More Stitching

My canvas work has continued more or less unabated over the last few weeks. I finally managed to finish the Bargello pattern I was working on. Here it is.

I am still not sure what to do with it now. My original idea was to make a loose frame, at least on the sides, using driftwood, so it could hang on a wall. Unfortunately I have not yet found suitable pieces of wood – not that I have tried very hard. Will need to go on more beach walks.

However I have completed my other project. This was to make sleeve covers with a stitched insert, for notebooks for my daughters Emma and Elena. I ended up doing three as one of Emma's pals, Arlene, wanted one too. The inserts were done on 18 count Aida fabric, using two strands of DMC cotton thread. Here are the inserts on their own.

The next stage and the more difficult one was to work out how to get them into a book jacket. For this I consulted an old, or rather long established friend, Gill, for advice. Gill was a book binder, before she retired, so I reckoned she would know what to do. As indeed she did. She also very kindly gave me three sheets of buckram cloth for the jackets. Making a book cover was not as easy as Gill made it sound, though I did manage in the end. Not exactly fine art, they will serve their purpose. Here are the finished notebooks.


Now that I have started a new career as a book binder, or at least, a maker of shoddy book jackets, I may well continue as I am now the proud owner of a rotary cutter, a cutting mat and a metal ruler. Need to put them to regular use. My next stitching project though is to make door plates for my three grandsons. Again the idea is use driftwood and glue the stitched canvas on to it. Really must get out on the beaches soon.