Thursday dawned grey and gloomy and my mood with it. My “get up and go” seemed to have forgotten to get up with me . . . My brain just could not get beyond working out which letters were ‘e’s on the morning’s “code word” puzzle . . .And I didn’t dare even take a teeny glance at the morning’s News Headlines: more gloom, doom and despondency.Then my eyes alighted on the “making” task that I had finished the previous night. The completed drawstring bags just needed cords to tie them. Ahah! Perfect! I shall go out to buy cords. Fresh air and a walk. Maybe pop into a cafe for a bite of lunch?
Meanwhile I was reflecting on this World of ours and the tendency for so much destruction on the one hand with so much creation on the other. It never ceases to amaze me when I survey works-of-art created by architects, artists, textile workers, authors and dancers. So much imagination. So much patience. And, yes, so much creativity. My latest project took me weeks and weeks but it was so satisfying.
At the May meeting of Southend Seaside Stitchers, Gwen introduced us to traditional Japanese rice bags and led a workshop to enable us to create our own. Now a rice bag is essentially created out of scrap fabric.The maker pieced together whatever fabric was left over in the house to make a bag to carry offerings of rice to the temple. Known as Komebukuro, a traditional bag had a square base with a drawstring tie. We stitched bags with a circular base following Gwen’s instructions. First we pieced a patchwork of scraps onto a backing fabric then we stitched it down, using decorative running stitches. I mentioned to Gwen that I had several balls of “sari silk ribbon” in my stash and she suggested weaving the ribbon to create my fabric for the bags. The sense of achievement on producing something from nothing, as it were, is amazing!

Follow