Crochet with Garden Twine

I have an obsession with bags. Not fancy, designer handbags, but large, woven bags for carrying the shopping or, dare I say it, stashing yarn! I have been thinking about making crochet bags for a very long time, there are numerous half-finished attempts lying about the house. The main issue I have found is that most yarn is too soft to hold its shape once the bag is finished. I have tried doubling up and alternative stitches which help to a degree but it still boils down to the yarn. A trip to the garden centre yesterday threw up the option of using garden twine. It was the selection of colours which caught my eye, who knew there was a whole range of alternatives to bottle green or beige? Anyway, I have made a start with a rather lovely indigo blue. It is quite tough on the hands but the finish is just what I am after, firm but flexible. If I can figure out a simple semi-circular design to start with then there are all sorts of options to pimp it up – fingers crossed (except when crocheting).

Advertisement

Phew, Embroidered Clutch Bags Ready Just in Time!

Little did I think back in the Spring that these clutch bags would take the best part of the summer to design….but they are finally ready with only a matter of days to spare before the Knitting and Stitching Show in London!

It has been quite a challenge to develop the drawings to fit exactly into the silver clutch frame – there have been a few urgent phone calls to the fabric printers. However, I am really pleased with the end result – hope you like them!

Doggy Bags

As a slight distraction I have spent the morning playing with one of my designs to create some packaging for the new needlework kits which I am hoping will be ready for the autumn shows.

A Peek into the Design Process

Lots of pieces of paper and fabric have been sacrificed over the past couple of days as I have tussled with the design of a new clutch bag intended for surface embroidery and beadwork. The protype is now finished and I am rather pleased with the shape. I just have to design the fabrics now. Plenty of ideas in mind, far too many, so if you have a preference please let me know as a nudge in a particular direction would be a great help.

Patterns are now starting to develop. I need to make an emergency dash to the art shop to fetch some more canvases and paint.

Thank goodness for transfer paper, I can quickly check the design with the clutch handle before commiting to printing meters of fabric.