Upcycled origami bag

In my stash was bits and pieces of jeans. I had salvaged them from a bin at the fashion institiute I used to teach at in another lifetime. 

I found a pattern for an origami bag which I could hand sew and decided to use the bits of denim and make an applique and patchwork bag. 

Blanket stitch all around and a whip stitch for the parts which had to be joined. 

The pieces of denim have been appliqued onto part of the king size bed sheet which I still have pieces of .

It's a very large and roomy bag. 

I've appliqued some rust dyed circles onto the bag.

                                                   

I rediscovered sorbello stitch and couldn't stop doing rows of it as a form of embellishment all over the bag.

Will keep this bag for shopping. I need something smaller that will work like a handbag.

The Cocoon - Work in Progress

It's been a few months since I updated this space. 

A lot has happened but I simply haven't had the time to update Million Little Stitches. These days my instagram account @millionlittlestitches gets updated instantly with all that's happening on the creative front.

The Cocoon, a kimonoish robe is influenced by my environment.

The mist, rainfall, the vegetation and the little creatures which abound.

Rain. Life giving and keeps the place so lush and green. Brings leeches too.

The gauzy mist, which transforms the landscape into a mysterious place.

Berries on a tree in the Shola. Looks tempting but I'm not sure if they are edible.

Clover growing between the granite paving.

Brilliant colour contrast. The wet grey granite and the green Clover. 

The brilliant colours on a month's wings which I found one morning. The patterns will find their way onto the robe, to embellish it.

The front of the kimonoish robe. The white bedsheet foundation is completely appliqued with pieces of fabric.

The back. It's interesting to note that the white sheet has become the lining for the robe.

A patchwork of colours and textures, much like the environment.

Now to begin embellishing the Cocoon.

Restrictions on movement of people and interactions have eased considerably although people are fearful of the Coronavirus rearing its head suddenly.

Life has changed. The new normal is still evolving but masks are here to stay.

The internet is the lifeline which keeps families and loved ones in constant touch , it's the source of entertainment,  the marketplace to buy and sell, to get an education.

How are you adjusting to the new normal?

I shall be back very quickly to keep this channel alive because it's been one platform which has kept me in touch with the wider world, living as I am in a small town in wondrous isolation, most of the time.

The Cocoon

The Cocoon will emerge from a torn bedsheet. A cotton sheet made soft and with use and washing for more than a decade.

The idea to repurpose the sheet as a kimonoish robe came from Spirit Cloth - Jude Hill's blog as well as the Instagram account @ragmates2020 where like minded people are showcasing their work.

I'm no dressmaker so the kimonoish robe is the result of research on Pinterest.

The king size sheet allowed me to get the kimono as a single piece garment.

I couldn't wait to attach a couple of patches.

A rust dyed patch was the first addition. I attached it to the base fabric with my interpretation of sashiko. The second patch was from an experiment with bleach. I did blanket stitch around the bleached out splotches.

There is no plan as far as placement of patches, it's just whatever strikes me at the moment. So while planning the next patches I decided the sleeves ought to be symmetrical. The rest of the robe will be asymmetrical. That's the plan at the moment.

Started attaching other bits of fabric. The patches overlap and I do running stitch, almost like darning through the patches and the base fabric.

This project of The Cocoon really ties in well with my effort to adopt more sustainable living practises. To reduce the consumption of resources, and see the potential of reusing and recycling things and materials which I already possess.

I'll be looking at Kantha, Japanese boro and Sashiko for inspiration. I want to embellish the Cocoon with things in my environment -  the flora and fauna. I hope I can capture the balance and harmony of the natural world which surrounds me and constantly inspires and leaves we wondering and delighted.

Page for Francis - Book page Swap 2013

Francis' theme is Flowers and Gardens. Hope she likes the way I've interpreted her theme.

Urban Sprawl

Urban Sprawl is the second in the collection I'm creating based on the theme of maps and travel.

The scarf is a cotton silk one with running stitch, sequins and applique. 

Urban Sprawl has been interpreted as growth of a town into a city , its organic growth which is not planned.

Its a collection of little towns which have grown and got connected by roads and buildings which are now recognised as a single city but these localities and areas still function as self sufficient eco systems.

In a lot of ways its a reflection of Bangalore where I live. The urban sprawl continues to expand growing upward and outward at a scorching pace, turning a city into a metropolis and very soon to a megalopolis.

Where do you live? village, town, city, metropolis or megalopolis. 

Participate in this event and have a little fun today.Cheers!

Navaratna

Navaratna or Nine stones for the Magic Feather Project.
They will be winging their way to Jude tomorrow.
Read about the Magic Feather Project here and you could follow its progress on Facebook too.

Did you witness the transit of Venus? Cloudy pre monsoon morning in Bangalore didn't permit me to see this much talked about spectacle.

Mineral

Mineral is a dark green reversable tussar silk scarf.  

All four edges have a fringe like raw edge. One side has applique and running stitch and on the quieter reverse there's a hit of sparkle from the sequins.   

