Quaker Kingfisher Bag.

I bought this kit when the Quaker Museum in Kendel, Cumbria, closed in December last year. I already had two other untouched kits I had bought there while visiting in 2019 or 2018. When I finished the Balvraid Hap I decided it was time I tackled all three. I began with the Kingfisher.

All three kits feature a figure from one of the embroidered panels of Quaker History on display at the Museum. These can still be viewed once a week.

The fabric provided in the kit is the woollen cloth specially woven for the Quaker Tapestry project. It comes with a cotton backing fabric, and the method of transferring the pattern is the same in all three kits: you use an iron-on transfer pencil to trace the design on to the cotton backing, place the wool behind the cotton and stem stitch around the outline through both layers, using the Appleton's wool provided and keeping to the colours on the illustration.

It's a relatively cumbersome  technique, in a world where we are accustomed to designs printed on to fabric, but the wool would certainly not take print, and this works.

The design requires thread painting, and I found myself with quite a few hanging threads in order to achieve the effect. As long as I left the threads on the right side of the work this presented no problem and it progressed quite quickly.

The final touch is scattering drops of water around the bird as it rises from the water with its catch.

I thought I had bought a pack of the fabric, but can't find it. I had hoped to use it as backing to turn this into a bag. I visited the Hand Spinners and Weavers' Guild Shop to see if they had anything similar, but was out of luck. 

While the design did not allow me to simply fold the edges in to make a small bag, I was able to cut a strip from the bottom and insert it to achieve the same. I could then fold over the top edge and line it with green watery batik.

After discussion with Veronica, I decided to add a cord so it can be worn as a cross-body bag. After testing the cords I had, I made a twisted cord from lengths of 6 of the colours in the embroidery.

Also in consultation with Veronica, I made a loop and added a button. The cord can be stored inside the bag if not required.

I'm somewhat surprised how well this has turned out. I'm not sure who will use it, but it does, I think, justice to the Quaker designers. It isn't large, but will accommodate a phone and purse, or a small project.

A really satisfying finish.