his name is patch

These cheery patchwork dogs are becoming a bit of a favourite for presents in this house. I don't know if you remember, but I've made him before. The last two were rather more colourful, but this time, inspired by actually being able to see the ground, and the leaves after what's felt like weeks of snow, I went for green and brown. I wasn't sure it'd turn out quite so cheery as the others, but now he's done, I think he's rather fetching.

I was also slightly influenced by the pictures on the attic wall that me and my sister painted when we were small.

Once he was made, I needed something to wrap him in. I got this book from the library last week. I'm generally not given to following instructions, but it's got some ludicrously fabulous ideas in. One is to make a bag from a small silk scarf, to use to carry small things from the beach. What a fabulous idea, I thought! Perhaps not from the beach (if I go to the beach, I tend to be festooned with buckets and spades and books and picnic), but as an extra bag for lunch, or treats.

Or, in fact, to carry a small cheery patchwork dog.

I didn't have a silk scarf, but I did have quite a lot of the white fabric with the little green flowers. I cut it to the size in the book, hemmed it, then sewed it. Two folds, and two seams, that's all it took! And it was absolutely tiny. It would have held a pair of sunglasses, and an orange, but that was about it. Doubled in size, though, it made just the right kind of bag for carrying a small patchwork dog.

While I was up in the attic sewing, I spent a lot of time looking out of the window. It's been a funny kind of a day, a bit slow to get going, but lots of pottering got done eventually. I've been working, sewing, and preparing for this interview next week. I've never had an interview that's taken so much preparation! I'm trying not to fall into planning too much for the coming months, and on the day I'll be trying to appreciate a free day out in a beautiful city :)

Anyway, from the attic today, it almost looked like spring was on the way...