Two sides of the same scarf.
Happy Easter to those who will be celebrating. I'll be treating myself to a sinful sweet treat after the period of abstinence. :)
Early this morning I folded a cute origami bunny box made with the excellent video instructions by Leyla Torres which can be found here and here's another.

On a separate note - I've become an affilate of Amazon and Flipkart. You will see the banners on the side bar. Should you wish to shop online I would appreciate it if you could click on the Amazon or Flipkart banners/buttons and make your purchases.Amazon and Flipkart will pay me a small percentage of the value of your transaction without increasing the cost for you by even a cent. Thank you and happy shopping.

Graffitti

 The elements which define Graffitti -  skinny cotton silk scarf, appliqued with tussar silk, chain stitched, tea dyed ,running stitch details, a raw edges finished with blanket stitch and tassels  .

 A soft feel and a primitive appearance characterises  Graffitti.

This scarf is the first in a series exploring the representation of circles. The circle is a recurring element in my work ( like you never noticed) so in the next couple of scarves I make I'm going to explore embroidery and sewing methods/techniques to create a circular form and circular patterns. This is one of the techniques I'll be trying.

What's Cookin?

What's cookin'? The Christmas tree is up and decorated. I like the ritual of decorating the tree and remembering the story behind each ornament. I also like to add at least one new ornament each year, this year's addition is a pretty enamelled bauble decorated with poinsettias and holly which was given by my sister. 

2011 is drawing to an end and I have been scouting for projects to be involved in, in the new year. I've signed up for two projects TAST 2012 and Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2012 . If embroidery and creating heavily embellished surfaces interest you. You might consider signing up for these two challenges. The Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) will document events and milestones in each month of 2012 and will be compiled into a fabric book eventually .I think I'll make flowers the theme and incorporate silk ribbon embroidery (SRE) flowers .SRE is going to be another first so I've signed up for tutorials .

What project or challenge are you contemplating taking up in the new year? Cathy Cullis has thought out and discussed at length how one can go about choosing a project.   

With embroidering scarves, Crazy Quikt Jourbal Project and Take a Stitch Tuesday its going to be a packed schedule but when I came across this blog during a blog hop I couldn't help but wonder if I could devise a similar project which would help me recyle flyers I get in the newspaper most mornings and improve my origami skills. I'd like to do something similar, any suggestions?
If you're wondering about the pictures in this post, this is what's currently cookin' - a scarf I appliqued, tea dyed in a cast iron vessel and am currently embroidering.
Drop a line, I'm off to make a cup of tea and browse the net.

Embroidered interpretation of The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency

The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency interpreted as an embroidered piece for the Covered in Stitches contest    

I've used French Knots for the  crocodile, Stem stitch, Open chain, Chain stitch, Herringbone and Buttonhole wheel to name a few. Some applique. All images will enlarge if clicked on. 

A detail. Other than framing this embroidered interpretation I wonder what I can do with it. Any ideas?

 The cover illustration for the book is by Hannah Firmin.See more of her richly coloured  wood and lino cut illustrations here.
Take a look at other submissions for the Covered in Stitches Contest - here and there's time until the 7th of November if you'd like to participate.
Have a great week.

Purple Prose

Purple Prose my latest creation. Cotton silk scarf embroidered with tiny sequins and appliqued with pieces of silk.  

Will be available for sale at Plantation House.

Covered in Stitches

From pen and ink to being covered in stitches.

Read all about it here.

Covered in Stitches is about embroidering the cover for your favourite book. It may be the existing cover illustration/image you choose to interpret in stitch or you create the cover illustration.

Guess which book cover I've chosen to interpret in stitch?. Don't you love that French knot Croc? I'm quite pleased with the way its turning out. Next update I'll have a pic of the book cover I'm interpreting.

I've won tickets to go watch Johnny English Reborn this weekend, thanks to Radio Indigo.

Hope your weekend is wonderful.

Path

Tussar silk stole, dyed with tea, silk applique and sequins.
Got two shades of tea. One edge of the stole was dyed with tea boiled in a stainless steel vessel - the resultant shade was more golden, whereas the edge dyed in a cast iron vessel with tea resulted in a more dark nut brown colour.
I'm going to be exploring a new path which has opened up rather unexpectedly - excited, curious and just a teeny tiny smattering of butterflies in the tummy. Wish me luck.

Clay

I've told you I name my scarves they are to me my works of art therefore they have names.

This one I've called Clay. Its a large square, reversible scarf in a beautiful brown colour.

One side is all about texture and subtle colours. Two concentric squares of small brown sequins add a hint of sparkle to the muted embroidery.
The other side has pieces of tussar silk appliqued onto the cotton silk with my favourite running stitch.
Here's a picture for you to see the two sides of Clay.

This is one of four scarves I'm giving to Plantation House, the other three shall be featured in subsequent posts.

Click here to see what I was wowed by this weekend.