Obsessive? Moi?

I seem to have a new collection. It's a great thing to acquire. It's storable and cheap. Dirt cheap. My tapestry love might have turned into an obsession.

Slightly.

I've still not finished my first bag. But what I like to do when I'm part way through a project is down tools and start another one.

Some of these I already had. The bird above came from a stool I wrote about on here.

Some of these I actually stitched when I was going through my cupid phase MANY years ago.
Oh come on! We all went through a cupid phase didn't we?

Birds and roses...

Cottages and gardens...

Ships and castles...

 Even York Minster. And why not?

  It's like all of English history is here!

The most I've paid for these is £2. I've removed them from dusty old frames and they're ready to be transformed into bags. I like to place them together to see what goes with what as I design my next bag. My husband gives me strange looks.

Look what happens the minute my back is turned...

Bad Bobby has no respect for precious textiles.

When I wrote the post before last, I couldn't recall what it was that set me off on an exhilarating google journey into recycled tapestry.
I have now remembered.
I saw this cushion cover in a charity shop, liked it but didn't need a cushion cover and thought it would make a nice bag.

A seed was sown. (Or should that be sewn? )

Here is my very much still unfinished bag. In case the suspense has been killing you...

It will ultimately have two handles...

The handles are leather and pre drilled for ease of sewing them on. I got them HERE.

They were £13.95 with free postage which isn't bad at all for leather. You could alternatively use an old leather belt and have your local cobbler rivet it on for you. I think I'll do that next time.

The cows are worked in petit point which is laborious to do. (Not by me.)

I thought that stitching the handles on with a contrasting embroidery thread and doing a running stitch round the edges in  the same thread would funk it up a little.

I think that was a fail.

But, here's the thing. Next weekend I'm going HERE....

So I'm going to need to finish my bag, (or another one) to take with me!
I've got a week.
I'm highly productive under pressure.
So watch this space.

If you're going to Kirsties Handmade Fair next weekend and spot me, come and say hello. I'll be the lady with the recycled tapestry bag.