Wabi-Sabi Egg

One afternoon, I took a little detour from my main event. I idly perused March 2018 Quilting Arts Magazine in the library; one article in particular about making amulets interested me called, "Objects of Comfort," designed by Victoria Gertenbach, which you can see part of here. The scraps were wrapped around shells and sticks, which didn't appeal to me (I like natural things au naturel), but the technique was full of color and texture. From Lulubears I had bought some garnet emery (ground of garnets) to make little pin cushions and thought this might be a good opportunity to combine the amulet/pin cushion/garnet emery and make a small pin cushion for myself to hold my needle when I'm in progress. Because I like the packaging of the sashiko needles, I've been keeping them in their tube in their box and leaving one needle out while I work. Not so good. I'm afraid I'll lose it.

So I made this wabi sabi egg. First I made a loose form with batting around a wooden craft egg and basted it together. I removed the wooden egg, poured in the garnet emery and stitched up the holes! Then began wrapping and basting scrap cloth around the now batting + emery egg. Whip-stitched the edges, adding a few decorative stitches.

The stitching became addictive, and I kept adding more.

By taking the detour I realized how to solve a problem for another quilt in progress.

Just keep swimming, er sewing.

(post about sashiko needles here)

porcupine egg.

(post about making divided insert tray/compartments for a box here)

This is the kit that follows me around the house. 

Plus the sashiko needle package.

There's my little new egg in the center, the wooden egg on the right.

And the assortment of thread, tape measure, seam ripper, scissors, tiny binder clips, small wooden needle case for my other needles, and safety pins.

I can probably take out the wooden egg. But it's weighting down my errant threads.

And I like it, too.

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Addendum 3.20.18: Attention Southern California dwellers! Textile artist and designer Christina Kim of dosa is giving a free mending workshop at the new Institute of Contemporary Art LA, on Sunday, April 15, 2018! Love, love, love her work. Wish I could go! See milagros made in Oaxaca on her website here.