Hanka Robertson’s Drawstring Purse from Piecework magazine.

I wanted to stitch this as soon as I saw it in the Autumn 2025 Piecework magazine. Hanka Robertson has adapted old costumes and Slavic pattern magazines to come up with this drawstring purse.  I loved the shape, the primary colours and the association with folk embroidery. I didn’t want to interrupt my run of embroidered craft bags, but I did want embroidered this.

I’m not a huge fan of Aida, but could see immediately that this one would look good stitched on it, although the instructions specified 28 count linen. I thought I had a supply of Aida. I was wrong. I needed more DMC stranded thread for the Kasia Jacquot bags, so visited Create in Stitch for the thread and also bought two packs of Aida - one cream, one black - all they had. 

As a break from the Jacquot embroidery, I marked up the cream Aida for the Robertson design.

It sat for a bit before I took a break from the Jacquot bags, mounted the Aida in a hoop and got to work. I began with the red and worked mostly half-cross stitches, enough outlines to keep me correctly oriented and able to repeat motifs.

It was surprisingly slow work. There are a lot of stitches in a relatively small space. Our recent heatwave gave me the indoor hours needed to finish the colourwork.

However, the pattern demanded every segment be outlined in black perle 12,  and that took considerable time.

Another 47C day provided the opportunity. I spent the best part of the day outlining the centre pattern. The following day, a mere 40C, I spent reading and only completed the inner border outline in the evening while listening to the television.

That was probably a mistake. It is surprisingly difficult to accurately stitch an outline on Aida, harder, I suspect, than on linen. The structure of Aida makes it easy to miss the hole and split the fabric. There is a section of the border where I’ve missed the hole several times over a couple of inches - no doubt checking the screen rather than the embroidery. I’m not planning on correcting it. 

So here’s the complete block finished . The outlining was worth the effort, pushing the pattern forward.

That left two rows of cross stitch for the ribbon casing and one for the top edge - all requiring an outline below and above.  Very little of this was achievable in the hoop, so hand- holding required. 

I found a suitable lining fabric and cut it to size before washing and blocking the embroidery. I was hoping the process would soften the Aida, but I was disappointed. 

 Since the ribbon casing needed to be stitched to the backing in order to form the casing, it seemed more sensible to stitch the black outline on the machine. That required a slow and steady pace. The result was not as neat as hand-stitching as can be seen here, but was, I  think, the right decision. 

The casing also required two insertion points for the ribbon, one on either side.

I machined the lining into  a bag, inserted it and stitched the 

top edge to the Aida on the inside.

I used the whole piece of Aida, making the bag more rectangular rather the one in Piecework. I think that's OK. I do want the bag to be useful, Perhaps I should bave centred it vertically, but it's not critical.

While the pattern used red ribbon for the cord,  I thought it called for a twisted cord. I made two, with a strand of each of the colours. 

Some red tassels from a workshop came in handy.  The cords could be a heavier, but I am not replacing them.

The stiffness of the Aida does not really suit a drawstring. It won't tighten more than in the photo. It is a good, strong bag, and will, I'm sure, find it's purpose in life and spread cheer. I'm happy to have created it.

Marta bag

 

I chose Marta as my next bag in this series of Kasia Jacquot panels on Semco craft bags, partly because I was looking forward to working on the cheery green fabric, and partly because I wanted the contrast of the black bag. I had worked the design before but couldn’t remember the palette I had used, and didn’t look it up.

I used the Kasia colour palette as a basis, but substituted a brighter pink and a darker purple. I had both handy and thought I’d just go a bit brighter.

The colours contrast rather than blend. It has no match that I know of in the real world, but I quite like my cheery fantasy flowers.

Kasia’s example gives the leaves a small brown vein where they join the stem. I intended to put it in but forgot to go back and add it. I think it’s OK as it is.

I’m pleased with the result. pink is not usually my thing, but I find this bold and uplifting.

I ironed it when the embroidery was finished, turned under a hem, debating in my head whether to embroider the hem as well as stitch it. I inclined to embroider it. 

That was firmed up after I’d machined it on, and got a couple of inches out of line. I unpicked the couple of inches, embroidered it down and continued all the way around.

Again, I’m pleased with it and have hung it with the others.

My Kasia Jacquot bag stash

The Aurora bag was the seventh I have completed from the Kasia Jacquot printed panels I accumulated, either as kits or simple panels, paired with Semco craft bags purchased from Spotlight. (Ania, Veronka2, Eve, Marta, Stanley Veronka1). I have given two away, and will no doubt do the same with the remainder. At the moment one of them holds my remaining Kasia Jacquot purchases awaiting attention (photo below),

I don't often get the iron out, so while I had it out to iron the Aurora bag I ironed the remaining panels and their designated bags, spreading them out on the table to dry.

I had to spray them with water in addition to using the steam iron in order to get out the creases. 

These are the 8 waiting to be stitched and constructed. The green one is in a hoop waiting to be embroidered. It marks half-way. 

Now they are dry, they are rolled and stashed in a bag, along with a couple of Stick and Stitch kits.

