Time to brag a little. I have been working for a while now on a series of smalls and a box lid with an Indian theme inspired by a brilliantly colored scarf I bought last March and a favorite gauze skirt. I got the box lid mostly sketched out but the details were fighting me. So I switched to finishing the pin book cover. It was the perfect smaller space to work out the color palette and basic design elements that will be repeated in the other pieces. And now that this fellow is completed the others are falling into place. The scissors fob is done - that was easy - only took a day. The scissors sheath is within a or two of being finished. The biscornu pin cushions large and small are already designed and ready to stitch along with the glasses case. And the box lid is well on its way. At least I know I won't run out of hand work while we are at Pennsic. (I must remember to take enough floss.)
The next step will be lining and assembling them. I am hoping while we are at Pennsic to find just the right lining fabric. I have some sturdy wine colored cotton that would harmonize well, and because it is a solid color I could embellish it with a little dab of the original design - tiny flowers on the inside of the pin book or on the back of the glasses case pocket. But I could also pick midnight blue, or rich green or deep gold. I will just have to fiddle with things to see what goes best. As lining fabric will not be part of the kits, its up to me to chose what I personally think sets off the pattern best. Even though I won't be including the fabric, I'll be including a page on assembly instructions which will show how to lay out the linings. The pin book will have a small inner pocket inside the front cover that could hold a small pair of scissors or a thread cutter or needle packets. The glasses case will have a back pocket. I decided on that while search for my nail file and 6 inch ruler in my work box. As the glasses case is for magnifying glasses that live in the work box, it seemed like a good idea to have a pocket on the back of it that would hold all those long skinny things that invariably sink to the bottom of the box.
The box will also be lined but in a cream color. I plan to use hardanger cloth for that as it is sturdy and has a wonderful even weave. I know once I get down to it I won't be able to resist putting some detailing inside. After all, what is a blank surface but an area of Great Potential. The box is deep enough that I can put a pocket inside the lid and tuck pockets around the sides to keep all the rattly loose things semi-contained. Yes, this all sounds terribly complex and one detail tends to reveal another. But if its one thing I've learned in all the years of being an artist, its that creating a work of art is all in the details. I don't want to put hundreds of hours into a project just to end up wishing I'd taken the extra 20 minutes to do some little thing that would make it so much nicer. Besides, once this is done its done. The patterns will be set up; the instructions will be written. I only have to invent this once and the rest is just surface embellishment.
I think working the lid and pin book together was a good approach to the process. I've started a few other designs that are still in the sketching phase. They seem to be following this same pattern - a broad concept for the box lid that I refine and tighten as I work through the smaller elements. Right now none of them have taken hold. Its as though they are all in the "dream" stage. As things go they will all work themselves out in good time. As always - It will come to me.
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