Checking this UFO off the list!
One of my Make Nine 2020 goals was to complete a UFO [unfinished object]... I had many to choose from, to be sure. Since the soothing, repetitive nature of hand stitching has become a mental salvation from the news grind about Covid-19, this kantha stitching project was easily revived from the UFO pile.
So this is my seventh Make Nine 2020 UFO finish—a kantha and decorative stitched zipper bag.
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| Kantha and hand stitching zipper bag. |
Kantha stitching and hand embroidery
This piece was started sometime in 2018 with the hand embroidered Sunshine Girl. My fabric of choice for hand stitching is a yarn-dyed woven from Diamond Textiles. Over the span of 2+ years, the kantha stitching slowly filled the background areas, using up random, single strands of colored embroidery floss. The needle effortlessly glided through this yarn-dyed fabric to create lines of multi-colored dashes and texture.
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| Filling the background with kantha hand stitching. |
When Little Miss Sunshine was finally completed, I wasn't sure what to do with her... a pillow? a small table topper? a wall hanging?
Better yet, something more functional... for every day use: a zippered project bag.
Complementing hand stitching with decorative machine stitching
Now, the Little Miss Sunshine bag needed a second side. For this, I took quilt blocks from last year's 100 Days 100 Blocks project and patchwork bits made with Diamond Textile's yarn-dyes and pieced them together. This patchwork was thread embellished by machine with 12 wt Spagetti thread from WonderFil Threads and the built-in decorative stitches on my sewing machine. It was fun to experiment with the decorative stitch patterns!
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| Auditioning decorative stitches and thread colors. |
The pieces were then ready for bag assembly...
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| Pieces ready for bag assembly. |
Inside lining with pockets
Pockets were included in the lining (a floral print from the Charleston collection from Art Gallery Fabrics)—with a 3-step zigzag stitch to coincide with the outside.
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| Pockets with decorative stitching in the bag's lining. |
Zipper installation
The instructions from Sam Hunter's Chunky Wee Zippy Pouch pattern and a zipper pouch tutorial from Noodlehead helped with the zipper installation.
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| 12 wt Spagetti thread [WonderFil Threads] for decorative stitching. |
The finished bag is approximately 12.5" x 13" and has a boxed bottom.
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| Zipper bag: Kantha hand stitched side. |
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| Zipper bag: Machine pieced side with decorative machine stitching. |
A completed UFO for a WIP [work in progress].
Check one more item off the (loooong) UFO list.
