Make your own Union Jack

I always adore vintage flags. They carry so much history and I wonder if they traveled through war times or were hanging in official buildings.  Tomorrow's occasion , the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middelton inspired me to sew the Union Jack and age the flag.

First I printed out the flag, pulled the coordinating fabrics out ( the official colour are Pantone 280 and 186). I couldn't help it to get my swatch book out , a sentimental leftover from our printing business. I traced the lines on fabric and used the foundation piece method to do all for corners and sewed the white and red stripes in a log cabin style together.

 The flag is dipped in English tea for colouring. 

Then I cut small pieces of steel wool and let it soak with vinegar in a zip-lock bag. Best is, to let it sit in the sun for few hours . The oxidation will create small rust particles. A coarser grade creates bigger spots.

This my finished vintage looking flag. I rushed the rusting process a little bit, but I happy with the end result.

My big zipper pouch

Last night I was itching to try out a new sewing project, the large zipper pouch. I got inspired by Johanna who keeps her embroidery work in one of these fabric bags. I made mine a little bit larger 12"x13.5" . This bag is a birthday present for a friend . She just started to learn how to knit socks. This bag keeps your needles, wool, scissors and some change if you meet your friend for a coffee.

The fabric is from Heather Ross Far Far Away

This makes a great gift  for any crafter.

The beginning of embroidery

I remember I was in grade 3 when we started our cross-stitch sampler. My mom was ironing and I was sitting with her in the laundry room counting my stitches following my own design. I am sure I missed here and there some. I wished I would  still have my sampler  which was done in primary colours.

To refresh my memory how to start cross- stitching I took a class at the workroom and finished over the weekend my little sampler. The workroom offers over 100 shades of embroidery floss from Cosmo. It's a beautiful thread from Japan with a smooth, silky finish.

My next project will be a zipper pouch with embroidery to carry my project in progress with me.