Maccabags!: Nikki's Bag

Snapping photos and wrapping bags for shipping today....

My sister-in-law recently visited her friend in Hong Kong - and brought me back some embroidered stretch-denim fabric with a request to make two bags. So I made a large tote and a matching small purse for each.

Yesterday, the first tote bag and its matching flex-opening purse went off to my sister-in-law in France; today the other tote and a small straight clasp frame bag** are getting ready to go off to s-i-l's friend in HK.

** Well, sort of. The big bag is being packed up. And will be shipped tomorrow. L'il Bag and I - we had an argument, and I lost. These clasps get glued on, see, and who was to know what would be enough glue and what wouldn't? Directions said "liberal" and "liberal" I did - and although the excess part of "liberal" comes off the metal clasp - if it gets on the fabric, it's curtains - 'cause it sticks like glue! So now I have to make another, which I will ship to Nikki when it's done. Sod's Law ("Sod" in the UK, 'Murphy' where I come from) says that if you wreck one clasp bag, you will discover that the only other clasp you have is silver - that won't do. So, I will have to order some more clasps, and redefine "liberal". I have enough denim fabric left over to have a second try. Sigh.

Big and Little. This fabric was great to work with.

My first attempt at a straight clasp fastener. It looks OK, but I know it's not. Just where purse meets frame there's a bit which looks like the denim is a bit distressed. It's not - that's glue. It's me what's DISTRESSED. No more of this lining material left, either - which is the same as I used in the big bag.

A closer look at the hardware.

Now: listen up.

Nikki (that's one-bag-now-and-one-bag-later Nikki) and Lesley (Nikki's mum) teach embroidery all over the world, and have co-authored a book called Just Stitch. This book, photos from which follow, contains the most gorgeous embroidery - but even thinking about trying it intimidates the bejeezes out of me. See what I mean:

The cover. There's a link below to an online store where you can buy.

A gorgeous butterfly. Also beetles, African grasshoppers, ladybugs, bumblebees and snails.....

Pastel passion flower, heather, African daisies and Gerbera are just some of many flowers which are in the book... all beautiful.

(This book also has 7 pages of best-I've-seen illustrations of stitches used).

My sister-in-law brought me a copy of this brilliant book - but I wondered where it might be available and I found it for sale online here. I also looked on Amazon (UK) who said that the book was not available, BUT - they list a different Lesley and Nikki book - available for pre-order: Embroidered Flora and Fauna: Three Dimensional Textured Embroidery.

This isn't embroidery - it's ART!