Hi, I'm David.

I love making things with my own hands. It started at our family cottage, where as a kid I spent hours watching my grandma's old treadle sewing machine. It wasn't the sewing I cared about. I was hooked on how all those wheels and levers moved together. Eventually I asked her to show me how it actually sews. My career started modestly: hemming kitchen towels from torn bedsheets.

From towels I gradually moved on to almost anything that can be sewn: a shade sail for the garden, a hammock, a bike frame bag, a backpack, a waist bag, a handbag or poufs. Every project is a bit of an experiment. Some work the first time, some only the third, and some teach me more than I planned.

This is where I share what I've learned along the way: guides, formulas and calculators that work out the pattern for your measurements. Including what didn't work the first time.

If you make something of your own from a guide here, send me a photo at info@cogi.cz. I'd love to see it.

cogimade From the Latin cogitatum (an idea) came cogi. Once an idea gets sewn, it becomes cogimade.