BLOG 103

The Jacobean panels are bound and ready to hang. You perhaps view them as decorative pieces of work; I see them as years of aspiration, months upon months of slog and a sense of relief that I have got them out of my system! That said, I am very proud at what I have achieved.

                    Dual Image Jacobean

And don’t you just love this picture. That’s where you like to have your man, at the working end of a vacuum cleaner!!

 

                                                             Blot on the landscape!

MEMORABILIA BOX Part 4 Constructing the box

1 Find the outer base and the outer sides. Check to see if there is a directional print on your fabric and position them accordingly.

                              Outer base and sides

And here’s yet more proof that batting is magnetic to cats!

                                          Wussy Pillow

2 Place one side WS down onto the WS of the base, making sure that the corners are matching. Hold them together with a couple of pegs.

                                  Side onto base

 3 Using a matching thread and concealed stitches, sew the outer sides to the outer base. I hold it firmly in my left hand as seen below and use a ladder stitch to pull the side together.

                                     Sewing position

The card is quite thick so aim to get the stitches into the inside edges (the edges of the card that are touching) of the card to conceal them;

                                   Inside edge

The ladder stitch crosses horizontally to pull the sides together and then travels underneath the fold of the fabric for about ¼” (even smaller if you can manage it!), ready to cross over again. Pull it firmly without distorting the fabric and add extra stitches at the corner to secure them.

                       Ladder stitch

4 Sew the sides in sequence around the base and then sew up the vertical sides to form the structure of the box.

                                         Corner

5 Take the fabric for the hinge (20” x 4”). Join the short sides, iron the seams open and turn it so the RS it on the outside. Add small dots of glue onto the WS to hold the layers together.

                                            Hinge fabric

6 Add stronger glue to one of the longer sides of the box, to a depth of 2” and the width of the hinge. Stick the hinge so 2” extends over the top edge of the side.

                                       Hinge and base

Use strong glue to stick the base lining into the bottom of the box.

Add strong glue to the side linings and stick then in place. Wipe away any glue that is visible along the top edges and hold them in place with pegs until they are firmly stuck.

                                      Add the lining

We’ll finish this off in the next blog. I hope some of you are having a go.
After putting up the Gresford Exhibition, I’m off to Loch Lomond until Saturday, so fingers crossed for good weather, monster sightings and no midges!