I'm very out of style... or I should say I have my own style. --Alexandra Paul
Maybe I'm getting older or maybe it's always been my style, but I've had the distinct feeling of how non-vogue I am. Specifically: I notice everywhere that the trend is for soft colours, pale pastels on white, cream, grey, sage... light and ethereal and airy...
And all I want to do is work in bold, bright colours. Not on-trend. Jewel tones, saturated reds, oranges, blues, purples... gimme. This is not to say that I don't enjoy the paler tones, but every time I put on a stylish grey-on-white-on-grey outfit, the next day I am practically jumping into watermelon pink and dark denim outfits.
I think nature is on my side on this one, at least at the moment. We went into the city and wandered around the park to enjoy the annual showcase of blooming rhododendrons and azaleas. I've never seen it before, and I was bound and determined to see it in person this time. It did not disappoint:
Such is the way of my current project, the
Angelica Bag by Natalia Kokonova. The original pattern called for lilac and pale green and champagne white, but my eyes went immediately to the dark plum and bright lime mercerized cotton in my stash, and I could not say no. I admit that I've felt kind of sheepish about it at times... is it too immature? Less cafe au lait and more kindergarten? Is it too bold? Too silly to wear around town?
Pshaw. Who cares. And besides, there are waaaay too many rounds of hand-cramping waistcoat stitch for me to do it over.
I finished all of the motifs early last week. I arranged them onto the bag and pinned them down and then went to bed. The next day, every time I walked past them, I couldn't help but think that it looked far too crowded for my liking. It probably didn't help that I messed around with the hook sizes for this whole pattern, but my eyes were looking for more negative space around each of the motifs:
I had a busy work week, so I didn't touch it again for a few days. I kept busy by working on the strap (rows upon rows of slip stitches - yeesh). By Friday evening, I was quite sure I was going to ditch at least one of the motifs. I must say that I did not enjoy sewing them on. Each of those little fingers on the ferns needed two stitches to hold them down properly, and even though I put tile in between the front and back of the bag, I picked out more stitches than I want to discuss. But in the end, I was quite pleased with the result:
They're a little wonky, but they're sweet. And yeah, it's a bright, bold bag. But when I took it out into the garden, I knew I'd made the right decision with the colours because it fit right in:
I might yet sew in a lining and a zipper, but I think I need a break from it for a while until the spirit moves me to do something more with it. For now, it's hanging on a hook in my kitchen, holding a couple of books and a pen inside, and generally delighting my gaze each time I walk past it. Not a bad result, if you ask me.
For now, I'm kind of loose ends for a project at the moment. It's not that I don't have enough supplies to start something new (ahem... not at all), but I'm waiting for a couple of things to arrive to get me started on a summer top that I've had my eye on for a while. I don't really want to start anything until that arrives. So for the moment, I'm working away on a weaving experiment on my loom, reading a book, and taking naps. I think that's quite enough to keep me busy for now. This guy is already exhausted by the thought of it all:
It's dinner time. I'm off. Have a good week!
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