Handbag Morals!

This is an Aesop's Fable kind of post...or Heckety's Fable more like...

Clown Daughter Numera Una (see I can do agreements when I choose) bought a nice big black smart handbag a few weeks ago. You know, the sort you can never find when you're looking, but which is just essential to the working woman's accessory fit-out, and the mother's, and the quilter's, etc...

Excellent!

On Monday I was handed same bag with handles dangling loose, the attaching loops not torn out of the top of the bag, but ripped apart and torn through ...

'Mom d'you think you could fix this?'

Remember the old 'Jim'll Fix It' TV show? or if you are too young, the more recent 'Bob the Builder' song- 'can he fix it? yes he can!' ...You may call me JimBob...I've sewed it together so well that I figure its probably the straps will break next as there's no way my stitching will give way!

But, and herein lies the moral of the story...I asked Eldest how on earth she had managed to break the bag in the first place? She hummed and hawed for a bit and then finally admitted that she had used it to carry all her tools and electrical supplies back to Players after a show in another venue.

Right. That, of course, is what handbags are meant for.

Moral? Render unto handbags that which therein belongs, and render unto a TOOLBOX that which THEREIN belongs.

Clown Daughter Extraordinaire!

So I guess that my next project will be to design and make an over the shoulder Tool Bag,  suitable for Eldest to lug around Dublin....Why couldn't she be a secretary or something harmless, why a Theatrical Light Designer and blinkin' Electrician, for Pete's sake?

Flattened Friday!

Firstly, thank you for the Birthday wishes for Dilly, and get well wishes for meself- it was lovely of yez all to send them!

By all accounts Dilly had a mad birthday: morning working in the Theater with friends, then a very posh lunch in town courtesy of my sisters, further shenanigans in the course of the afternoon, winding up with a Theater hooley in the evening in which she sang excerpts of 'Oliver!'...would you say that was an enjoyable birthday for a Drama Student???

Secondly I want to thank all of you who commented on my previous query (golly, this is beginning to sound like the Emmys or something!) which I am working on/ thinking on. I found a post on Etsy to help with writing an Artist's statement in which I have to interview myself, which sounds awfully schizophrenic to me...

Heckety: Good morning, I hope I find you well? Take a seat please.
Heckety: Don't mind if I do.
Heckety: You are in the process of composing an Artist's Statement for your Shop Profile, am I correct?
Heckety: That's so.
(Notice; the Irish don't use yes and no in conversation, there's no equivalent in the Gaelige.)
Heckety: Now I'm going to interview you with some very carefully considered leading questions, and from your answers you will compose the Statement.
Heckety: Right so! Fire away!

Hmmmm, is that confusing?
Well I thought on Monday I'd post the first draft for your input...or amusement- if I haven't imploded trying to think about it!!!

Last two days I've been trying to catch up on myself, but still coughing and 'chesty' so when little black spots begin dancing before me I have to stop and rest...or are they bugs?

I re potted some raspberry canes as I can't decide where to plant them out...the tall yellow plant is cress gone to seed. It withstood the entire winter- I was knocking off snow to cut it, quite amazing!
Sorted out the salad bed, hopefully there will be rocket, mixed salad greens, coriander and Swiss Chard...oh, and a pansy!! Its so happy I couldn't bear to move it! The strawberries behind the bed are going to be planted out into...

... tyres. We went and got them before I got sick, the garage let us have them free. I read in the Permaculture Mag that because tyres heat up in the sun and rubber holds the heat, they are a good way to keep plants warmer than just in pots. Its worth a try since a) they were free, and b) I have two compost bins worth of home made compost to use. The people in the garage didn't half laugh at us though!!

I finished the 'Retro Baby' Quilt before I got sick, so yesterday took photos for the shop...I'll be putting it in later today.

And I made two summery handbags, lightweight but useful sizes, I hope...

I had fun trying to photograph them because Bertie-dog seemed to think his big black furry nose ought to be included! Its difficult to keep the camera steady and fend off a large dog simultaneously!!

I've decided I'm into ricrac (rikrak? rickrack? how DO you spell it?) at the moment- its just so cheerful!

