Time for a catch-up

 Many years ago, I created the pattern for a small zipper bag.  It has been most useful over the years.  It's proven an excellent way to test techniques,  but I often have no need to keep the samples.  It uses left over quilted fabric pieces, and can also be used with bits and pieces of older quilted pieces that I have decided to trash.  Instead of throwing them out, I cut them up  to make the basic bag.  For many years I worked craft shows and art shows, and found that these bags had  a ready audience, and served as "bread and butter" pieces that often paid enough to cover my booth rental.  I've probably made a couple of hundred over the years. More recently I've been selling them in the gift shop of a local art gallery.

Often, while sitting in my booth at shows, I take along some hand work, to use as a conversation piece with potential customers.  The very first bag I ever made would go along to hold my tools.  Frequently, some customers would ask for a bag exactly like this first one. As the fabric and design for each bag is one of a kind, I was never able to provide.  Besides, the very first one was special, and I wanted to keep it special for myself.  

This first bag started as a "ghost" print made during a printing session with friends, and started with some very pale yellow marks, on a white background.  During the recent printing marathon that I described in a recent post another pale yellow print on yellow was created.  I decided to see if I could actually re-create that first bag.

I didn't want it to be exactly like the first one, so only stamped two dragon flies on each side rather than the three.  I also knew that if I were to bead it, and sell it, I wouldn't have any profit, as I would have had to purchase at least two different types of beads.  So, no beads.  First I darkened areas of the fabric with Distress ink ( colour--Faded Burlap),  Then I spritzed it with Walnut ink.  Finally I stamped on the dragon Flies.  I think the result was worth the effort.  I made three of them, and one is now for sale at the Gift Shop.

I have made many of them over the years, using many, many different techniques.  I use them to hold the tools of the many techniques I practice.  Below you can see the original along with one made with Shibori  Fabric, one  of needle felted commercial felt, and one a hand dye.