Bag it.

You heard me right, folks -- I'm making a bag. A useful pouch to hang from my belt and keep things in.

Oh, Wenny, I hear you say, Bags are so boring. I mean, what's the challenge in folding over a piece of cloth and stitching it to make a pocket?


The challenge is in the details, my friends! And in trying something new! And in putting a bit of yourself into everything you make!

See that dude in the middle on the black horse?
That's the guy I used. I flipped it
to face the other direction so it'd be looking forward when I wore the bag.

Here's what I have planned so far: a design adapted from the Bayeux tapestry featuring a person on a horse holding a falcon.





I changed the hair on the original fellow to a longer style so it would look a bit like me, and I chose a color for the horse that is very close to the color or my own horse, Barney. I don't have a falcon (Dave draws the line at me owning flying predators, apparently) but in a perfect world I would have a falcon, and his name would be Argus, so I wanted him in featured on the bag, too.


I outlined the figures in a simple stem stitch to get an idea of how the colors would look and I was very pleased, so now I'm going ahead and filling them in using the Bayeux stitch. I have never done this before, so I'm excited and nervous to see how it will turn out. Because it's a new technique for me, I'm taking my time, so don't expect to see the finished work for a while.

I'm using DMC floss, 3/6 strands to outline and fill. My background cloth is 28-count linen in a pale golden color. In this picture, I have done the major outlines and started the laid work on Barney's rump. Some sources say to outline first, some say to line it after the laid work is done. I can see benefits to both. I decided to stitch the inside details (saddle outline, face, etc) after filling the main parts. I think that will look neater. True to the Bayeux style, the offside legs of the horse are a different color, to show depth. They'll be done in a dark grey.

This is what it looks like when I create. 'Cause I'm an artist.

A blue and white border will complete the front of the bag, and then I'll sew it together with a blue linen lining. I have some leather I want to use so the bag can be strapped securely to my belt. I hate having a bag hanging by its strings, jostling and banging around while I walk.