While I still had the gardening gloves on last night I picked me some nettle tops to make tea as I've read that its very fortifying. Well that's as may be (thought I don't feel any better armoured than I did before) but its not exactly my cup of tea (ha! ha!), kinda rich and bit odd tasting. Still, I'll try most anything once!! And its free!!

On a sober note, here's a thought-provoking post from Maddy Harland I want to share with you. Regrettably, all too many folk can identify with her.

Minimalist? or Boring?

D'you know what? With all the lovely comments yous have been leaving me this week especially, I'm becoming the most inflated head this side of the Irish Sea! Its very kind of you all and I really appreciate it!

I especially love when a sort of repartee arises in the Comments of a post- it amuses me, and also it somehow draws the big wide world in a little. Is that selfish? For instance yesterday I discovered that Jane gets her buttons from Ruth whom I just discovered, and she's here in Limerick! How 'small world' is that? (sing together now- 'It's a small world after all, Its a small world after all...small,small,world!')

And another thing...
(whilst I'm on the subject of Connections)
(yeh, yeh, there always is 'another thing')
...if Amanda thinks I'm a bad influence, Jingle is WORSE!
There's me all chuffed with myself for starting a facebook site, and then I visit Jingle and she had a 'fan page widget' so, not to be outdone, I trundle off to get me one of them yokes too! Which is all very well, but somehow, on the information section I managed to get NIGERIA into my location???? Hours later (and much blue air) I still hadn't got rid of it, so when BBug returned from town she finally managed to ditch it!
Ok, so I'm not saying Jingle is responsible for my stupidity, buuuuut, if she hadn't had such a cool fan widget....
And do join if you feel so inclined!

Now, here's what I wanted to ask yez-

These are three of the photos I retook for my Etsy shop:
...A Red Wall-hanging or Table-topper...

...A 'junk collection' Handbag...

...and another Wall-hanging or Table-topper.

But what about this Handbag- is it too boring? Should I decorate it somehow? And if so, with what? Beads? Buttons? Ruffles or cotton lace?? I really need to know- the fabric isn't corduroy but its quite heavy so its a fairly solid piece.
This is the other side.
So do I stay with minimalist or do I add something? Opinions please??

Of Wrist-Warmers, Pin Cushions and Beads...

'Leg warmers for the arms,' sez Dilly. 'Wrist warmers,' sez I. Funky enough for a Drama student? There was I trying to take photos and she wouldn't stay still...the button doodahs? I got that idea from Jane's wild use of buttons! This is my pin cushion which I made about fifteen years back:
...and here's one I made this morning for fun, with vintage beads and some trimming I found.
I'm going to put it in my Etsy shop later as I'm really happy the way it turned out.

Ages ago Paulette gave us a guided tour of her bead stash, which gave me serious jealousy issues. Since I had my own stash out this morning I thought I'd show you, though its not a patch on Paulette's lovely selection.

S'il vous plait, regardez le tres elegant cardboard box, dans which resides a veritable Aladdin's cave of sparkling....you get the gist...

Et voila, les beads extraordinaire!

You see the old containers- match boxes, tins, Cadbury's Choc box? Isn't it just wonderful?

And the blue satin with all the beads sewn on in leaf and flower motifs?
Would you like the story?

About 1994 ish some ladies were helping an older lady to move from her home into sheltered accommodation, and in order to both reduce the amount of belongings and pay for the move she decided to sell some of her things. I think she hadn't thrown out a single thing since the 1920s so you can just imagine the amount of 'stuff'.

She had, apparently, gone out to East Africa as a bride before 1910, complete with trousseau, and since she was marrying a settler and was an excellent seamstress herself, her trousseau included a number of evening gowns, of which I believe the beaded blue satin to be part of a bodice. From what little I know I think most of the beads are from around the '50s.

One of the ladies gathered all the beads as well as a bag of embroidery transfers and gave me first refusal. I was delighted and have so enjoyed using them, for the 'now' and for the history attached. I hope, when I meet Nancy Rainbow in the 'Hereafter' that I can tell her I put her stash to good use!

This is an evening clutch bag I made for Sos to go with the dress she wore for her 18th birthday last March, using some of the beads and sequins.

And there you have my bead story!