Making the Purse

I find sewing to be a great leveller emotionally. Especially when I'm making something I've never made before. It's so absorbing I don't think about: work, the referendum, friends who are having marital problems.

I've wanted to make purses for years and have never got round to it. I bought an empty kit from U-handbag, which provides the pattern, the padding and interfacing and frame, but nothing else. I have so many scraps of leftover fabric it's ideal, I thought, I can make lots of purses! 

So reading the instructions is crucial. When it says, "Use lots of pins," it really meant it, but of course sewing the first side I didn't use lots of pins and it was really fiddly. I tacked the second side and that was easier, and the third side I used lots of pins and that worked a treat.

See, more pins.

The most difficult part was gluing the fabric to the frame. I did it late-ish at night. I could easily have researched the best way to do it online, or even watched a U-Tube clip, but I just bashed ahead, got covered in glue, SWORE at the purse (I always know a situation has deteriorated when I swear at inanimate objects (or Phyllis, our chicken)) and was thoroughly ANNOYED with the whole thing by the time Hagos arrived home from a gig.

If you ignore the glue on the frame, which will apparently come off, it isn't so bad. And I've LEARNED a few valuable insights for next time.

I love this time of year. The changing of the seasons. I love slightly cooler weather. I don't mind smirry rain. I love the colour of the leaves, the hoards of blue tits in the garden, Mr Pheasant who comes for his breakfast to the hen house every morning (no sign of Mrs, masters and misses Pheasant this year?), having a hot water bottle in bed at night, the hens going to bed earlier and coming home to light a log fire and cosying up on the couch and reading a book, and knitting, and spending time with friends and family. And looking forward to Cider Making, and Halloween, and Bonfire Night, and my friend Lynsey's birthday, and going to the Country Living Christmas Fair in Glasgow at the end of November, and having quite a lot of time off in December and Christmas and New Year. And all of my sewing projects and knitting projects and all of the books I want to read.

I have been feeling unsettled in the approach to the referendum on Thursday. I felt I had just got into a good rhythm with work (dropping a day) and it being much less frantic for me, and feeling I have much more head space and energy as a result and the work/life balance finally balanced. And wanting to live a peaceful, productive life where I can enjoy all of the above. And now there is an important decision to make. And I have much more research to do (trying to find actual answers without spin or someone else's agenda attached) and worrying about the impact and repercussions of a Yes or a No vote. Not wanting it to have a negative impact on Scotland or England.

So, over the next few days I plan to start work on a proper patchwork quilt. It's another project I've been wanting to do for a while and have never attempted. I don't have the patience to do hexagonals - oh no! For my first quilt I plan to do blocks of rectangles (probably 8x4") from all the leftover fabric I have. So the quilt will be made up of material I've used to make other things. I plan to make it for our bed, but I'd also like a quilt for the couch. I have sourced the wadding and will then just have to decide on the backing material and the bias binding. A long term project.

Purses

I have cut out the outer fabric for the Fortune Cookie Clutch purse. Tomorrow I'm hoping to cut out the lining, interfacing and fleece. I'm looking forward to getting to the gluing stage.