Thursday, February 22, 2024

The Teddy Bear Crossbody Bag - Brand New Pattern!

Teddy Bear Crossbody Bag
It's finally here! The Teddy Bear Crossbody Bag pattern is launched!  Launched is a dramatic word, but this bag felt like quite the undertaking. It marks the beginning of my new goal of not only selling patterns, but producing videos. I have been hard at work, filming and editing what I hope will be the first of many tutorials. Yes, you'll be able to make this cozy sling from start to finish by following along with the video. 

I feel like I'm getting a little ahead of myself. The pattern is available now in my Etsy shop. The complete video tutorial will be coming out on March 5th on my YouTube Channel. I've had so many requests for videos over the years, and I just didn't have the time to invest until now.

I'm very excited to be able to offer my designs in two formats. As a crocheter, I love an instant download that I can reference anytime from anywhere. I must confess that I have an old school affection for printing out a physical pattern and carrying it around with me. At the same time, I am just as likely to hop on YouTube to learn a thing. I love having choices and I hope you will too!

This brown version is the one I filmed myself crocheting for the video. I have to keep it real and tell you that I've been putting in long hours and ending each day with my brain feeling pretty fried. While I've done a few little projects in the past, mostly using my phone or iMovie, I decided it was time to tackle Final Cut Pro. I am thankful for all the ways it reminded me of iMovie, but there was a lot to learn!

In fact, the list of things I've been learning lately is long. I made a short animation in Procreate. I've had to educate myself about sizing and formats. I made a special thumbnail because that's a thing now. Just when I thought I was out of the woods, I discovered that iPhones are now producing High Efficiency Image Files instead of jpegs. 

Everyday I have stumbled onto more questions to research. I am very grateful that the answers are never too hard to find, but it has absolutely slowed me down.

 

 So I have been feeling like a beginner these days. From time to time, I get frustrated with just my own lack of knowledge around these new tools, but I am trying to be patient with myself as I learn. It feels amazing to have my first project complete and ready to share. The first one has to be the hardest, right?