Progress Report

We have a clump of Columbine that grows by the front door every spring. They are a delightful way to begin and end the working day. And they look especially good against the new house color.

Here are two new clutch bags designed and made by Melissa of 100 Billion Stars, using a vintage Sassaman fabric and the "Jack"design from the current Sunshine and Shadow line. They are sturdy enough to carry a note pad, your check book and credit cards. I like the way she matched the design of the Jack-in-the-Pulpit on the front flap.

The strong snap also adds to their practicality. Her choice for the lining is nice, too. It is much easier to find something against a light color, plus the inner fabric adds to the optimistic attitude of these fun bags.

I have devoted a little time this week to play with my new digitized embroidery motifs. This is an idea that I have been dreaming of for years... creating an embroidered fabric to cut in appliqued pieces and enhancing the background fabric with embroidery. I am very happy with this simple experiment, as it does just what I had hoped.

In this case, I used the spiral design, which I altered directly in my 730 Bernina. Then I stitched out several spirals by rehooping a few times. I also tried some different kinds of threads. The leaves were cut from another embroidered piece. Each layer of the quilt became more exciting. The fabric, the surface and the texture can all be enhanced by this extra thread work. My head is reeling with all the possibilities!