Bag finished

Today I finished the bag I made from the kit I bought at the Craft Fair. I am a bit disappointed in the size - if I ever made it again I would make it longer - but it looks quite good. Now I will have to use it!

Here are two pics - front and back.



Yesterday we collected my entry for the Melville Art Awards. Now we have it home I have decided that I will have it framed properly and then I will have a piece for the Designing Women exhibition in November. I quite like it as it is, but I think framing will improve it.

Here is the whole piece



and a closeup.



I have not been very well for the last three days (see the cancer blog). I am hoping for better days to come.

More frogstitching

I have been neglecting my sewing room in favour of the computer (I am the editor of the newsletter for one of my groups and the June issue was due out on the first of the month). I made the deadline, and so today I ventured into the room (the door has been securely closed to limit Amber's exposure).

I thought I might be able to complete this bag I had started, so that I could start to whittle down my huge TO Do list. I sewed for a while, following the instructions carefully. Then I realised - chemo brain had struck almost back at the beginning and I had sewn the outside panels together wrongly. Fortunately there were some bits unaffected by the error - the lining and the zipper insert - so about 45 minutes of unpicking saw the outside bits back to the point of error. After careful pressing and LOTS of thread removal, I have now joined them correctly, but haven't made any further progress. I plan to do some more tomorrow in the morning before my appointment with the eye specialist.

BTW - Amber is settling in well, but is a guts. I am giving her only as much food as the Cat Haven recommended, but she is very demanding. She even came into our bedroom in the early hours of this morning. I didn't hear her, but Kevin succumbed.

A new bag

I don't usually buy kits - I would rather put my own spin on a design - but I couldn't resist this one when I saw in at one of the demonstrations at the Craft and Quilt Fair last week. It is called a Bac-Pac and uses some Japanese style fabric and shashiko stitching. It also has the zipper neatly concealed, so that it it is pretty safe from unwanted fiddling.

Today I cut out everything and even fused the iron-on pellon to the main pieces. I thought I might have to make a quick trip to Spotlight for the pellon, which was the only thing not supplied in the kit, but I discovered a couple of metres in the bottom of a cupboard. There are definite advantages to having a stash - though I rather wish mine was better organised!

No photos - I will take some as I progress.

A productive day

I cooked the chicken wings - I had to sample one and they are yummy. They are now in the freezer.

I cut lots of bias strips for the quilt binding and pinned them together. I plan to sew them tomorrow - I think that I have probably only got enough to go maybe half way round. I need nearly 10 metres and even after they are joined I still have to press the finished strip in half lengthwise. It's a big job.

I made a bag from the textured fabric I did a while ago.


No photo of the bag because I forgot and then it was too dark. The flash on my camera washes out lots of colour.

I went shopping and bought some more chicken wings which are now marinating in the fridge.

I deadheaded all the roses and filled up the green bin for collection tomorrow morning. I plan to fertilise them tomorrow evening so it will be watered in on Wednesday morning when the reticulation goes on.

I am now going to have a glass of wine and start a new book - the latest in the "in Death" series by JD Robb.

Milestone, printing downloads and frogstitching

I didn't even notice that yesterday's post was my 600th. I may get to 1000 yet!

I spent some time today printing off Workshop on the Web articles that I have downloaded into a WoW file. I delete each one I print, so I don't do it twice. I have been a bit slack in printing off so there is quite a backlog. I know, I know - you can always refer to a downloaded version, but I far prefer a printed one to pore over in the sewing room or at the family room table in the evening. I have been a subscriber since it started and I am now on my 4th large binder. It is a fabulous reference that I don't use as often as I should.

There is also a downloaded lesson from Maggie Grey's new book that I haven't even looked at, plus one from Stitching the Textured Surface (can't remember the authors' names). I think these additional lessons for purchasers of the books are a super idea. Well done, Maggie. The printer ran out of ink, so I haven't printed them yet. Kevin has refilled the cartridges so that might be a job for tomorrow.

Frogstitching? Rippit, rippit. I think I need a new unpicker - the point seems a bit blunt. But I unpicked 30 embroidered butterflies from a bag that I have never liked, as well as salvaging the silk lining to use on a new one - which was the point of the whole exercise. Maybe some pictures tomorrow.

Another Project

I really can't help myself!

I went to Textile Traders today to buy some sewing thread for the quilt and I spotted this beaded dangle braid.


Just the thing to embellish the textured fabric I did a couple of weeks ago.


I feel a bag coming on. But I did buy the thread for the quilt.