Artist Intro Pt. 2 My academic background was as straight as an arrow, I wanted to make professional art from the beginning (Architecture being the Avenue of choice and one I felt comfortable being in) I went from School to School and acquired my Architectural Eye and other useful Representational Skills, and that has played into the way I make art now, both digitally and textile-based. None of my artistic choices are random, it all just takes so much planning to get right, but everything happens for a reason and I’m willing to find out what that is. It’s all a part of the Grand Design. #marchharedesign #michiganartist #textileart

Artist Intro Pt. 1 A bit overdue, but this video should serve as an introduction to who I am and how March Hare Design came to be. This part is mainly focused on me as a Person Prior to me as a Designer or Sewist. I am not (and will never claim to be) a content creator, nor an influencer. I am a creative and an artist, and this is a vehicle to showcase what my work looks like, and where the inspiration comes from. I will post more of my story and hopefully I will consistently create context surrounding my work so that those who appreciate what I do can see it. Daunting? A bit. Necessary? Yes, because otherwise it will continue to be an unrecognized and overlooked niche in my creative space. (Shoutout to @hallease.mp4 for giving me the courage to put myself on tape, more to come) #michiganartist #textileart #marchharedesign

Fa(b)rick Bag #26: Vertical Edge Basket The companion to the Khaki-Blue Paradigm, with Blue Main Interior Panels and a Khaki Runner to contrast the swapped palette of bag 25. One of my favorite details is the Alligator Skin Fabric, which I matched to a button pretty perfectly, if I do say so myself. #marchharedesign #slowfashion #michiganartist #fabrick

Fa(b)rick Bag #25: Horizontal Edge Basket If there’s one thing an interior design swatch is going to be, it’s blue, and if it’s another color, it’ll be khaki. That was the joke that led to the creation of these last 2 Bags. I had used the surplus of each to make one of either color, and was about to have two monochrome palettes on my hands. I decided rather than continue down that path, I’d switch it up. The runners, side panels and straps switched bags, making a fused pair of Blue-Khaki Bags. The results were mesmerizing (to me) and I’m happy I had swatches from @havenofplymouth, @artsandscraps, and @scrap_a2 These were the final bags I made prior to my first market, we’ll see how it goes #marchharedesign #slowfashion #michiganartist #fabrick

Fa(b)rick Bag #24: Vertical Side Basket This was the 2nd of 4 Basketweave Fusion Bags. It was less Island Heavy than bag 23, but still held the teal coloration on the exterior. This was another example of modularity that I couldn’t help but be fascinated by, as it just required a flip 90 degrees to change the whole pattern. #marchharedesign #slowfashion #michiganartist #fabrick

Fa(b)rick Bag #23: Horizontal Side Basket Taking the concept of the Enclosed Brick and the Basketweave and combining them to bring forth this pattern. The first of four, this was more teal forward and in my mind it reads as Caribbean. This and bag 24 opt for the basketweave to be bookends to the central pillar. All four of these type of bag have 2 button pockets on the main panels and flap pockets on the sides. This one has straps that match the side panels as well. This quartet was made simultaneously, which was a mental challenge due to the similar layouts. As my first Sunday Market looms, I knew that I had to kick it into high gear to have enough bags to peruse, and with small and medium bags left to make, I am glad this pattern is so variable. Shoutout to @artsandscraps and @scrap_a2 for the larger pieces, and of course my mountain of bricks filled in all necessary gaps. #marchharedesign #slowfashion #michiganartist #fabrick

Fa(b)rick Bag #22: Floral Enclosed Weave This might be my biases talking, but this may be one of my favorite bags to date (I’m a sucker for teals, greens, metallics, and geometric patterns, and this one has all of that in spades) I’ve learned not to be as precious with fabrics or nothing ever gets made, but that doesn’t stop me from marveling at their inclusion when something does. This was supposed to be the Emerald Trifecta to the Ruby and Sapphire, but it slowly morphed into its own creation. It takes the enclosed brick and makes an alternating basketweave with it, in florals and graphics that are a bit mesmerizing to me. It comes together to create an Amazonian Scene, flowers and creatures, plant-life and earth tones. One swatch had flecks of silver strewn across almost like fish-scales and it catches the light so well. @havenofplymouth @artsandscraps and The Share House collide with bag 22 (Whoop! 👍🏽) as a result. Even the Runner Panel Alternates, which was more seam allowance calculation than it needed to be, but the results speak for themselves. #marchharedesign #slowfashion #michiganartist #fabrick

