This week at “In the stitch zone” we started a new project, an Upcycled Mandala Brooch. As usual I was grabbing bits of fabric, threads and notions of various types in the last minutes before leaving home, and I ended up with three inspiration type packs, still leaving me with far too much choice and stuff, but not sure what I was really wanting to do.

Alex showed us a few examples and made suggestions of shape and size, and mentioned that they could be attached to a couple of different types of brooch backs, a hair slide or bobble.

I settled on a rusty red piece of dyed(?) calico out of the red pack, and then decided I didn’t really want another brooch, but a hair slide similar to my felted one would be useful. I then went off piste even more with an irregular shape. The tacking lines are the outline of the finished slide (it has a straight piece that goes under my hair in the middle section). The fluffy yarn was only suitable to couch with, but gives a nice texture. The variegated ribbony yarn was best couched with the closely woven calico too.

By the end of the session I had almost couched it all down. The under-and-overs remind me of Celtic knotwork, easier to manipulate than draw!

I had got some beads and other bits with me in the red pack, but think the little gold ones mght get caught up in my unruly curls. Alex had asked what we thought about having another week on this project, as a few folk hadn’t been able to come, and the project for the following two weeks will only take a week to do. We all agreed this was a good idea, and it also means I can find other bits to add when I have a better look in my stash now I know what I’m aiming for.