You Couldn't Make It Up!

In our crazy language, both make up and made up have a number of meanings
"make up" as a noun usually means cosmetics, and "To make up" as a verb can mean to apply cosmetics.
But "make up" can also mean "create a fiction, tell a lie" - you make up an excuse to get out of a sticky situation, the criminal will make up a story and give a false alibi
And "to make up" means to reconcile after an argument  [kiss and make up!]
Finally "to make up" means to complete something. "If you save your pocket money, I will make up the difference so you can buy the book" Or with a cake mix - make up the mix to produce a cake. Similarly made up can be wearing cosmetics, descriptive of a lie, finished arguing and became friends again, a finished product - and lately it means very happy "He offered me the job and I was well made up"
Kirsten and I are now making up - not lying, or reconciling, but completing the CoverStory project. Our two panels have all their patches stitched, their seams embellished, and the names and dates on an info panel to one side.

Each has ten patches, an information panel, and horizontal and vertical seam embellishments. We each did 5 patches per panel, and half the seam stitching.

Now we each have our 'own' panel [mine is the lower one] 

It is time to make up our panel so it becomes a book cover. 

We wanted this project to be usable [the first four pieces are still languishing in drawers in Norfolk and Sussex waiting to be framed!]

I made an error right at the beginning - I allowed for the 'turnings' on our foundation fabric, and we both stitched "over the edge" so some embroidery will be lost inside. And forgot the info panel, so that had to be added later.

I checked my shelves and foraged in the loft, and found five new and unused A5 notebooks, plus the very slim notebook I was given at my workshop last Saturday - and the travel journal I took to Paris last year, which has been a general purpose commonplace book since then. I think that is the one I am going to make up the cover for. 

But since my parcel arrived from Kirsten, I have been asked to shorten three pairs of pyjama trousers and decorate another slime shirt for the school play, and I already had another special project on the go. 

My CoverStory will not be finished this week - but when it is, I shall be "well made up " too!
Thanks Kirsten for another year of challenging, exciting. collaborative sewing. And for this month's great "flat gifts" which will get a special mention later