Summer School with Fay Maxwell to make a slashed bag

Day 1

We started by delving into our stashes of fabric - we were told: don't be too selective, just pile on the layers of offcuts and remnants, using lots of colour.  It was great fun!!

Then we pinned on the top fabric, threaded up sewing machines and went for the curvy lines, spirals and grids ....

We were making good progress by lunchtime, and in the afternoon, we completed the stitching and started slashing - cutting channels between the rows, taking care not to cut through the bottom fabric layer.  This was much more difficult than anyone anticipated, and hard on the fingers!

Evening - homework! We were to finish the slashing, then wash the whole piece and BASH it hard against a brick wall (careful not to wake the neighbours!).

Day 2

The next step was to cut and fold back the layers in each grid square or diamond, and hand stitch to hold them in place.  This was surprisingly time consuming.

With all that completed, we could then start to line the bag.  Fay had a good method for doing this, which would ensure that all the seams were neatly enclosed, but it took some getting the head around - origami but not for beginners!  n.b. Don't forget to insert the magnetic fastener before making up.

The end result : A stunning and original evening bag!