Another SEW SEW Day and other Quilty Happenings in sao’s World June 25, 2010
Posted By drsao on June 25, 2010
Catherine and I had a SEW SEW DAY today – and it was packed full of lots of things. And theoretically there was really not a lot of sewing going on. 🙂
First we had a SEW AND TELL bag event…….we wrapped and glued fabric around cording and then sewed the cord into the shape of a bag- all by hand. This is reminiscent of the way baskets were woven by the Native Americans. I really love the outcome! We had started our bags on an earlier SEW SEW DAY and today we were just sharing the final outcome. I worked on mine for parts of four or five days!
Catherine has a wonderful sense of color choices
I really love how Catherine incorporated a long shoulder strap from the continuous strip of wrapped cording….. Her entire bag is made from one long piece of cloth covered cording.
Love the dimensional side treatment
Catherine has a reputation for being the Queen of mixed media embellishment. I marvel at how she can put all of these fibers and beading into the mix with just the perfect blend of colors. All of Catherine’s fabrics are batiks – good for this project because there is not a lot of fraying of the raw edges of the cut fabric.
Not finished yet - more fibers and beading is in the plan
Special Beading Effects
Catherine designed the special stitch for the bag too – it looks like basket weaving. I like this so much better than the zig zag stitches by sewing machine that I have seen used in the past!
And now for my bag….
sao's little bag
My bag is shorter than Catherine’s for two reasons. First, into DAY 5 of this project, I suddenly got inspired to use the purse handles that I found at the Lancaster Quilt Show…..and so I needed a shorter bag for the proportion between the bag and the handles to look right.
The Second reason that my bag is small is because I also had VERY SORE FINGERS from doing the hand sewing and pushing the needle through the cording….LOL. I had also stuck myself (with the VERY LARGE needle) on multiple occasions, so a smaller bag was really something that I was motivated to go for!
I got the bright idea to EMBELLISH my bag with a pin that I got when we went to see the musical WICKED! I used a pony tail elastic as the closure to hook around a big black button that I found in my collection of buttons. This entire bag was made from stash items – no new purchases!
It seems like every bag that I have is black or red….HM….for me, guess it doesn’t take a lot of talent to choose the right fabric!
As a matter of fact I used fabric that I had purchased but didn’t use when I made a quilted tote bag at a class that I took at Quilter’s Corner three years ago!!! Christine, does this look familiar?!!! Goodness, maybe I need to branch out a bit…..but then maybe not….all of my clothes are black! 🙂
Sao's Quilted Tote Bag 2007
OK – to redeem myself – here is another SEW AND TELL – my progress on a Mystery Quilt led by Karen from Powhatan Quilters….it isn’t finished but the center part is together…..PINWHEELS AND POSIES……and I did use some of my 30’s Fabrics that I have been collecting. I don’t know WHY but I have been saving it!!! Do any of the rest of you buy fabric and then just LOOK at it and not want to USE IT!!!
Hannah the Cat on PINWHEELS AND POSIES
After a wonderful lunch break – that included a TROPICAL SMOOTHIE for inspiration and a trip to Jo Ann’s to buy a couple of jewelry pliers…..we headed back to our SEW SEW activities.
Today we had a class in Jewelry Making 101….Catherine was the teacher and I was the student. Catherine ended up doing most (ALL) of the work after she watched me string the same bead on upside down about four times in a row!!! But I am now armed with the right pliers and some beading springs (not the correct term but it keeps all of your beading work from sliding off the wires before they are secured!) and I am looking forward to my future fun making jewelry.
I always feel so KLUTSY when I am trying to learn to do something new – and when the EXPERT is watching you and you just KNOW that deep inside they must be struggling to stifle a laugh – or two.
OK – so after LISTENING to SIL Greg repair the hole in the laundry room wall that he made while investigating a leak…..we made some progress…..that WE is figuratively speaking……Catherine is doing the work. I am doing the observation.
OOPS - the washing machine made a mess!
Here is what I am proud to say is the product of Catherine’s jewelry making expertise…..and I was once again impressed with how she can look at a conglomeration of beads and know just how to arrange them into a work of art! My mother would have been proud to see how some of her jewelry supplies were put to good use. Catherine used round pliers to show me how to take a jewelry pin and twist it (form it) into a ring which attaches to a jumper cable ring and then to a clasp. I think that I need to pay more attention to some of the terminology because it all doesn’t sound quite right to me as I write this.
Earrings, Bracelet, and Three Necklaces
It really was a wonderful day and I feel more like myself than I have in a long time. I really enjoy learning new things and it is inspirational to watch Catherine apply her magic touch to whatever project that she is working on.
And now I am going to go work on Clues 2 and 3 of Bonnie Hunter’s FIRST MYSTERY QUILT – Carolina Crossroads. Yes I am making my SECOND ONE….just started it with some friends on the QUILTVILLE CHAT group! I am naming this one CAROLINA CROSSROADS TOO!
Of course I recogize your bag, Shirley! I still use my black/white one nearly every day as I haul things back & forth to work. Love your new red/black woven bag, it’s so you.
Yes, yet ANOTHER fun filled day o’ play – WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And don’t believe a thing Shirley says about her lesser learning abilities, she CAN DO ANYTHING she puts her mind to doing, just not always easy getting used to training wheels when trying to absorb and apply new techniques and processes……………… And if I weren’t ALLLLLLLLLLL over the map, creatively speaking, perhaps BOTH our focus would be better but THAT’S NOT going to happen, I simply ADORE learning and sharing and growing and becoming more artful, YEAH ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!