Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Sneak Peak-My Current WIP

 
 
 
This is what I'm working on for a very special Christmas present for my friend of 40 years(!) Ulp!

A year or two ago, after hearing that I was trying to re-fashion older, thrift-store textiles into new and interesting
items, R sent me a well-loved grey wool sweater that had been her father's (now deceased).

She sent it, hoping that it could be useful to me in some way, but with the caveat that I was not to 'just hang onto it' for the sake of nostalgia, since she, herself, could no longer justify storing it as it was.

I wanted to make something wonderful out of it for her...something that would honor and preserve its 'essence' in some way, while making it useful again.

After I made the triangular bag, I realized what I wanted to do with this sweater. I fulled it in the washing machine, then drafted a pattern for a bag with sides, in a smaller, slightly rectangular shape.

I needle-felted a lovely variegated aqua roving onto it, then made designs with purple pencil-roving, then wet-felted it.

It's drying now and I hope to sew it together tomorrow.

I'm going to make a purple handle (like the one on the triangular purse), and will re-attach the original "100% Pure Shetland Wool" label from the sweater for sentimental purposes.
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