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It's oddly, disconcertingly warm today ...


Us Brits are never happier than when we're either drinking tea or discussing the weather.  Preferably both.  Today has been unseasonably warm.  I mean, it's April.  It shouldn't be so mild you don't even need a coat or a jumper on.  I can't decide if it's just a routine weather event or yet another scary sign of global warming.  Anyway, on to craftier matters.  The day began with me unearthing this buckle while I was rummaging in a button tin.  
I realised the colour meant it would look good as part of a fastening for this fabric wrap that I'd almost-but-not-quite completed.  I sewed the buckle on, and paired it with this dotty black ribbon.  
The ribbon's not totally perfect, but I need to remember the 'better done than perfect' saying, don't I?  Right, that fabric wrap's finished and I can tick it off my work-in-progress list.  The other thing I finished is this circle bag.  It didn't really turn out how I envisioned it, but I do like the shape it's formed.  
How this bag started out is that I had the urge to make something - I didn't know what - using even the tiniest scraps of material.  I stretched a piece of unbleached calico over a large embroidery hoop and arranged scraps on it.  Once the calico was covered in scraps, I secured them with a spiral running stitch.  That made me decide to make a bag.  A circular shaped bag with a drawstring, so when the drawstring was opened the bag would lie completely flat.  I thought I'd make eyelets for the cord or ribbon to be threaded through.  

Hmmm, didn't quite turn out that way, mainly because I hadn't considered how I'd line the bag.  What I subsequently realised I should've done is:  insert into my hoop two layers of material.  The calico and also a backing fabric.  Then arranged my fabric scraps on the calico, either pinning or tacking in place.  Then spiral stitched the three layers together, making sure that before I reached the bag's outer edges I inserted half a dozen eyelets.  Then it'd simply be a case of either adding a narrow binding around the bag's outer edge or over-stitching to cover the raw edge.  Does that make sense?      As the saying goes, 'every day's a school day' so I'll know for next time.  And I do have a nifty little bag that's an unusual shape.  

I like the grey and white striped lining, and the contrast with the shiny silver ribbon.  
It's definitely not how I'd expected it to turn out, but nevermind.  
I'm having a go at another embroidery this evening, a blue tit.  I've seen a few embroidered birds on Instagram, and I'm not certain my basic entry-level skills are good enough but what the heck!  I'll give it a go.  
You can see from the pencil marks on the calico that I've been unsure where the bird's beak and head will go.   It may take a few attempts to get it right.  

Hope you're well and enjoying your weekend.  Bye for now.  




 

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