Thinking Outside the Box

A few weeks ago I endulged myself with a bit of box-making. I love small handmade boxes. There's something about the way they sit in your hand, and the way the lid slides perfectly in place with a little rasping sound.

This time I tried something new, and while I was in an explorative mood, I decided to stitch, or close, every side of the box and lid with a different method, just to see how it worked.

Here, the box is still without its lid:

And this is how I closed the sides of the box:

In the last image, I've hidden the stiches under a fused strip of fabric.

And this is how I closed the sides of the lid:

The finished box:

Right now it's holding part of my big collection of notes on small slips of paper. I'm always writing to-do lists, taking notes and jotting down ideas on any piece of paper that happens to be nearby, and my surfaces quickly fill up with these papers. Now I have a safe place to put them until I have the time to file them properly. Yes, I know I should file them properly right away, instead of writing things on little pieces of paper, but... well... you know...

Thanks for reading, and see you again soon! - Annika

Own Time

After a tough week I decided to enjoy a bit of own time with a simple embroidery project. Or two, in fact. Both are inspired by Japanese sashiko embroidery. Simple and relaxing.

I haven't decided what to do with this one yet. I'm just working on a piece of fabric that I coloured earlier, but that didn't work out as planned. I'm just improvising as I go. A mystery project!

This will be a dramatic skirt in black cotton sateen with red details. A long-term project, but I'm getting near the end now.

Have a great weekend! - Annika