The Finished Article!

As promised in the last post, here's the little zipped bag I made recently as a gift. I surprised myself by making it, from start to finish, in one session (well, almost - I did pick out the materials and start cutting strips a couple of days before). Perhaps I only work well under pressure seeing as the birthday lunch was the following day!

All the materials, apart from the checked fabric with little strawberries, are thrifted. The lining is from a charity shop skirt and the zip from ebay. Can you see the non-deliberate mistake (there had to be one!!). This is the first time I've used one of my labels and, yes, I sewed it in upsidedown. OH said I should do it all the time as a quirk of my work but I don't think I could bear to do it on purpose, and I'd probably end up getting them the right way up anyway!!

Here is the pin cushion I showed in progress a little while ago. As I said, I originally started making it for myself but ended up giving it to my mother as part of her birthday gift. She appreciates home made gifts and will make good use of it. Now I have to make myself one, but I don't think I'll use the same pattern - it was a bit fiddly and time-consuming for something I'm just going to stick pins into!

Here it is the other way up. All the fabric and buttons are thrifted. I should have photographed it next to something to give a better idea of the size. It's quite big - probably about 5" from point to point.

I've been fancying doing a bit of single-colour embroidery recently to, maybe, use as a centre-piece for a project so, with this in mind, I dug out the stash of transfers I've hoarded for ages. I chose a couple of designs that I thought complimented each other and they are now cut out ready to use.

Many of the transfers I have are free gifts that were included with women's magazines and on closer inspection of the design sheet I spotted the date this one was printed. OCTOBER 16th 1965!!! I know I've been hoarding craft materials for a long time but I don't think I started when I was 2! These must have come from my mother or grandmother but I've had them so long I can't remember exactly (I hope they're still useable).

I'm looking forward to doing something with these but it'll be a slow, relaxing project for when I'm sat in front of the TV. And I'll have to finish the dishcloths I've started knitting first.

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Happy stitching

Teresa x

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(P.S. Reading through for typos, I've just realised I've contradicted myself, as I have before, i.e. the pin-cushion is too fiddly to make to stick pins into but I'm knitting cloths to wash dishes with!)