Omiyage Pumpkin?

      

It was fatal looking in the Omiyage  book that I mentioned in my last post. Two days of demented stitching has produced this little bag that a Japanese lady might keep her tea making equipment in. It looks very seasonal - like a carved pumpkin .  I think this was down to the fabric I chose, a lovely print from South Africa which I bought from a visit to Beecrafty in Ellington ( thank you Sarah). I think the little fan print looks oriental -  anyway - its a Japanese bag made with South African fabric and it was a challenge to make.

This is the bottom view all squishy and puffy.

And this is some of the 150 pieces that went into the making of it. It wasn't until I started cutting that I realised just how complex it was and all hand sewn.

This week's Emb.Guild. was a fantastic mini workshop on Kantha with Libby Smith who generously shared some of her work with us. Kantha is lovely but I was also inspired by a little handmade book she had brought along. I am currently into combining it with a bookbinding method that Laura Kemshall demonstrated on DMTV last week and hopefully I can come up with a piece done in my own style but sparked off by two great textilers. I'm saying nothing about the work I should be doing, but I am going along with Gina's idea of  'thinking time'.