Back Tack update...

I’m happy to announce that the Back Tack box has been received and was only a day late. For those of you that know me you must realize what a miracle that truly is. So, without further ado, I give you my Back Tack project.



You may remember that the goal was to produce a tote bag and a craft kit for another member of Back Tack. I was matched with a very pleasant lady in Hawaii, feel free to visit her blog: Puanani. Her craft wish was Sashiko (Japanese embroidery) so I settled on an overall Oriental theme to both the bag and the kit. The panels on the bag are kimono quilt squares, edged in black grosgrain ribbon (yeah, I removed the border I originally had - just couldn’t live with the corners). Extra goodies with the bag included a small, plain zippered pouch. Sadly it is not very well executed, but I must say I’m damn proud of it anyway. Tucked in that bag are Sashiko needles, chalk pencils, and a Burt’s Bees lip balm - ‘cause I’m all about Burt’s Bees - heh. There is also a square pincushion that I wasn’t sure about in the beginning, but has grown on me immensely. The three rectangular bags are very last minute additions to pack chocolate, Oriental cracker mix and roasted wasabi peas. These guys are very poorly done (I asked Debbie to think of them as wrapping paper -and toss them once unwrapped - heh) but definitely worth doing again. I was very proud of the closure solution, which is just a button hole in the front layer of bag and a strip of grosgrain ribbon stitched to the back. My sewing machine is a little quirky when it comes to button holes - and these are no exception. But the way they tie is very neat and I will probably try a tote with the same closure. The final goody is a little bundle of black tea; you’d laugh if I told you how many packages of black tea I looked at till I found one packaged in colors similar to my theme - yeah, I know, I’m cracked!



Now, the kit. First, two books: The Ultimate Sashiko Source Book and Japanese Country Quilting. One is packed with projects and ideas and the other with history and patterns. I also included a Sashiko sampler - the dark blue fabric square - which is preprinted with a Sashiko pattern. Three small bundles of fabric, three packages of thread, needles, chalk pencils, a clear ruler and a package of mixed transfer paper. The more common items came from a local fabric shop. The sampler, thread and needles are from an online shop called The Quilted Dragon ... if you craft you should ‘stop on by’. They have a nice selection of fabrics and kits, patterns and projects. Very pleasant folks; Victoria even took the time to thank me for the order - I so love spending my money with businesses that actually seem to appreciate it. I wish I had started my search with her, as I prefer to support small business whenever possible – not to worry though, I know where to go next time.


Despite the errors, and less that perfect executions, I do think the overall package is a success. I really enjoyed challenging myself with techniques I had not previously tried and had great fun trying to ‘package’ everything creatively and in keeping with the theme. If I’m offered the opportunity to participate in the next round - in April - I am so there.