how daunting! I’m a fairly recent arrival to the blogosphere, but I can see myself spending many happy years here. I hope my own blog can provide inspiration and entertainment for other crafters, the way theirs do for me.

So who am I, anyway? I’m a 20-something (edging closer to 30) woman living in Melbourne, Australia, and I’ve been fascinated with the “gentle arts” for most of my life.

It started when I was all of seven years old – my grandmother sat down with me at the kitchen table, handed me pink crochet cotton and a 3.5mm hook, and taught me how to crochet. It’s still my first craft love, and few things delight me more than teaching other people how to create with yarn and hook.

The links between crafting, the community of women, and feminism are fascinating to me, and it’s something I hope to explore in this blog. The craft renaissance that’s been happening for five years or so, now, has made me incredibly happy. I just love seeing the revival of interest in traditional crafts, and the many new ways they’re being interpreted.

I’m also interested in recycling and sustainable living, and a lot of my crafts make use of reclaimed materials (which isn’t just an excuse for me go hunting at op shops and garage sales, I swear!).

My most recent project is this bag:

It’s a prototype for a new range I’m working on, and I’m really happy with how it’s turned out. Simple to make, elegant in design, and easily customised. And most of all, a useful size! I’m not quite in Mary Poppins’ class when it comes to handbags, but I’m not far off. This bag comfortably fits my diary, notebook, purse and phone, which I consider to be the bare necessities with which to leave the house.

The fabric choice for this one was a happy accident – I had another fabric I was planning on using, but when I’d finished drawing up the pattern I realised I didn’t have enough. Then I saw the skulls peeking at from from atop a stash pile, and the rest is history.

I look forward to meeting lots of wonderful crafty types, and continuing on my creative journey.