What I really meant to do today was ...

work on my manipulated fabric and textured surfaces - but first I thought I would just get on with part of my study of the embroidery of three foreign countries. [More C&G of course.]

It has taken me all day - and I haven't finished yet.

This is the cover of the first installment, Palestinian embroidery. [I did take a close up of the embroidery but my camera / Picasa seem to have eaten it.] The design came from a Palestinian website, and the colours from Sheila Weir's 'Embroidery from Palestine'. It is not my best embroidery - the fabric is very closely woven and the thread was thick because Palestinian cross stitch is apparently not supposed to look like a cross.

I had already done most of the cover, but it wasn't quite finished - putting in the lining took a big chunk of the morning.

Then I had to punch holes in the pages and the cover - and make the cord to fasten them all together,thread the cord through, and make the tassels for the ends. [Did I mention how much I like tassels?]

I decided I might as well get on with the other two sections, China and Ukraine. Ukraine was printed but not proof read, China wasn't printed. Half way through printing it the colour cartridge ran out. Half way through the reprint the black cartridge ran out. Then the proof reader in chief found a typo and an error in Ukraine - which of course affected the layout of subsequent pages ...

Of course I don't HAVE to get these finished for the next College session, I just want to. And I didn't HAVE to make fancy covers for them - I just wanted to.

Still - the covers and cords for Ukraine and China are finished - just a few holes to punch, and some tassels to make, of course. With any luck I will finish them tonight, especially as the proof reader in chief is out governing [local educational institution, not the country!]

Not sure when I'll get back to what I had intended to do though ...