I loved working on this swap project because it gave me a unique opportunity to look at craft materials in a very different way and also re-inspired my interest in vintage items. It was cool to think of creative ways to use beautifully designed old tablecloths, handkerchiefs and other home textiles.
Because I so enjoyed making the Everything Tote a couple of months ago, I decided to make one for my swap partner, Kathi. I used a vintage linen tablecloth which had a cross-stitch design partially finished. I lined the handles with some linen from another tablecloth which I dyed olive green. Actually it turned out to be a bit more like green apple or avocado. I had planned to make some placemats out of that but I messed them up so the remainder ended up peeking out of the handles on this bag. I do hope Kathi will enjoy using it while she’s out and about her southern California town. I’m quite happy with how it turned out and was a bit sad to see it go. I'll have to wrangle up some more linen with half-finished needlework on it and make one for myself.
It was kind of tough to photograph the bag hanging because the linen makes it pretty floppy but I always have to get a shot of bags on a door handle…
I also made some fabric-covered buttons with the little scraps from a really poofy cotton vintage dress I cut up.
I included a couple yards of this home-dec weight linen (or linen/cotton blend)…
…a book of poems for her kiddos (with gorgeous illustrations!).
And lastly, this small set of ceramic teacups—probably from the 60’s or 70’s—which I thought were really stunning in person.
One final and sincere thanks to Heather for her inspiration and all the planning she did to make this swap happen. It was a great experience for me and I hope to participate again!
