Saturday stitching and cotton perle

It's a grey rainy morning, and I'm trying to concentrate on pleasant things, instead of the News which is full of the grim reality of armed conflicts overseas. But that kind of content is for other blogs, ones far more serious and weighty than my ramblings about crafty matters.

I went to the last of my fabric covered book classes on Saturday, and it was a joy to see all the different ways others presented their books. My over-the-top creation is the grey and purple one you can see above, and - if the light here improves - I'll try and film a little video on my phone. Will post that later today or tomorrow. In the meantime, look at the other books - the one with the eyeballs, the stripes and buttons, and the beautifully embroidered tiger who came to tea.

No two books were even remotely the same.

There's a pretty embroidered toadstool, and look at that pretend cassette tape!

During the class, because I'd worked a lot on my book already, I decided to go off at a tangent. I started making a simple drawstring bag to put my book in. I'm machine sewing scraps on to a piece of calico, then embroidering on it in a kind-of Victorian crazy patchwork way. The bag will be lined and I'll find a suitable piece of ribbon or braid for the closure.

It'll be a good way to increase my knowledge of embroidery stitches, which is very limited. As well as attending the class I did succumb to the temptation of Hobbycraft and nipped in for a browse. That, of course, resulted in me spending money!

The colours were irresistible. In my defence I did have a voucher for £5 off if I spent £15, so I paid less than £1.40 per skein for this DMC cotton perle.

Which was a bargain. On the subject of bargains my local charity shop's having an 'everything a quid' sale today. I may have to wander by and see if I can add to my fabric stash, rain or no rain. I'll let you know if I find any treasures.

Have a good day!

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