Lark Crafts

Do you love your sewing machine like a soul mate? Are you fearless when it comes to materials? Are you a pedal-to-the-metal kind of sewist? Welcome to Feisty Stitcher-dom! Susan Wasinger, author of The Feisty Stitcher, explains… and offers up a too-cute bike bag pattern!

What constitutes the Feisty Stitcher attitude?
The Feisty Stitcher grew out of the simple idea that your sewing machine is a power tool.  The same way guys get inspired and empowered by revving up a circular saw or firing up the drill, we feisty crafters can let our sewing machines power up our imaginations.  

Sewing doesn’t have to be wispy and cute; it can be bold and brawny, surprising and practical.   Even though fabric is often soft, you can make something substantial and strong and really useful with it.

When did you first encounter your inner feisty stitcher?
Well, I have always been willing to sew anything. When I was four and ready for my first sewing project, my grandmother taught me how to sew a pair of pants. As a kid growing up in Aspen, Colorado, we had a coed home ec class where we sewed down parkas and sleeping bags.  I’ve sewn guitar cases and overalls and awnings.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve also sewn baby quilts and prom dresses, but I wanted the feisty stitcher projects to prove that sewing isn’t some prim little hobby. It’s a powerful craft so let’s be fearless in what we can make with our hands.

What is your favorite project in the book? Which is the feistiest?
Hmmmm, favorite project is hard because I love so many of them for different reasons. I love the furry trapper hat made from vintage motel curtains. I get so many compliments whenever I wear it; people want to buy it right off my head.  I love the inner tube agenda cover because it is so wonderfully bizarre. Just think, you can take the rubber from an old truck tire and turn it into something hip and und useful and surprisingly chic.  I also adore the punched lampshade project.  It expands what your sewing machine can do, turning it into a punching tool.

I think the feistiest projects might be the snap-together storage bins.  I love how they are almost furniture in the way they can “furnish” a room. I love that the bins incorporate a material that might seem difficult at first but is totally tamed and civilized by the end, plus all that shiny, industrial-strength hardware.  Love that they are smart and clever and have that satisfying snap!   Also have a huge crush on the Retro Oilcloth bike bags. They are completely yummy-to-look-at and totally practical, too.  I use mine every single day on my very vintage, orange-sherbet-colored mountain bike. I keep dog biscuits in there for my favorite four-pawed companion.

Ready to get your feisty on? Try a snappy video project or a free PDF project (Oilcloth Bike Bags) that’s perfect for bike weather.