Fa(b)rick Bag #21: Ruby Vertical Weave Unsurprisingly, the color red is not the most prevalent when it comes to interior design fabric, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t give my most valiant effort. There had to be supplementary colors like orange and a bit of magenta sprinkled in to complete the aesthetic, but I’m not complaining. It’s sustainable mosaic quilting/bricklaying, and choosy beggars can’t be beggy choosers. Regardless, I enjoyed this modular process, with the “sewn-derblocks” (Bad Name, Will Edit) rotated 90 degrees to Vertical. Mirrored on this bag are one buttoned pocket each for the main and side panels. This one, similarly to bag 14 had cupid’s arrow strike true already. As I went to @clothandkindshowroom to meet with @michele_clothandkindshowroom for connections in the larger interior design world this piece found its soulmate in @literallyhannahjane Enamored by the purple MH tag and the straps, the match was immediate and I couldn’t be happier. I loved making it and I can’t find a better feeling than seeing someone’s eyes light up when one of my pieces clicks for them. Great time all around. #marchharedesign #slowfashion #michiganartist #fabrick

Fa(b)rick Bag #20: Sapphire Horizontal Weave If you thought 3 was a magic number, wait until you meet 9! (Even better that it’s 3 squared because that’s exactly what it makes when enclosed, an 11” x 11” square. Essentially a sewn cinderblock.) and its modularity once again opens the floodgates. This is the beginning of a triplet set of enclosed weave. The Sapphire takes notes from the Apollo on Horizontal layouts, with all 4 quadrants of the main panel being oriented similarly. All in various shades of blue and indigo punctuated by white. The exterior mirrors that palette with grey included on the sides and bottom. The Runner Panel on the inside aligns to the horizontal enclosed bricks on the sides, but shifts to being vertical on the bottom of the bag, a detail I enjoy thoroughly. Again, thank you to @artsandscraps, @havenofplymouth, and @scrap_a2 for the several hues of blues, it made the final product much more cohesive. #marchharedesign #slowfashion #michiganartist #fabrick

Fa(b)rick Bag #19: Artemis Weave Where there’s one, the other’s not far off (Mythologically Speaking) as the Artemis is in many ways a mirror to the Apollo. Formally it swaps the Horizontally-Oriented triple brick for a Vertical Set, but it also opts for a more textured set of fabrics to reference the bumpier texture of the Moon. The Main Panels are the same pattern as bag 18, but on the flipped side (serendipitous to have found a grey/yellow double-sided set to work off of, thank you @artsandscraps) The exterior also features side panels with floral motifs that are more sunbleached, as it were. The straps have striations of color as if the rays of the sun are bouncing towards it. This set (and technically the Chevron before) starts a trend, from Only Child to Twins to Triplets, ending in Quadruplets in terms of brick patterns. You’ll see as they’re posted. Possible through textile sourcing through @havenofplymouth and prep work through the first 2 weeks of March. #marchharedesign #slowfashion #michiganartist #fabrick

Fa(b)rick Bag #18: Apollo Weave Brick Patterns hold so much potential, and the triple stack continues to be a key module in realizing those possibilities. This weave, for example, is not like the classic Basketweave of Bag 7, with a 3-by-3-by-3 layout, but rather a simpler 3-by-1-by-3 repetition. I called it the Apollo Weave for 2 reasons, the first being that it is a Twin Bag in many aspects with bag 19 (with a swapped palette) and because the Yellow used is as radiant and eye-catching as the Sun and Phoebus Apollo Himself. The design (as is true in the Artemis) has dark panels and leaf motifs on the sides, while still maintaining bright accents on the sides and straps. This is where both @artsandscraps and @havenofplymouth came in handy, providing the larger panel textile and inner brick fabric respectively. Their contribution is felt throughout these next several bags. Yellow/Gold is a color that can come off as harsh, like sunlight, but I believe that juxtaposing it with a darker grey as in this case makes the finished product a feast for the eyes, minus retinal damage. #marchharedesign #slowfashion #michiganartist #fabrick

