Valedictory Dinner

Last night was Carly’s Year 12 valedictory dinner (Graduation). I received orders for her bag in different colours from a few friends! It was big enough to fit her camera, phone and id.

Rather than a picot edging I decided to FME over the top of the bag with metallic black thread. The zipper foot came in handy to sew the seams close to the beading.

 

Carly looked absolutely beautiful and did a sensational job of her last speech as School Captain.

 

Beads, beads, beads

I’m full on into Year 12 graduation preparations. Firstly I’ve beaded on some black dupion silk for a wristlet drawstring bag for Carly. We surfed the net to find a bag shape that she liked and then I drafted a pattern using recycled paper and a coffee cup.

When I went to Spotlight to buy the fabric there were three clearance bins full of packets of beads/findings etc. where I found lots of hematite beads to bead on the bag (as well as lots of other bargains-all $1- at the current exchange rate that’s 60c US). This is a small sample of the ones I bought.

I grabbed 5 of the chains, they will make good handles for bags, a few packets of the beaded balls in different colours as well as some packets of beads for Claudia.

This is the beading on the bag, I’m trying to decide whether I’m finished or whether to do a few more seed beads inside the hearts. I’ve sewn the lining and I have a satin ribbon for a drawstring. I will do a picot bead edging around the top once it’s sewn together.

After this I need to finish my capelet from the workshop I went to in July!! I’m going to wear it with a little black dress.

Cheers

one down, one to go

What a relief!! I spent all day yesterday at the computer and books and finished the first draft of my 4000 word research project submission. It has been emailed to my uni supervisors for comment after which I will polish it for final submission next Thursday. I have a non compulsory assignment (only 1000 words) due this Saturday. I have about 400 words down, so I’m taking a break before finishing it off.

Firstly I’d like to thank the very generous Sharon for sending me the following book. I have been reading about the Bayeux tapestry and she had this one spare.

As I told Sharon, I’m hanging out for the xmas break to get back to some fun stitching. Luckily in Oz it’s 5 weeks and also summer so it’ll be stitching in between visits to the beach. We are very lucky to be only a five minute drive from a beautiful beach and the boys love to get out for a spot of surfing.

The first thing I’ll be doing is starting on Maggie Grey’s workshop. I have bought her latest book “Textile Translations” via the publishers. When you buy the book you can log in on-line for extra fun activities and there is also a yahoo group to show and tell.

Last week I managed to get to our textile group afternoon get together for the first time in several months. A few of the girls had attended the Fibreforum in September at Geelong Grammar. They had stocked up on felt and felting supplies so we played around with hand needle felting. The blue piece with the flower was my first effort. It was an eyes closed lucky dip for the base felt and the flower. I also used some of Dale’s funky felted yarn.

I then decided to try out some felting onto an op shop scarf, needs a little more work but has possibilities. The top piece was onto a very lightweight felt, also has possibilities.

No 2 son loves to pick up old BMX bikes at the op shop. He pulls bits off and puts together new combinations, great fun for him and great learning about mechanical processes (takes after his father who rebuilt his first car engine at 12!)

So he dragged me to the op shops last Saturday. Unfortunately no bikes at all (it was a long weekend for the Melbourne Cup and all the tourists were out op shopping too) however I did find a few good mags and a couple of silk ties. There have been a few good ideas on-line using these. The three hard cover books (circa 1975) are for a future Maggie Grey workshop.

Cheers