Chapter 12 - Final project: Functional, 3 Dimensional Embroidered Item

At long last I am nearing the end of Module 2. :) Today I put the final touches to my functional, 3 dimensional embroidered item - a bag.
The shape of my bag was based on a section of the shell of the tortoise I sketched earlier, the details and thought processes described in previous posts.

Below are a few images of the bag under construction.

 Embroidered fabrics adhered to pelmet Vilene using Bondaweb. Unbleached cotton bondawebbed to backs of front and back of bag.

Straps in progress. It was interesting to see how much shorter the straps became the more I knotted the strips of fabric together. I made each knot with 4 to 5 twists.

Completed bag, with gussets, free machine corded edging at top, and knotted strips of frayed fabric for straps:

Front of bag

Back of bag

Gusset edge with straps applied

"Embroidered Purses, Design & Technique" by Linda Tudor was invaluable in helping me work out an approach to making my bag, something I had never done before. Ms Tudor offers a number of different bag constructions, from which I chose her bag with gussets as my model.

Authenticating photograph of me adding finishing touches to bag!

References:

*Embroidered Purses, Linda Tudor

*Strip Patchwork, Valerie Campbell-Harding

*Machine Embroidery: Stitch Techniques, Val Campbell-Harding & Pam Watts

*Blackwork Embroidery, Margaret Pascoe

*Blackwork, Becky Hogg

*The Machine Embroiderer's Workbook, Val Holmes

*Shibori for Textile Artists, Janice Gunner