Wednesday 9 September 2009

Sneak peek on a work in progress.

Yesterday, after I had finished the 'secret squirrel' project, I spent part of the afternoon and the whole of the evening doing something 'just for me'.

I am trying something totally new to me, and this is a work in progress, there is still lots to do.



I cut up a piece of an Indian hand stamped scarf which I bought in a charity shop - which I am going to make into my very first bag.

It is totally trial and error - no pattern - no bought 'special' supplies - just playing around.

So this is it laid in the shape of the bag - I still have to interface it, line it, do lots more to it.



I cut out a piece of the silky material - and that was hard in itself as it slid all around on the work top. I guess I should invest in all the right 'stuff' first - but I really needed something to get totally absorbed in, without thinking of anything else - and this was just what I needed.

The purple material on the left is a piece of one of those old Indian cotton skirts that I bought years and years ago from a charity shop but it was too big - it somehow
escaped the dustbin! I had sewed it on beside the image which I printed on special material.


I had one piece of the 'hairy' knitting thread which I have stitched on (I should have been more careful when I photographed this and moved the stray 'bits' which show on her face and on the purple material!) On the right, the dark blue looking thread (the only piece I have) is in fact a very dark green and matches the pattern on the scarf material. I will arrange it neatly and sew that around the lady. I really wish I had a little purple flower or some purple or green beads to sew into her hair as a little decoration. You won't believe how long it took me to make that little necklace and sew it on! - And I have also put on pieces and taken them off again after spending ages sewing. I also need something in the top left corner - don't know what yet. Can't find anything - so will have to try and work out how to dye something without any dyes. Maybe with some purple ink - but need to check to see if it will 'leak' or run if it gets wet!




I took the cord out of the old skirt and will use that for the bag (as I have laid out in the photo), and I have made a 'flower' from a piece of the skirt border which has some gold pattern on it - I will add that too.

Oh I nearly forgot this bit I was rather pleased with - and how I had the patience I don't know. I had a small bit of net curtain, which I coloured for some reason a while back and as I was looking at it, I worked out that if I cut out a bit in the middle of a pattern, it would not only look the same colour as the lady's dress, but I could also cut it in a way to make a collar!


I still have a very long way to go before this ends up as a bag - or if I mess it up it might end up as a collage for a book cover or something.

Inspiration and a tute on how to make the 'flower' from Lilla's blog, if only I had a smidgen of her talent.

Image from one of my purchased Victorian image cds, and also appears here

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

wow...well,its looking good so far - love the fact youve upcycled (that new fangled word!) items to make something so beautiful - fingers crossed everything goes ok and you get the bag you want at the end.

Claireabelle said...

This is fabulous Lottie, cant wait to see it once it's finished
x

Momiji said...

this is looking really good..you have such patience.
how do you print on the fabric?..thats a great idea..

lisa said...

Gosh, this is fantastic Lottie. What a stunning piece of work that will be something to use and be proud of.

Lisax

sam21ski said...

WOW she is wonderful Lottie, can't wait to see her when she's totally finished xxxx

Jo Capper-Sandon said...

oooooooooooooo this is looking fantastic. Love to see it developing so beautifully. x

Lynne K said...

Wow! This is simply stunning! Gorgeous colours, and isn't that face lovely. You must have endless patience, so I'm sure you'll get it finished to your satisfaction, and I look forward to seeing it. x

Sally H said...

Stunning, Lottie! You are so inventive!

Flippinpest said...

This is going to be really spectacular Lottie.Looking forward to following work in progress :-)

Pat Winter Gatherings said...

Lottie, I can see the fun that went into making your bag. It is so neat and pretty! Could I possibly get your mailing address? If so, you can email it to me at angell100@comcast.net.
Keep creating!
Hugs,Pat

Shairon said...

This is awesome Lottie. What patience you have but well worth it all. This will be a bag to die for. xx

LazyKay said...

That's gorgeous. You can colour flowers using your ink pads if you want to - you can use them to colour ribbons and lace too.

The Stazon one won't run.

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