Tomorrow is my birthday, so I am taking a moment to reflect on projects that went just right. I’m generally happy with my work, but every once in a while the planets align and the result is better than I hoped.
In my early twenties I had a pair of jeans I loved, except that they were just a little too short. I added some length in the form of orange wire-edged ribbon, a beloved article from my stash, and miraculously, it worked! Even a professor who didn’t typically comment on such things said he liked them.
They are with me no more, though for the lovely reason that they are now too big, so I do not have a picture and must turn to more recent successes.
I adore brocade. It’s so rich! And so difficult to use for anything. However, I wanted a purse to go with a brown dress, and had brown and gold brocade at hand. My grandmother’s button box was in the closet and the two came together to make a perfect envelope clutch:
It is fully lined with an inner pocket. This picture shows the true look of the fabric better, too.
Perfect projects need not be self-designed, though that is a bonus. I wanted a hobo bag to take to Germany, and McCall’s M4400, in brocade again, came out exactly as I desired:
I didn’t technically have enough fabric to make the bag, so I had to piece the straps. In fact, though it does not show here, I pieced the lining as well. The depths of the bag are lined with a straw-colored calico because I didn’t have enough green; this actually is a bonus because it is easier to find things against a lighter background. In the close-ups you can also see the decorative topstitching I did (by machine!). The top seam of the strap didn’t stitch together so neatly, so I added a loop around to cover it up.
What projects, fabric or otherwise, have you had come out just right?
My lilies really came out well. That’s really the biggest one.
That hobo bag is really pretty. Love the fabric.
Thanks, I love it. Peacocks and dragons. I have to be very careful with brocade because I’ll buy it with nothing to do with it. I used to be that way with ribbon and had to set a moratorium on buying it. For brocade I’ve managed to restrict to ones that really grab me.
The hobo bag was a good size for walking around Munich – tour books, water bottle, regular pursey stuff, and then any souvenirs. Only once was I told it was too big to count as a purse (for purposes of entry). I looked confusedly at the guard and he just shrugged and said “es ist zu gross.” But the museum was closing in the near future so it wasn’t worth checking it.
I’m glad you hung the lilies up (they’re in the stairwell, right?). I agree that they came out really well.