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.