Stitch of the Month
December 2007: A Holiday Handbag by Brenda Hart
Some of you know that I love handbags. So I decided to use the 12 stitches for 2007 in a "Handbag for the Holidays".
I designed the project to fit into a Lee's Needle Arts, Inc. Demi Bag, because it allows you to mount the piece yourself into the bag. If you prefer, however, the bag could be made into a pretty clutch by your finisher.
The project is shown in a black crocodile bag. This is only temporary, however. I have ordered and am waiting for a red leather shoulder "Demi Bag" from Lee's Needle Arts. By placing the design into a leather shoulder bag, I felt it could be worn not only for the holidays, but also with a pair of jeans throughout the year.
Materials List
Listed below are the materials that were used in the model.
- 7 X 11 Inch Stretcher Bars
- 7 X 11 inch piece of 18 mesh mono canvas
- Lee's Needle Arts, Inc – Red or Black Demi Bag (Optional)
- Accentuate – #051
- Soie d'Alger – #133, 925, 926, 1324, 1325, 1326, 1443, 2114, 2146, 2544, 2545, 2546, 4922 (Your local needlework shop can purchase the above two products from Access Commodities)
- Size 8 Kreinik Fine Braid – #006, 045, 421, 648, 3270
- Size 24 Kreinik Canvas Braid – #015
- Sundance Size 14 beads – #4 Hex, #18
- Gold and Blue beading thread
Pattern for Handbag
- Print out the pattern below (the design should measure 8 X 4 inches) and place it under your canvas. Be sure the pattern is in the center of your canvas. You can tape the canvas and pattern onto a window to be able to see the lines better.
- Using a hard lead pencil or permanent textile marker, trace the pattern onto your canvas.
- When the pattern is successfully traced onto the canvas, tape the edges and mount it onto the stretcher bars.
- The pattern was sized to fit in the window of the Lee's Demi Bag (opening 8 X 4 inches). If your stitched insert for the bag is a little smaller than the window of the bag, you can do a couple of rows of Tent stitches (basketweave (see March 1998 Stitch of the Month) around the edge to make it fit better. Sometime the openings of the bags are not always exactly the same
If you prefer to have a painted canvas instead of the line drawing, you may contact Brenda to make arrangements.
Now let's begin stitching...
Refer to the remainder of the stitch guide for the stitch for each section as shown below.
The outlining of these sections will be stitched last.
January • February • March • April • May • June • July • August • September • October • November • December
Lettered Areas Around the Top and Sides
- A. Tent stitch area with 3 plies of Soie d'Alger #1443 (See February 1998 SotM for tent stitch or March 1998 SotM for basketweave stitch.)
- B. Flower Basket Stitch with 4 plies of Soie d'Alger #925 (See June 2007 SotM)
- C. Medallion Stitch with 4 plies of Soie d'Alger #1325 (See September 2007 SotM)
- D. Buttonhole Gobelin Stitch with 4 plies of Soie d'Alger #2114 (See April 2007 SotM)
- E. Brighton Stitch with 3 plies of Soie d'Alger #4922 (See October 2007 SotM)
- F. Mosaic Variation #1 Stitch with 3 plies of Soie d'Alger #925 for the fine print lines and #926 for the bold print lines (See December 2007 SotM)
- G. Reversed Criss Cross Hungarian Stitch with 3 plies of Soie d'Alger #2544 and a size 14 Sundance bead #4 Hex for the center holes (See January 2007 SotM)
- H. Medallion Stitch with 4 plies of Soie d'Alger #1324 (See September 2007 SotM)
Outlining
Couch the size 24 Kreinik canvas braid #015 around the semi-circles by using a #26 needle and one strand of Accentuate #051 and stitching with small running stitches down thru the center of the canvas braid. You can couch over the braid if you wish in the conventional manner, but the couching thread is less obvious if you stitch thru the center of it.
Portions of this Web site presenting information on this project may be printed or electronically reproduced by individual stitchers for their personal use and by ANG Chapters for use in their newsletters and Chapter activities. ANG Chapter republication of these pages should give credit to Stitch of the Month and ANG, Inc.