On a day when the News is full of doom 'n' gloom - crumbling concrete roofs making schools unsafe, the situation in Ukraine, attacks on retail workers rising, Asian Hornets being found in the UK and the dire thread they pose to our bees - it was good to lose myself in crafty pursuits. When the world feels like it's going to Hell in a handcart there's a lot to be said for immersing yourself in sewing or drawing, knitting, embroidering or whatever your favoured craft is. This morning I made further wonky log cabin blocks, getting a little production line going, cutting out strips of material, attaching them, pressing them flat, pinning more strips on. Before I got started on the blocks though, I made a quick concertina notebook, complete with covers made of upcycled Amazon cardboard packaging and covered with Gelli prints. The pinkish-red is the back cover, the blue one is the front, and the pretty ribbon is courtesy of a charity shop. I think I'll make some of these as Christmas presents. They're so easy to do, and handy for jotting down notes or even sticking little photos or keepsakes inside. I am particularly pleased with that blue Gelli print too. I love the abstract circles and ovals from the stencil used, as well as the bubble wrap.
To add to my seemingly never ending list of works-in-progress, I've started making a fabric bowl. Or should I call it a fabric basket? I'm not sure. Anyway, I've made the odd bowl or two before, like this blue & white one that I keep cotton perle in. I decided to use upholstery material, which has both advantages & disadvantages. On the good side, it has a certain stiffness, which helps the bowl stay in shape. On the irritating side, the kind of material I'm using frays like mad, and I'm forever picking up threads off the carpet. The bowl's a simple construction, and I've used a circle of cardboard covered with brown felt for the base. It'll look much better when I've embroidered and stitched into it. I've made a start on that, and appliqued on a rectangle of plum coloured velvet for extra interest. When not stitching, I've been catching up on my reading. I finished C J Sansom's 'Dark Fire'. Real...
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