Slow stitched scrappy rice bag

If you've seen recent posts you might've noticed that I've been making scrappy squares, not with any particular purpose in mind. Just had the urge to make 'em and knew I'd find a use. Well, I have. I've assembled them into a rather crazy looking bag. The shape's based on that of a traditional Japanese rice bag, made of five outer squares and the corresponding number of inner ones. I've lined the bag with a lovely Rose & Hubble cotton bought at the Harrogate Kntting & Stitching Show, quite a while ago.

The loops were made with felted wool from the Bazaar scrap pack. I'd been wondering what to do with them, and this seemed as good a use as any.

I've yet to find a suitable ribbon or cord for the closure, but I'm thinking of making fabric twine. Cutting a couple of lengths of material, then twisting them together, Possibly added a couple of chunky beads to the ends of the twine. I'll experiment, and see how that turns out.

This isn't a bag that suits someone who likes muted, calm colours, is it? But it's fun and will be useful for storing beads or other creative clutter in. I really fancy making another version, but this time in an indigo and white colour scheme. Something more restrained. Will have to delve into my tubs of fabric scraps and see what I've got.

Meanwhile, I've given up on the cosy crime book I started reading the other day. It was mediocre and frankly life's too short to plough through poorly written books. I've moved on to someone more reliable, and am happily engrossed in Phillipa Gregory's 'Dark Tides'. Set in London and New England, 1670. It's a follow-on from 'Tidelands' which I enjoyed a lot. Love the insight into history that you get with these kind of novels, especially women's history and that of working class people. If you've not come across Phillipa Gregory's novels then I'd recommend them.

Okay, that's all from me. Hope your weekend's going well. Bye!

Comments

Sari scraps, PVA, a couple of books and a necklace

I'm typing this as snow's falling, and has been steadily all day. It's not settling to any great extent, though I bet by tomorrow morning the paths will be slippery with ice. Which always makes me paranoid about falling over and at the very least looking undignified, but at worst breaking a bone or twisting an ankle. Oh well, it's ideal weather to stay inside and craft, isn't it? I finally got around to listing packs of sari scraps on Etsy this morning. I only made up six bundles as I've no clue whether they'll sell or if I've set a reasonable enough price point. Time will tell. This is a link to the listing, if you're interested. This vaguely pink fabric isn't from one of my Etsy packs. It's from a bit of experimenting I was doing yesterday. I'd seen a post on Instagram showing how a DIY version of batik could be done without using hot wax. The Instagrammer used PVA instead, and I wanted to try this out....

In praise of wool

Just a quick post today. I'm offering you a short but peaceful break from the overwhelmingness (is that a word?) of Christmas. By now you've probably eaten your bodyweight in sweets//roast potatoes/pigs in blankets/cake/After Eights ... whatever your festive indulgences are. You're under-exericsed, over-stimulated, feeling broke and possibly guilty about an argument with a relative or friend you've never entirely got on with. So, here's something to take your mind off all that. I've two videos to refresh and revive, and they both concern wool. Interesting fact. Well, I found it interesting. About 1% - yup, one per cent - of the world's textiles are made of wool. Out of curiosity, I also googled how much is made of cotton. That's higher, but it's only about 24% and that's heading downward instead of up. Synthetic fibres are the bulk of all textile manufacture. Anyway, back to woolly wonders. My firs...

Another week's flown by ...

Saturday's rolled around again, and it's not been the most eventful of days. Cleaning and hoovering, a walk to the shops to buy groceries, an hour on the allotment, then home to do some odd tasks in the garden. The strawberry plants are sending out runners, so I've been dealing with those, plus deadheading the perennial sunflowers, and cutting back the gone-over flowers on the sage and marjoram. I'm sad to see those blooms gone as the bees loved them. This afternoon I spent a few hours finishing 'Dawnlands' by Philippa Gregory. It's a really good book, a page turner where you care about the characters and want to be reassured everything's going to work out well for them. Plus you become enraged about the corruption of the so-called justice system at the time of the Stuart kings and queens, about transportation of prisoners to the West Indies, and about the vile nature of the sugar trade in the 1600s and the vast profits made from it....

rubykittyruby

Search This Blog