Catch up 2

This last couple of months haven't been particularly productive or creative.
I think the period from January to March often catches me like that. Perhaps it is just the urge to hibernate?


I have sorted out my sewing room a little and have been experimenting and using up scraps. This is sitting on the design board waiting for more squares.





A few items have been sewn eg. bags and the new Bernina Mega-hoop has been played with.









There is a lot of outside work to do too so I have been clearing the garden and planning projects for later this year.

I have also been playing around with some ideas!

Sew-outs.

Way back in 1999 when I got my first embroidery machine I did loads of stitch-outs of various designs whilst I experimented with threads and stabilizers. Later when I started digitising my own designs I used to do trial stitch-outs to see if my ideas would work.

Of course after using up thread and fabric I couldn't just bin them so they got integrated into my stash.

Here I have used some of these trial runs to jazz up some plain material for more bags. At least they won't be mistaken for anyone else's bag ! :o)


The squares below are all stitched out on different silk remnants. They just asked to be stitched together but I am not sure where I go with them now?
Maybe I should have sashed them or alternated them with plain squares, or embroidered some more to make something bigger. I don't really fancy unpicking them as the silk frays so badly (or so well? )

They will probably hibernate back into the stitch-out box until inspiration strikes. At the moment all I can think of is a humbug shaped cushion or the top of a pretty bag to store something in?