Fa(b)rick Bag #17: Chevron Redux This is definitely how you play the long game, as this bag took the longest from beginning to completion, from the end of January to the first week of March. (Maybe because I devoted February to being a “Computer Month” where I updated my Architecture Portfolio and Website, and my heat went out, but Details details) This is a retroactive entry of the Chevron Pattern because as much as I like Bag 3, it lacks the structure and standardization that came with 14 successive iterations. The interim of this bag enables me to make a few business relationships flourish, namely between us here at MHD and the kind people of @havenofplymouth @esquireinteriors @artsandscraps and @deluxdrapery All of whom played and are playing a pivotal role in making the next several bags a reality. Even this bag used fabrics that further enhanced the chevron motif throughout its construction. My selection greatly increased and I finally got to complete this vision. The pattern is crisp, the lines easy to follow, no complaints on my end. I look forward to further expanding my connections because the more textile diverted from waste, the better. #marchharedesign #slowfashion #michiganartist #fabrick

Fa(b)rick Bag #16: Combination Stack Bond This was something of a breather after the intense work of the previous bag, with the stack bond being rather straight forward as far as brick patterns go. And the color palette was a nice neutral white and grey with a few metallics sprinkled throughout. This kept a few elements from the checkerboard, mainly the closure and the two interior zipper pockets. There are 4 button pockets around the exterior and the three manners of carry are still prevalent. The metallic exterior gives a sleek finish to a rather austere bag. This bag and the next were made prior to another boom in my personal network for textile sources. Again, none of these would be possible without @scrap_a2 and their fabric wall, along with swatches from both @annasdrapery_design and @wendyryaninteriordesign #marchharedesign #slowfashion #michiganartist #fabrick

Fa(b)rick Bag #15: Checkerboard Redux If ever there was a laborious pattern to make, checkerboard would be it. With something like bag 7’s basketweave it takes 27 fa(b)ricks to complete a panel, but for a fully functional checkerboard you already need 64 squares, plus another 36 for a border, making each main panel 100 squares strong. This isn’t counting the sides and the bottom. I’d gotten a sampler of numerous differently colored chevron fabrics and knew that the pattern would look nice transposed to a checker. It was als something made specifically for game night, as detailed in my Bag Tour Reel, so it could hold cards, counters, dice, coins, and full-scale boards. This meant it needed pockets everywhere, and that’s just what happened. Button pockets, Zipper Pockets, Pockets sewn down the middle to split contents, and even internal zippers worked into the sides. All of it was purpose built. An addition that would stay for subsequent bags is the Closure Button and Flap to shut the main pocket and secure contents. I’m likely not to sell this one, it just has a bit more sentimentality than the rest, unless I’m offered a ludicrous sum from an avid gamer. (Funnily enough, my thesis satchel (bag 1) and Sewing Machine Carrier (bag 4) are also technically checkerboard, so I must really like that pattern for myself) Either way, enjoy the details, the bottom is a diagonal checker of colors to capture the whimsy of playing games with friends. #marchharedesign #slowfashion #michiganartist #fabrick

Fa(b)rick Bag #14: 90-Degree Herringbone If bag 9 nearly got me the job, bag 14 reaffirmed my ability to make something spectacular. I knew coming off of the Red and Blue of the previous two bags that I wanted to make something Luxe, something that had all of my favorite elements in it. And that’s what I set out to do. I went home for the holidays and in my bag I’d packed material to make this masterpiece. The Metallic storyline was that the straps and pockets of the bag were copper and the main panels were silver, with the side pieces being a verdigris patina that would set in over time. On the interior were dark metallic greys with the runner panel acting as a forge, lighting the bag from within. I’d like to extend my eternal gratitude to @ced.tate who saw me with the bag at the Airport and stopped me in my tracks to talk about it. This bag could not have found a better home, and having a fellow artist recognize your worth and the amount of effort placed into a piece is next level. Fulfilling is an understatement. #marchharedesign #slowfashion #michiganartist #fabrick

Fa(b)rick Bag #13: English Bond The cool-toned partner to the Flemish Bond’s Warmth. This is one of my favorite bags to have made, partially due to the symmetry of the whole thing. The details make me fall in love with it again and again. From the matching alternate pockets (courtesy of @wendyryaninteriordesign ) to the metallic blues and greys from a pattern book provided by @annasdrapery_design. To the Splashes of yellow and grey in the runner from a few @scrap_a2 swatches, there’s a harmony in it that I can’t explain. Even the copper buttons were a gift from my job. I made the main panel pockets tuckable to show the velvet hex pattern underneath. It was truly fun to figure out the short and long alternate bands of this pattern and I hope others appreciate it as much as I do. #marchharedesign #slowfashion #michiganartist #fabrick

