I find it always helps…

to read the Module Handbook. Preferably at the beginning of the module. Then you realise in good time that you need to ‘maintain a journal detailing evidence of design ideas … stitch thoughts’ [not much stitch!] and ‘ongoing evaluation’.

A journal has been maintained, patchily, but it certainly has little of the above. Just samples, and a few odd notes – oh, and ‘evidence of historical and contemporary contextualisation’. [Sigh of relief.] [I.e. pictures of other people’s work. And some stumpwork caskets.]

So guess what I’ve been doing over the last few days? Sitting in the corner with the laptop, grunting and swearing, and trying to remember why I decided to do what I decided to do.

I do now have most of it written down, apart from the evaluation  - oh, and I have to ‘select an appropriate way of presenting the artefact’ and evaluate that too.

It’s a scruffy looking box. What's the best way to present a scruffy looking box? I’m tempted to fish out one of mum’s lace trimmed mats [not often used in this house, you have to wash them if you do, and iron them properly], and present it on that – although if they ask me why, the answer will be ‘it seemed like a good idea at the time’…

Anyone got any bright ideas on how best to present a dirty cardboard box?

So while I thought, I went in to the work room with the intention of tidying up the aftermath of two months of creative endeavour, and Wensleydale’s blind erection – er, perhaps I’d better rephrase that, -Wensleydale putting up the blind.

But the first thing I came across was the boring book I made earlier in the week, which needed sewing, because the staples failed.

It’s only a single section book, which normally I would use pamphlet stitch for, but this time I looked at Keith Smith’s ‘1 2 & 3 Section Sewings’, and found lots of suggestions which are far more interesting.

I chose the one on the left, which Smith likens to a machine stitch, but which I would describe as couching.

And then decided to whip it.

 

Still a fairly boring book, but a bit more interesting.

Knotting the thread ends on the outside is my idea, you mustn’t blame Smith for the tatty tassels.

 

 

 

Then  I came across the beads I bought at Walford Mill last Friday – and realised that the little spherical ones I’d bought at one end of the room at the Pick’n’Mix stall, went with the sort-of-Oriental ones I'd bought later at the other end of the room.

And they all sort-of-went with the sort-of-fish from the same stall.

So I made some jewellery.

 

And then, because it was getting late and Wensleydale had gone out, I did something I had intended to do when he went out. No pictures of what I made, it’s a secret, but it is red and white and involves hearts.

College tomorrow, Babybel on Thursday [Monday and Thursday mornings are the new Tuesdays], probably a trip on Friday – so I may get back to the tidying on Saturday. Procrastinate, moi?

No mention of any work on the tatty box itself, you’ll notice. It is pretty well finished, apart from the continuing question of the string drawer, which I hope to tackle in college tomorrow – although I keep saying that and somehow it doesn’t happen … Procrastinate, moi?