It's about 3 o'clock on a Sunday afternoon, and it's all grey sky and rain outside. I'm slouched on the sofa, a patchwork quilt thrown over my legs, and am quickly writing this blog post before getting totally engrossed in a Belgian subtitled crime thriller on Channel 4's iplayer. It's that kind of a Sunday. Where you just want to nest. To curl up indoors with the heating on and snacks to hand.
I have been doing something crafty, namely sewing. Finishing off page two in my 100 days stitchbook challenge. The second page is certainly different from the moody blues of the first.
I've also been stitching at a denim patchwork of sorts. It's partly inspired by Jude Hill's style of working, but also by sashiko and boro textiles. I've had to stop for a while because pushing and pulling a threaded needle repeatedly through sometimes tough denim has resulted in sore spots and tiny cuts on my fingers. I had tried wearing a thimble, but I've yet to find one I'm comfortable with. Maybe a silicone thimble might be better than the metal sort?
When I called this a 'patchwork of sorts', it's because I randomly sewed together these different sized off-cuts. Don't you love the mix of blues you get with secondhand denim? I also like the sturdy machine stitched seams and especially the section where I've unpicked a pocket and the material's original colour shows, outlining the shape where the pocket used to be. I needed to add the square of patterned cotton, harvested from a charity shop dress, as that disguises a gap where two denim pieces didn't quite fit together. The aim is to pretty much cover all of this denim with lines of sashiko stitching, and to keep adding to the patchwork so it increases in size. Probably to make a throw. I quite like the idea of leaving it unbacked, so you can turn it over and see all the joins and thread ends. Denim's a hard wearing, kind of 'honest' fabric. It shows the wear and tear, so it seems fitting that you could see a patchwork throw's messy wrong-side.
I hope your weekend's going well. I'm returning to my Belgian crime drama. There's a hostage situation at a bank, a newly trained negotiator who lacks confidence, and a sense of impending doom. Just what you need on a rainy Sunday afternoon!
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