Fa(b)rick Bag #12: Flemish Bond This bag could be considered a double companion, mirroring the Herringbone Bag in its exterior and being the counterpart of the English Bond Bag on the Interior. A bit of a Regression in terms of the number of handles, but it makes up for that in Detail and technical improvement. The exterior is a red snakeskin variant of the JoAnn’s Fabric, and one of my favorite details are the side pockets, pattern matched and folded so that the buttons (both red and white) cut through the pattern in the middle, just *chef’s kiss*. The exterior folded pocket was also nice, as it has 3 compartments above the usual 2. The interior is warm and red, with the bricks alternating between long and short, brilliant composition and the execution aligned to the runner panel rather well. @annasdrapery_design and @scrap_a2 had fabrics that fit the theme to a tee. #marchharedesign #slowfashion #michiganartist #fabrick

Fa(b)rick Bag #11: Soldier Bond Whereas the last bag was width oriented, this one is more suited to height. Though not technically a tried and true Bricklaying Pattern, as this would be a “Vertical Running Bond” I opted to just call it the Soldier Bond because it looks more appealing than a stack bond. This was made from swatches of blues, whites, greens, and metallics from multiple businesses (@scrap_a2 @wendyryaninteriordesign and @annasdrapery_design ), and the improvement made from one set to the next was in the front pockets, taking 3 grommeted panels, cutting one in half and sewing them into 2 two-fabric button pockets. Taking scrap fabric and giving it new life (especially in the case of design fabric books) feels like the right move. Sustainability is the Mission, Fa(b)rick is the Message (Major Lazer reference) #marchharedesign #slowfashion #michiganartist #fabrick

Fa(b)rick Bag #10: Running (Stretcher) Bond From diagonal back to Horizontal, this piece is technically a companion to the next by way of orientation. A bag that’s built with width in mind. Public Relations and building connections are two areas I happen to believe I thrive in, and these bags are a testament to that. I performed outreach and forged working relationships with a few spaces and as a result I’m able to make these bags with textiles I could’ve previously only dreamt of. I’d like to personally thank both @annasdrapery_design and @wendyryaninteriordesign for providing me the material I used for this bag and the next. Also @scrap_a2 for the corduroy and tiger print. I value the willingness to collaborate, and as evidenced by Cream Cheese’s eagerness to hop right in, the results speak for themselves. This bag added a second main button pocket and two flap side pockets with grommets for charms (brand/product synergy) #marchharedesign #slowfashion #michiganartist #fabrick

Fa(b)rick Bag #9: Diagonal Running Bond This bag almost got me a Job, or I should say, it caught the eye of someone who recognized the Architectural merit of its construction and pattern. I had been mulling over making it, but I’m glad I did, and the reaction was enough to spur me forward for more. Uniquely, this bag’s interior was actually made in one piece, because I wanted to see what that would look like. Minus the cutting and sewing up bit, it turned out fantastically, with a pleasant gradient across the bag’s interior. Additionally, this would be the first bag in which I included smaller reinforced handles between the shoulder straps, for a variety of carrying capabilities, a feature that would stick going forward. This was possible because I was able to source some fabric from @annasdrapery_design, as they were gracious enough to give me what they had. I used cord from a few sample books and threaded it through to make the handles. I used pieces from @scrap_a2 , pieces from my Thesis Material (courtesy of ShareHouse, who don’t have Social Media), and the orange autumnal swatch given to me as a gift by my previous employer to create this work of art. #marchharedesign #slowfashion #michiganartist #fabrick

Fa(b)rick Bag #8: Diagonal Basketweave The partner project to the regular weave (I tend to make the bags in sets, so there’s a narrative through-line from one to the next) skewing the triple brick 90 degrees and moving from there. It was a bit trickier especially in the corners, but overall the effect was fascinating. This has a more muted approach color-wise, but it makes up for it in the configuration of the bricks. The bag was also a reverse of the component pieces from the previous, with their palettes swapped on the main and side panels. The straps and bottom panel stayed the same to reinforce the twin angle. This would be the last bag to have one main panel pocket, because as iterations progressed I knew I wanted improvements from set to set. The process is slow, but the additive nature makes the progress more noticeable. This is also the last bag before a spike in material selection occurred. #marchharedesign #slowfashion #michiganartist #fabrick

