Waratah Shoulder Bag

Description

The Waratah, Telopea speciosissima, is the state flower of NSW. This waratah is developed from a photograph I took in the Blue Mountains. Telopea means 'seen from afar', and is perfect for these large flowers. This bag is a one-of-a-kind – I will not make the same again. The price you pay, minus packing and shipping, will be donated to WIRES, the Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service.

Techniques: The plant was traced on to black fabric, then painted with metallic fabric paint. The paint was sealed with a hot iron. Then cotton wadding and a backing (lining) fabric were added and quilted. After outlining the leaves and flower with free-motion quilting in black thread, the background was filled with eucalypt leaves in the upper half and waratah or banksia leaves in the lower half also in black thread. The back was sandwiched with wadding, and free-motion quilted with leafy vines in green thread. The quilting can be seen on both sides of the front and the back.

Construction: The bag is made of cotton – fabric, wadding and threads – with just the paint being an acrylic. The handles have the same sandwich of wadding and fabric to make them comfortable when held in the hand or hung from the shoulder. The handles have a decorative embroidery along their length. The lining is printed fabric – gumnuts for the front lining and ferns for the back lining.

Measurements: The bag, on the outside, is 32 x 30.5 cm. The handles are 4 x 47 cm.

Laundry: Wash in cold water, and dry in the shade. The bag may be ironed, on a cotton setting.