Country Roads Inchies

I can now share my "inchies" project.  Quite a while ago now I went to Spindle Cottage Workshop in deepest Digby Fen and, with other members of Country Roads Quilters, did a workshop with Wendy Snape Coyne on inchies.  These are tiny fabric and thread collages that can be made into items of jewellery or used to decorate cushion, notebook covers etc.
First we took a variety of fabric pieces and ironed them onto Bondaweb, all the pieces cut accurately so that they butted up to each other.  For this project I used pieces of fabric leftover from the Country Roads Quilt.

Then it was time to have fun with decorative stitches and some interesting threads to stitch down the fabric and add interest and texture.

Some very accurate measuring, stitching and cutting followed and then some zigzagging to end up with lots of "inchies", one inch squares of textile deliciousness.

Each inchie was then glued to a brooch back.  At this point I discovered that the brooch backs were not quite one inch square!  So fudging followed!

 

I then used a permanent marker to write names on the inchies and gave these name badges out to the members of CRQ with their membership card/programme for the new year.  I'm pleased to say they were very well received.

The members of CRQ have been busy too, and at our January meeting we were delighted to have 33 quilts to hand over to Project Linus.

Thoughts Please

As you can see from the picture I have already made my decision, but I would still appreciate your thoughts.

Fur? Yes or no?

I found this jacket in a local antique/secondhand shop just before Christmas.  Speaking to the owner I discovered it is made of red squirrel skins.  This isn't as horrendous as it sounds as it dates from the 1930s - 40s when the Canadian red squirrel population was a serious problem and the animals were being culled.  Rather than waste the gorgeous fur it was shipped to UK and Europe and made into clothing by skilled furriers.  This practice apparently ended during the Suez Crisis when shipping the skins became uneconomical.

I absolutely fell in love with the coat, the colour and sheen are wonderful.  It is recycling.  It is warm.  It makes me feel good.

But, I do appreciate the anti-fur lobby may not be friendly about it, which is why I would like your opinion, dear reader.