Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid!

                              
                                          I spent a few weeks in Spain, recently...

                                            ...and got to visit a lot of museums! 

                                         Some of them didn't permit photography...

                                                                    ...drat...

                    ...but some of the time I wanted nothing to come between me...

                                                  ...and all of this incredible art.

                 These photos are from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid...

                                    ...and they're some of my colorful favorites! 

Machine-Quilted Drawstring Purse- Part 5

Removing the foam strips from the drawstring channels...

                                           ...and blocking the purse for drying.

                                               Lengths of printed cotton fabric...

                                            ...are fed through a bias tape maker...

                                                      ...folded in half, ironed...

                                                  ...and then machine stitched...

                                                       ...to form drawstrings.

                                                  The bag is turned inside-out...

                                       ...for easier access to the casing openings...

                                              ...and the drawstrings are inserted.

                                                         The finished purse...

                                                     ...is quite a vibrant color...

                                    ...and the machine-stitched embellishments...

                                           ...remain visible on the felted surface.

                     With its vaguely Victorian appearance and wristlet closure...

                              ...this purse can function either as an evening bag...

                                      ...or as a hideaway for special 'somethings'. :)

Machine-Quilted Drawstring Purse- Part 4

Mid-way through felting...

                                       ...the silk and wool are beginning to 'fuse'...

                                             ...and the bag is starting to shrink.

               Care is taken to retain the foam resists in their drawstring channels...

                                                     ...and the interior pocket.

                             When it's safe to do so, the pocket resist is removed...

                                                    ...and the felting continues.

                                                     A final fulling of the purse.

                                                Next time: the bag is completed...

                              ...using handmade drawstrings sewn from bias tape.

Machine-Quilted Drawstring Purse- Part 3

Fashioning a template for the bag bottom...

                                   ...and cutting it from the reserved nuno pre-felt.

                                                 Pinning the base all around...

                                           ...and machine stitching it into place.

                             Inserting a bubble-wrap resist into the purse cavity...

                                 ...to keep the front and back from felting together.

                                           Wetting out the bag with soapy water.

                                                             Felting begins.

                                 Next time: the bag begins to shrink and take shape.

Machine-Quilted Drawstring Purse- Part 2

Reserving a piece of embellished nuno pre-felt...

...for the bottom of the bag...

                                         ...and fashioning the remaining scraps...

                                                  ...into a pocket-sized piece.

                                    Folding over the tops of each side of the bag...

                                                        ...to judge casing size...

                                     ...and centering the pocket over a foam resist.

                                       Pinning and stitching the pocket into place.

                                                  Sewing the casing channels...

                                     ...with a narrow length of foam pre-felt inside...

                                           ...to maintain patency during felting.

                                  Clipping the front and back of the bag together...

                                                     ..with the wrong sides out...

                                                      ...and sewing up the sides.

                           Next time: the bottom is fashioned and stitched into place...

                                                         ...and felting begins!