magstitch

Loads of lovely comments - many thanks, especially for all the Clive messages. He will be getting ideas above his station! Sorry, Jude, he’s great on computers but we usually have to bring in a son-in-law for the DVD.

Fiona: loved the giraffe story. Sayings like that bond a family, I think. We have a saying that is trotted out at appropriate moments - ‘It’s all greasy, Auntie’. So far back in the mists of time that none of us know where it came from.

Margaretr - the social life seems to consist of lots of eating. So rude to refuse, but I’m putting on pounds and today it is the Society of Authors lunch. More eating.

Aussie Jo The dottom sounds like a trade mark. I guess you always knew you’d got the right baby.

Helen Suzanne thanks for the "Art pico award", I am very honoured and will consider all the people who inspire me. Trouble is I have picked them before - will try to find new ones.

Glad you were missing me, Julie. I shan’t abandon you all, never fear. Par Carks is one of ours, too.

After today’s lunch I have a week before my next ‘social’ event but that’s a big one, when my cousin (who is more like a sister) is having a big birthday celebration. She is taking a group of friends and rellies to London to do a show and stay the night. Cousin Sue and I are usually the matriachs of this particular group and have been likened to Edina and Patsy in Ab Fab. Something to do with the hiding in a corner with a bottle, I fear.

I have been very noble and yesterday’s textile art was confined to stitching some lettering on the woodworking son-in-law’s apron, ready for a show he is doing at the weekend. Here's his web site for anyone interested in woodwork: www.phillyplanes.co.uk.



I think I’ve told you about the wonderful furniture he makes and he now has a business making planes. Apparently, hand made tools (and planes in particular) are much in demand and his are beautifully made from lovely wood. The business is going well and his planes are selling all over the world. Funny to observe him getting ready for the show - just like us for the K&S and Festival of Quilts. The font he uses was not a good one for digitised stitching, lots of narrow satin stitch and the thread kept breaking. What one does for love!


I have also managed to finish the top of my vessel. When making my Cordoba bag I found that embellishing a strip of felt inside the top made it bend smoothly inwards.



Here’s a detail showing (just about) the little pieces of stitching that were trapped inside. It gives a very smooth finish.



So I thought that I would do the same and give the vessel a smooth inward turn. Here's the top.





I cut a thin strip of felt and embellished it on the reverse of the fabric, along the top. See below.



Then it was trimmed to size and embellished some more. It was really beginning to turn the top in at this stage.



Then I did a little more embellishing on the right side to bring the colour back. I find this is amazing - like reversed rubbing out. I left it quite dark to give definition.

Finally the top was trimmed slightly to remove the woolly look.

I think this technique could be used for lots of shaping and will play some more in the week. Must go for a walk now to burn some calories before the lunch.