zakka Style Sew Along week 23 - message board

It's the penultimate week for the Zakka Style Sew Along.  I can't believe I'm keeping up!  I've completed all but 7 of the projects, and I'll complete one of them this weekend.  18 / 24 is not a bad score!

You will be glad to hear, Fiona, there is no mention of unmentionables in this post, so feel free to eat your lunch!

This week we were to make a message board in an embroidery hoop.  The linky for this week's projects can be found here, and go and visit this week's host, the wonderful Maureen Cracknell.

I have quite a collection of embroidery hoops, but the largest I could find was 6", so 6" it was.  The book calls for a 10" hoop - probably more practical but never mind.  We were to cut 17 of the pennants for the bunting.  I cut more than that, but didn't need them, of course!  I also changed the shape as I didn't like the way they came out to the book's measurements.

Here it is after I'd machine stitched the bunting on.  That's a piece of grey linen, one of my last bits of that shade.  Photographing linen is REALLY hard, it always comes out wierd and liney.  Yes, I just made that word up.

There wasn't much sewing involved.  After sewing on the bunting, I had to glue it to the back of the hoop.  I usually do the gathering-stitch finish then hand stitch a felt backing to my hoops, but thought I'd try this way.  I still can't find my fabric glue, so out came the mod podge.  I had to stick pins in to keep it in place while it dried.

As I had the mod podge out, I thought I'd see if you can mend ripped ballet shoes with it.  I have a large collection of cheap ballet shoes and most of them have the sole coming away at the front.  I put some mod podge in the gap and held it shut with a bull dog clip.

I left the glue on overnight, the next night I glued the backing in place.  I don't appear to have taken a photo of that.  It's grey felt, cut in a rough circle.  And glued.  Not very exciting so you're not missing out.

I saw everyone was displaying their message boards with little notes on them.  I turned around to find a piece of paper and saw this felt fox I made yonks ago so I pegged him to my board.  Well, why not? 

I didn't add the machine embroidered bow of the tied bow as suggested in the book as, let's face it, there's not exactly enough room on there!  I wish I'd put two "washing lines" on though, then I could have pinned a panda too.

Oh, and yes, you can fix ballet shoes with mod podge.  I'd better buy some more bull dog clips as I have about 15 pairs in need of repair.