After an evening of really great conversation yesterday, I popped back in to my room and started to organize the some of the tools and equipment that my dear friend Ashley was kind enough to ship to me. I’ve been enjoying the small leather projects I’ve been doing, but I’m looking forward to building some bigger and more complex creations.
I’ve been having trouble locating my sewing needles in the tool bag though, so I made this needle pouch with a couple of pieces of scrap leather. I’ve spaced and punched all of these holes by hand, and I’m really happy with how consistent the stitching turned out. (ignore the extra holes on the left side, that was just leftover from something else and I wasn’t concerned about including it in something so utilitarian!) Rather than having to stitch more vertical lines to tighten up the pocket, I applied a light coat of rubber cement inside the pouch and then pushed the needles and awl tips in and creates a secure storage spot to keep them together.
I also built that D-Ring strap which will be used in a later project to secure the ring. The similarly shaped piece of leather in the background was, err, practice. :)
hand stitched needle pouch made from scrap leather
Also, a little bonus for you. I managed to misplace the camera for a few days, but here are a few shots of my drive in from Ottawa through the really lovely Quebec countryside. The day was a bit grey, but the road along the St. Lawrence river was really enjoyable. The scale of the infrastructure projects out here is only matched by the scale of the natural features they’re harnessing. this river is huge, and the dam that plugs it demands a lock to allow boating traffic access to both sides.
A lock and hydroelectric dam on the St. Lawrence River
A lock and hydroelectric dam on the St. Lawrence River
The area is filled with beautiful old churches too
Church in Southern Quebec
Out of curiosity, I stopped at a cemetery along the way. Not sure what I was expecting, I was surprised by the large number of English, Scottish, and even German names featured on the stones.
Mary Graham – Headstone at a cemetery in Southern Quebec
Ross, McPhee, and Nichols – Headstone at a cemetery in Southern Quebec
John McPhaden – Headstone at a cemetery in Southern Quebec
Samuel Webster – Headstone at a cemetery in Southern Quebec
