Deja Vu and a frilly buttonony thing

This has been a week with poorly people. Colds again! Haven't we done this already? It's only October. Didn't we have our colds quota in September. All that mopping of the fevered brow... Do I need to allot an amount in the family budget for cold remedies, tissues and all that paraphenalia? Time to get out the juicer again I think. There's a wonderful juice made from tomatoes, chillies and red peppers (plus a dash of worcestershire sauce - if you like it) that really blows the socks of a cold. It's the chillies you know, opens up the 'tubes'.

Consequently, not a lot of sewing has been done and of what I have managed to do I can only show you this, because I'm taking part in a 'Christmas Decorations swap' and I don't want to upset Father Christmas by giving the game away. Do you like the button in the side bar? The swap's been organised by Indigo Blue. I've never been involved in a swap before - it's nerve wrackingly exciting....

Anyway, this is the frilly buttonony thing....

I do like it - it's all sparkly!

Yes, you're right! It's another little pouch and another experiment. It's diminutive. It's 20cm (8 inches wide) and stands a 12.5 cm (approximately 5 inches) tall (or short if you prefer). It has no depth. It is a flat pouch.

It's made from a purple moda marbels (why do I always struggle to spell that?) marbles fabric, which I pleated into randomly spaced 1/4inch tucks. I know they were 1/4 inch wide because I used my 1/4 foot on the sewing machine. Once the tucks were finished I sewed straight lines with a variegated quilting thread in between the tucks. All pink, purples and greens. Lovely. To complete the fabric I added a mixture of different sized shell buttons in green and turquoise blue , so it's all lovely and shiny. It's a very tactile piece. I used wadding behind the fabric which gives it a nice squishy feel, apart from the hardness of the buttons of course, and it has a simple pink fabric lining. I decided it was just too tiny to add any kind of pocket-ty arrangement.

If you haven't spotted the similarity already, it's based on a design in 'Handmade Embroidered Purses' by Jenny Rolfe.

Can you see the picture on the top right? She used sequins rather than buttons and I might just make another with sequins. You'd get a slightly more delicate effect I think. In fact I'm wondering what this pleating and sequin/button effect might look like in my favourite wristlet pattern. Umm!

I like her books. I've said before that I need to practice my free motion sewing for the course I'm doing and these designs give me lots of ideas for practice. The 'I can't wait to get started' kind of practice, not the 'oh no! Not more.....' kind of practice... walks away wih heavy feet.... I can't cope if things get too repetitive. I get all stressy - as my darling son would say. The books also give you loads of ideas for using the practice bits too. So, that folk like me don't get buried in the left over deitritus of one more outing with the darning foot and the sewing machine.

Which incidentally I'd better get back to whilst things are quiet!

Comments

[Andrea]

Hi,
I've got the bag version of this book and I have made several from the book. Would it be a good book to put on my Christmas List?
XX

[dottycookie]

I like her books too. I have Handmade Embroidered Bags but I think I might like the purses more - my embroidery is just nmot up to being on a bag quite yet!

[dottycookie]

I like her books too. I have Handmade Embroidered Bags but I think I might like the purses more - my embroidery is just not up to being on a bag quite yet!

Love your little purse.