Fa(b)rick Bag #7: Up-Right Basketweave As a Secondary Experiment in Rectangles and Proportions, I had to know if my cutting was precise, and upon sewing 3 fa(b)ricks together lengthwise, they came out to be the same length as the long side of one brick, meaning the modularity of a triplicate of bricks was possible. Patterns would be easy with this confirmation and thus this pattern and its twin were the logical next step. Once again sourced from the Sample Bin at Scrap (@scrap_a2) I looked for fun colors and patterns and landed on these, making a more straight-laced variant and the next, a skewed version. The clean intersections of this bag are deeply satisfying. This continued the inclusion of one main buttoned pocket and added two side button pockets on either end of the exterior. #marchharedesign #slowfashion #michiganartist #fabrick

Fa(b)rick Bag #6: Vertical Herringbone This was the first formal step in the textile business direction for me, so having it include my favorite colors meant whatever came of it, I wouldn’t be disappointed. This was also a companion piece to the Horizontal Herringbone bag I’d made for my coworker, swapping the warm tones for cooler ones. This was an experiment in button holes on my machine (as I’d made none on any of the previous 5 iterations) The main body fabric was a Teal-Green and White Pattern from @joann_stores that made me think of Snakeskin, so I knew the inside should be correspondingly serpentine. The interior pattern was composed of fabrics sourced from @scrap_a2 and their Interior Design Sample Bin. Blue and Green mixed with Whites and Teals just made me think of where I grew up, The Emerald Coast in FL, so it can also be see as an homage to that. This wouldn’t be the last time Scrap came in clutch, even as I added more resources to the fray, their selection of larger textile pieces would sustain me. I thank them for their contribution to this endeavor and will tag them and other contributors as they come up. #marchharedesign #slowfashion #michiganartist #fabrick

A quick recap for MHD This particular collection, the Fa(b)rick Bags, are a manifestation of a passion and an ongoing question for me as a student of Architecture and as a Sewist on how to best combine my analytical hands and creative mind. I initially took scraps from my thesis project (as it pertained to church garmenture and recycled textiles) and made a scrap bag. That evolved into a bag for my friend, a grocery bag, and a bag to hold my new sewing machine (the gift that keeps on giving, Shoutout to Uncle Paul) After bag #5, a Herringbone for my former coworker, I saw the glowing neon sign in the air of, “this doesn’t feel like drudgery, you should keep going” and I took off from there. Having periodically gotten more fabric from work and from tragedy (R.I.P. JoAnn Fabrics, you are missed). My central theme was bricklaying. There are tons of brick patterns in the world, with so many combinations to be made, and thus fa(b)rick happened. I’ve since collaborated and sourced yet more textile from Interior Design and Architecture Firms, and I plan to grow this network of reuse for more Slow-Fashion Projects (As I foresee opportunity everywhere, from Costuming to Home Decor) Each bag is truly unique, a 1/1 piece for others to appreciate and feel inspired by. I have many more patterns to lay, but this is just a rundown on why my upcoming posts start at Fa(b)rick Bag #6, and not #1. Thank you to those who have supported me and to those interested in what I’ve made, am making, and will make.

A Post for my QC Inspector- a 1/1 Fellow Throughout the process of making these bags (and to a lesser extent the charms) I’ve had the distinct pleasure of having this wonderful furry purr-fessional observe my work like a hawk. As I’ve written about and posted on my main account, he is truly how I know a bag is up to snuff because if he jumps in it, it’s good. At points he gets a bit eager and hops into the unfinished panels that have yet to be sewn, but that just means it’s a photo-op waiting to happen. Even as I was taking product photos for the market and my site he felt the pull of the lens and chose then to be the star of the shoot. He oversees the cutting of the Fa(b)ricks, he lays atop the stacked samples, and gets on my lap and in my face when it’s time for bed. To Baron “Cream Cheese” Hass, I thank you for the cuteness and I look forward to getting your 4 paws up of approval on many more projects to come. Enjoy this mini scrapbook of Bag Cat prior to the actual bag posts :)

Checkerboard (Fa)Brick Bag that I made with Game Night in Mind! First Reel (I sped myself up to 1.5x Speed to get it down to 4min 40sec but there was a lot to get through because this bag was so fun to talk about) Enjoy, I felt this was better than me going on live or making 1000 story posts, Will be doing something similar for my other bags soonish, with a better background maybe? #sewistsofinstagram