I can now rest easy. My
task is completed. I have sewing machine hunch-back just to prove it! My conference bag has had the bling treatment.
When this fun task was
first mentioned I wondered what does CILIP mean to me? Could this
influence how I jazz up my bag? Well, perhaps! CILIP gives me
direction, it guides me, it's been a beacon throughout my
professional life. Hang-on, beacon …. lighthouse. Hmmm, I can do
something with that.
But the influence
didn't stop there. Whilst on secondment with CILIP Cymru I've been
welcomed by all of our active Special Interest Groups, but none more
so than by the Youth Libraries Group. Through their Carnegie / KateGreenaway short-listing day I've been reintroduced to the fabulous
world of children's illustrated books. The influence of a recent trip
to the Seven Stories (the National Centre for Children's Books) Museum in Newcastle, and a display of Julia
Donaldson's work, including the Snail and the Whale, can also be seen in
my design. But I think there may also be elements of “The Lighhouse
Keeper's Lunch” in there too. Oh, and if you fancy it, “The
Seagull”. Any others?
Granny's Singer sewing
machine came down from the loft. Blow the dust off of it. Lost the
casing key …. manage to gain access, using a screwdriver. That
wonderful black and gold miracle of domestic engineering lay safely
stored underneath; … still shiny, and with a wonderfully faint
aroma of three-in-one oil. Ah, bliss. (OK, it's a bloke thing!) You know,
I think using a sewing machine is a bit like riding a bike. Once
mastered – never forgotten.
So the seascape came
first. Really enjoyed sewing in the wave a pattern on that. Then my
psychedelic lighthouse. Sorry about the colours but I didn't have any
spare white fabric. The button at the top, represents the light, and
the pink band, a beacon of light. Hmmm … pink band … guiding me
home. Freud would have a field day! At this point I realised that my
design was taking influence from my subconscious and therefore the
whale and seagulls were added. It was difficult to stop there, but fortunately I did stop. So no snail on tail of the whale!
The final touch was
adding a t-shirt iron-on transfer of my version of the CILIP Cymru
Wales logo. I've put four on the back too, just in case some critter
tries to steal my lovely bag.
So there we are. My
“blinged” bag. So ok, it isn't perfect. But it's mine, and I
think it's great. My next project might also involve quilting to give a bit of a three dimensional effect.
PS. Two final
confessions.
- The bag isn't actually a CILIP Cymru Conference bag. Sorry! When I came to look for one at home all I could find was a Welsh Government “Ask a Question” bag. Yikes – sorry. (I still love it though!). And it's been thoroughly CILIP-i-fied now!
- I had help with the seagulls. :-)
