A Sample Book

I love hand stitching. I enjoy the slow process especially on evenings as the very last activity of the day. It´s very relaxing. 

There is still the raven which has to be stitched, quilted, embellished. 

The multicoloured log cabin (made from fabric selvages) gives me the great opportunity to try out as many stitches as possible.  Well, I must confess, I actually don´t have a command of that many… 

I´m not a systematic person, unfortunately. But this time I had to admit that I needed a system.  A sample book. To learn new stitches, to learn new stitch combinations, to try out various embroidery threads.

Well, the decision was made. After a while, an old ring binder was found. 

Years ago, the kids embellished it with stickers, which I found not very nice. I didn´t want to invest the energy in removing those and chose for making a cover instead.

Checking my stash, I discovered a piece of batik fabric with printed leaves on it. It was made a long time ago during a workshop in our Lady´s club. I knew immediately, it was the right one. 

It wasn´t wide enough so I combined it with some jelly rolls by Jinny Beyer.

 The „pages“ of the future sample book are made from the ironing board fabric, which is stiff enough but pliable as well to stitch trough. 

 

I added the two pieces wool I used for some stitches in january. 

Let´s begin! My study material are primarily the great books by Sue Spargo, but I ordered also a book about crazy stitching. It´s on its way now!

Happy stitching!

Michaela

Starting a New Project

I still do work on the jeans bags from denim collages, because I want to have them finally finished. The remaining panels are cut to the right size, now linings have to be prepared. I hope to find some time for that during the next week.

Cutting, sewing and finishing those bags, I´m a bit absentminded, thinking about a new project. It develops in my head and partly also in my sketchbook. Nothing is too certain by now, I´m sure only about one thing – I need a neutral background. After checking my stash and some e-shops, I decided to dye my background fabric myself.

After the decision was made, I ordered some natural cotton. To get some variability in texture, I chose for muslin, canvas, double gauze and cotton bobbinet. And here they were, delivered very quickly.

In the drugstore I bought some dyes - beige, orange and brown. 

Yesterday afternoon our kitchen became a dyer workshop.

It was very windy outside, so the pieces of fabrics were dry almost instantly.

I´m very happy about the results, it´s precisely what I need! 

Plan Completed

The plan is completed, the four bags are sewn. I would love to complete all these bags as soon as possible, because other projects stand in line for some time yet. 

 

  

 

It was sooo tiring...

 

Celebrating Labour Day with… Labour

The work on the first four jeans bags is going on. Last week I managed to finish the linnings with zippered and open pockets.

They had to be tested, of course:

 Yesterday night and today morning, two of the bags finally appeard into the world:

 

Later, they will get leather handles. It will be the finishing touch, something like a piece de resistance. But they have to wait until all of the bags are finished. 

As you can see, there is always a helping paw:) 

 

 

Happy May Day to all of you

Michaela