Woven text box

Well, all my family are on their way home and will arrive about Sunday lunch time. My OH from the Isle of Man where sadly the gear box on the rally car broke and they couldn't finish the rally, and my daughter and her family are on their way home from Florida so I have been watching the flight departures for any delays. I have been in touch with all of them the whole time they have been away. My OH by phone and my grandson and daughter via webcam so I haven't been so alone.

Strange how when you have time you seem to take more time to do things. The days have whizzed passed and I don't seem to have done all that much. I think more is achieved when under pressure to find time and get on with it. Now the family is home I will be sharing my time again.

On with the creative part of the blog.
I have finished the woven text box. It began when I saw a picture showing how the ancient Egyptians preserved their cats ! and wrapped them in bandages in a complex woven design. I didn't want to try such a complicated task so kept my woven design to the under over weaving we all did at school.
First I tea stained some beige felt and then using my embroidery machine created lines of text using the names of the more well known Pharaohs. I used variegated threads in different colour ranges. Once the machining was complete I cut the text into strips and wove them.
Before this stage I had no idea what I was going to do with the woven text but once it was woven it shouted out box lid (not literally!) So a box it was to be.

Now in my loft I save boxes of all shapes and sizes ready for such an occasion but this time there wasn't a box which was the right size to fit the woven text so I had to make one.
I covered it with some soft interfacing to give a softer feel for the covering fabric.










I made the lid first. I used some natural woven fabric and machined the woven text in the centre edged with a fancy yarn which had the same colours - (it is times like this when I can again justify my huge stockpile of everything). Continuing with the Nefertiti theme, I stitched out four of the digitised Nefertiti motifs using the same variegated threads. These were stitched in place using 'invisible' thread and it is exactly that - invisible - very useful but hard on the eyes trying to see it.









On the underside of the lid I continued the theme creating the outline rectangle again and another four Nefertiti motifs. This time I digitised her name and stitched it in the centre.

The seams were stitched , turned inside out and pulled onto the prepared lid leaving the hinge edge open.

Next I made the cover for the base of the box and made the lining out of a soft coffee sateen fabric stitched with the text of Nefertiti over the bottom to adhere it to the padding underneath. The inside walls of the box were padded with batting too.

I also stitched yet another motif on the front.
Using the covering fabric and the fancy yarn I made hinges which would hold a length of dowel. S ix of the hinges were stitched into the back edge of the base and five were stitched into the back edge of the lid. Very fiddly and I it had to be hand stitched.



It is a good sized box so I should be able to keep a number of the smaller pieces of the project in it.









Now I need some suggestions here.

Do you think the natural fabric of the box needs anything doing to it or should I leave it plain as it is? I don't want to distract form the text and motifs so not sure about it. Offers of ideas welcome.

Being such lovely weather I have been out in the garden doing some photography. How about this little chap who sat there defiant when all the other frogs had dived down into the pond as I approached.

I had to get very close to him in order to photograph the marsh marigolds in the pond. He 'frogged' out eventually and dived in.
Managed to get the shot of the flower I wanted.


















And behind me was this - how about this delicious purple velvet pansy? Almost poetic! They keep reappearing from previous years planting so don't need to buy new plants this year. The tub is full of them.





Finally - does anyone know if there is a way of placing the images instead of them all coming in at the top and having to be dragged down bit by bit to the right place. It is so tedious. It would help if the window was bigger. Whinge, whinge.

Well looking at the clock - the plane should be taking off right now 10.20pm their time and 3.20am ours. Yes it is late but I am a bit of a night worker.
Can't wait for a huggle from my grandson and OH. Missed them.