a piece of this & that
My newest A Piece of Me Pouch is a combination of this and that; a culmination of bits I have gathered, an unfinished project and a couple of new things I wanted to try. This is larger than the version in my pattern - it's very easy to make in any size you choose! - and I'll show you how I created a loop for carrying or hanging.
Always on the look out for interesting fabrics, I found this fabulous buttery soft Punched Faux Leather and as soon as I saw it, thought it would be great for stitching on. It has a tiny bit of stretch so rather than trying to battle with it on the bias, I made cross stitches into plus stitches. Of course it was stitched the same way, it just took a little focus to make them + + + + +
The floral pattern is part of a design in Anna Maria's Needlework Notebook which looks modern and pretty. It was tempting to add more stitches but at the same time it's nice to see the punched fabric and not have that texture lost.
To make the stitches stand out I used all six strands of Aurifloss. The bright colours work really well and the thread has a nice sheen so it doesn't look dull against the pewter. The combination of the soft faux leather and the stitches make it very strokable!
Stitch Gathering 2019 ✁
"This is the power of gathering: it inspires us, delightfully, to be more hopeful, more joyful, more thoughtful: in a word, more alive." - Alice Waters
Last Sunday was Stitch Gathering, the wonderful day retreat organised by Jo Avery of myBearpaw, in Edinburgh. It is always a full day of fun, with great classes and company and it's always over too soon. I was there teaching a class - something a little different, more on that later! - and also had the opportunity to take a class. As someone that relishes learning and trying new techniques it was very exciting. And oops... I've started a new quilt!
Now, as I type this, something has occurred to me. For the first time I did not have the overwhelming anxiety I've had before every social occasion/journey/outing/time being around other people that I've had for the past three years or so. It could be because life has been extra crazy busy and I didn't have time to stress, though I suspect that's disbelief talking because those negative/anxious thoughts shout really loud. Mental health is fluid, with ups and downs - I am under no illusions but right now it does feel that gradually all those things that previously felt SO difficult just aren't. Usual worries like 'have I got everything?' and 'will people enjoy my class?' were fleeting and manageable. Thoughts like 'I can't do this' and 'I don't want to do this because of x,y,z', which would usually flood my brain, didn't take over. I know I batted a few of them away, they weren't non existent but they were quiet and didn't feel real. Anyway I'm taking that as positive and, however I may feel in the future, it feels nice that there wasn't a dreaded build up and it was all enjoyable!
At Stitch Gathering, Jo asks us to create a 'ticket' and each year these are swapped between participants. This year it was an 8" hoop, which we could stitch and embellish as we liked. It was fabulous to see them all hanging together and a nice variety of hoop art! Here's a closer look...
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