Diamond challenge

In June the Embroiderers' Guild of South Australia celebrates its 60th Anniversary. As part of the celebration all members were given a square of pink silk with which we were challenged to make something. The results will be part of a Diamond Anniversary display in July. 

Around the same time as I collected my square, several months ago, my (cheap) black silk lipstick holder frayed and I got the idea of remaking it with the pink silk. I got as far as taking the lipstick holder apart last year, but then other projects took over. After the Evil Eye mandalas, I thought the pink silk time had come.

I cut my silk square in two and joined the halves into a long strip, slightly wider than the lipstick container, and mounted  it on some old sheeting so I could place it in a hoop. I used Madeira silk thread and stitched through the backing sheet as well as the silk.

I marked a series of diamond shapes by hand, in pencil, on the section of the silk that corresponded to the curved part of the holder. I kept to colours I already had in the pink range with a bit of gold for good measure.

I began with long and short stitch, but switched to satin stitch when I couldn't get it smooth enough. It still looks rough.

The embroidery, however, was the easy part. 

I had kept the dismantled original lipstick holder, opened out (unfortunately I didn't think to photograph it) and wrapped the silk around it. This meant folding narrow hems, pinning and then stitching with machine thread. Inside the original black silk was a metal cylinder and cardboard frame.

I had trimmed a bit too closely at one end,  but managed to compensate with the excess at the other end.

I had allowed for a couple of strips to cover the ends. 

These needed to be folded in to cover the inside. I stitched the outside, but used half a velcro spot to anchor the inside component as getting a needle in there was impossible.

I had not originally thought to embroider the lid, but it looked out of place, so I used the last strip of silk. 

Working on such a small piece was a bit tricky.  I pinned and tacked before 

holding it in my hand to embroider more diamonds, then appliqueing  it to the lid.

The original fastening was an embedded stud. the male half of which was missing. I thought of working around it but in the end took the remaining half out and devised a wrap-around cord, with a shell end that is secured through an embroidered loop.

It's a bit strange. I don't think I can call it a thing of beauty and it is nowhere near stitching perfection. 

It uses the silk, has diamonds and is ready for the challenge. More important to me, it challenged me beyond an obligation to the Guild. I do feel obliged to contribute, but this also holds a lipstick, recycles a container, uses every last bit of the silk fabric and will go in a handbag after July, satisfying my personal creative drive.