What, you will ask, is she going to do with 15 bags? A question to which I don’t have a definite answer. I will give them away, either as gifts, or to a cause. I wasn’t motivated by a target market. I love the panels - the designs, colours, creativity, and I love stitching them. I also think bags are useful and might as well be attractive.  Who wouldn't want one?

Oh, and if the unlikely happens, and I get bored with stitching these, I still have enough Ink and Spindle fabric for 20 more tote bags cut out ready to stitch. 

Better get on with it.

Aurora Bag

I got going on the Aurora embroidery almost as soon as I finished Ania. When you're on a good thing.... 

I worked the outside border and thick brown stems first, going along with the stitch suggestion of herringbone. I had some variegated thread - purple through to brown - which I used on the border, reverting to plain brown for the stems.

One example for this design shows the leaves stitched in a light green thread over both underneath colours. I liked the idea and tried it. 

I'm pleased with the result. I used two different light green threads, the limey one sparingly.

Again, I rejoice in the way the colours and use of 6 strands give dimension to the piece and make stitching so interesting and rewarding.

 I ironed and pinned it to the chosen bag as soon as it was finished. deciding to stay with the whole piece rather than reduce it. The uneven shape and corner decoration seemed to demand space.

 

I'm a bit inclined to add a herringbone border around the edge of the panel, but for now I'm pressing on with another panel and bag. I have another Aurora panel to play with, so might work it out between the two resulting bags.

Ania Bag

At the end of my last post, I had begun this embroidery, Ania, on my way to another bag. As I mentioned, Kasia Jacquot hasc sold off the last of her coloured linen panels and has moved on to  Stick and Stitch versions of her designs.

I have bought the Stick and Stitch version of Ania with a view to embroidering a top to go with the orange pants I embroidered. As you can see, there is a vast difference between the colourways.  I decided to largely stick with the original printed colours.

I also decided, however, to use a variegated approach on the leaves - a variant introduced in some of her examples. (The teal colour below is the accurate one!)

I enjoyed  all of this one. They are such clever designs to stitch. The stitches themselves are routine and familiar, but you have to keep thinking about colour, stitch choice, alternatives, density. Nothing is to be taken for granted - and they are designed that way. 

The result is highly textured - and rich.

I had intended this to be added to a blue Semco craft bag, in the same way previous panels had been added to similar bags, so ironed and pinned it accordingly.

I wasn't sure though. 

I tried folding it into a pouch. While I liked the way this displays the stitching up close, I was worried the same stitching would not stand the wear it would get when the pouch was used.

I tried it folded smaller and reflecting the shape, placing it straight and angled.

In the end, I settled for the smaller version placed straight in the centre, machined it on and ironed it again.

At the moment this is my favourite of the Kasia Jacquot bags I've made so far. The embroidery pops. While the bag will be used, I feel the embroidery is less likely to get in the way of it than it would have on the pouch, and somehow the smaller format draws attention to the embroidery more directly.

Next I think I'll tackle Aurora.

Another Veronka bag

 

Kasia Jacquot is moving away from designs printed in colour on linens. Her latest focus is on stick and stitch versions of her designs.I’ve bought a couple of those to try, but it was her colour-printed linens that first drew me to her work, when I saw a couple of them tin the Art Gallery shop during the Radical Textile exhibition. As part of her shift to stick and stitch she had a sale of the coloured linens and I bought some. Enough, in fact, to keep bags flowing for a while.

I mounted this one up at the end of November to give myself a break from knitting. It is the Veronka pattern I had embroidered back in March. I used a snap frame so I could see the whole square design. 

I didn't get far with it as Christmas demand took over.

On New Year’s Day, having finished my knitting project, I returned to it. I was short of a few of her preferred threads, and Create in Stitch was closed for a well-deserved holiday break, so I substituted. 

I've been mounting each finished panel on a suitably coloured Semco cotton craft bag from Spotlight. I store each panel with its intended bag, but I didn't find one with this panel, so when I discovered they were on sale at Spotlight, I paid a visit and stocked up. I also bought a few replacement threads. Of course, later the same day I found the missing bag tucked into a pouch!  I think, however, the white one in the new batch is a better match than the original calico I chose.

The snap frame worked but the plastic screws on my wooden sitting stands have all worn. Even with plumbers’ tape they need constant tightening. I worked the centre heart, then the lower flowers, followed by the side ones, adding a few dashes of yellow on the leaves and the last of the dots. I really love the pattern, the colours and the texture.

I took it out of the frame to finish the edging. As well as the outer row of running stitch I  caught the herringbone down with the same over the crosses.

It has been a pleasure to stitch, a variety of stitches, colours and shapes that change as layers are added, but not large enough to become repetitive or boring.

I machined the finished panel on to the bag: stronger, I think, than hand stitching.

This is the finished bag, before ironing. I will leave that until I have several finished bags - or something else needing ironing.

Until then, it is folded up  as it will eventually be as a  shopping bag.

Meanwhile, I have started on the next one, Ania.