Autumnal Shopping Bag

Description

Painted in metallic, warm, autumn colours, this unique bag is about the size of a supermarket 'green bag' but so much more. It features variegated quilting on the navy fabric between metallic painted areas, and is lined and padded.

Description: This bag is unique. All four sides feature abstract shapes in metallic paints, embroidered with quilting, on a navy background. There is a large internal pocket.

Technique: Draw lots of curved lines in disappearing pencil on a length of fabric. Using acrylic fabric paint, fill most of the areas, leaving the navy fabric to peak through as borders and open spaces, which took me at least 4 hours. Iron once dry, to fix the paint. Create a quilt sandwich (top, wadding, lining). Free-motion quilt around the outlines, using a multicoloured thread, then fill the navy spaces with different free-motion stitching. Free-motion embroidery/quilting means that I use the needle as one would a pencil to draw shapes, without any restrictions to sew in a particular direction. Trim and make in to a bag, inserting a pocket, and with a decorative embroidery pattern on the handles.

Bag

Details: The bag is all cotton, including the thread and wadding. It is about 34 cm high x 34 cm wide x 15.5 cm deep, measured on the outside. The pocket is 19 cm high x 26 cm wide. The handles are 47 cm long and 4 cm wide. Cold wash is recommended, and dry in the shade. The price you pay, minus packing and shipping, will be donated to WIRES, the Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service.