Revue and Renew Viewpoints

When I made this purse I had the concept of wearing a fancy purse on one's waist.  That way dancing would be worry free.  There would be no clutching a purse in your hand or leaving at the table (if anyone would do that) or leaving your purse with a friend.  I spent a lot of time on the internet trying to find the right belt.  I was never pleased with the belts that I found.  By the time that I received the first acceptable belt, it was a cotton belt.  I had four other belts sitting on my desk.  Well,  after the purse was in another hands (I should say waist?), I became very dissatisfied with the purse and started the process of finding a belt that would please me.
Now, I am pleased.  The belt is a Lizard Skin belt and the light glancing off the belt picks up the light glancing off the Green Malachite and African Jade.
It is now a cohesive whole in my mind.
I just thought I would share this.

The Afghan Lives On

I was completely charmed by the felted afghan that I found a  thrift store.  I was so charmed that I couldn't stop myself from using it again.  This is the second purse that I have made of it.  The body of the purse is a leather mini skirt that I found at FIDM about three years ago.  The mini skirt was made of pieces of leather. I find that the patched pattern of the leather gives a more dynamic feel to the purse.
I made this little change purse for the purse.  The ribbon on the leather is GrosGrain.  I haven't decide whether to attach the change purse to the inside of the main purse.  
When I was a child, I remember my grandmother had a purse with a chain holding a little change purse.  I  would watch her pull this little purse out and it seemed so perfect.
I lined the purse with the beautiful orange satin that I lined the other purse with and made the orange robe.  The orange satin seems like the cup that never empties.

The Zig Zag Afghan

I made this bag to take with me on a trip to see my niece in Alameda.  I needed a new fresh look.  Plus I needed a bag large enough to carry all the different things that I like to travel with, especially a book.
I found a "felted" Afghan (it is all wool) last year and knew immediately that I would be using this find for my own purse.  I loved the electric feeling and the zig zag end of the Afghan and knew that I would integrate it into the purse.  I washed it again in hot water and dried it in a hot dryer and the blanket shank once again.  I then began the purse.  I made a channel at the top of the purse.  I put a double layer of elastic in the channel and attached leather to the elastic.  I used my favorite strap to carry the purse.  The lining is a bright Satin and I put two pockets to hold keys and pens and glasses.  The purse was a successful traveler, holding all the needed papers and my book!

Time in a Bottle

There is a song by Jim Croce that is titled Time in a Bottle.  That is what I have experienced while I was sewing this purse.  I have no idea when I started this but as of yesterday, it is finished.  What a relief to complete it.  Each row of ruffles had to be made.  Then it had to sewed onto GrosGrain ribbon.
I changed ideas a number of time.  Each time I did that, I had to rip out or re-create.  This purse was a test of my creativity and fortitude.
I fell in love with the color.  I felt that I could dive into the color and reach another universe.  I had to incorporate it into a purse.  The idea for the purse came whole into my mind.  In order to bring it into the "real" world seemed to take forever.    The inside has two pockets on one side and one pocket on the other.  I finished each pocket with a trim of ruffles.
Now my brain has to unwind before I can start another project.  I  keep the faith that I will finish in a respectable time.

The Love Stills Warms

My Mother loved her granddaughter lots, and lots. My Niece is creative just like her grandmother. They would see eye to eye on many things. For one thing, they both have red hair. A very charming trait.

My Mother sang professionally. When she sang, she wore beautiful costumes that looked like they came from the 1890's. She had two, one butter yellow and the other was royal purple. My talented Mother died in the early 1990's.

When my niece adopted an infant girl, I wanted to celebrate this addition to the family. My Mother would have been especially excited, as she loved little babies. I had the inspiration to make a baby blanket out of her yellow costume. Being that the costumes are over 50 years, it was a little tricky. The yellow fabric was tapestry silk. Absolutely wonderful. I spent all weekend, from morning till night on Saturday and morning till night on Sunday to make this. Of course, I poured all my love into this gift. I remember how exited I was to send this to my new grandniece.

Her mother calls it her baby's "Bonnie Bell Butler" blanket from the book Gone with the Wind.

I am very happy that it was so well received!

A Comission

A lady back east saw a Brown Corduroy bag that I had made. I made it as a "Knock Around" bag, but to glamour it up a bit, I trimmed it in Amber and Gold beads. The lady liked it but really wanted Red Corduroy. Not red but Lipstick Red. That took some doing. You would think that any store would have the basic colors of Corduroy but no. I scoured the web. Even ordered some fabric. And the time from the order to the time of beginning was growing longer. Finally, I decided that I had to get in the car and "crawl" the fabric stores. But I let my fingers do the walking first. I Finally found one store that said yes. I drove clear across town and in Los Angeles that is a long space of time and miles. They had 3/4's of a yard left. But it was the perfect color. I took it.

I emailed the lady and she was happy that progress had begun. Then 3-4 weeks later. I finished it. The bead work took so long, I thought my eyes would collapse on themselves. She loved the idea of common fabric and the beads. I used American Turquoise and Tourmaline beads on the front. The lady had lived in the Southwest and is also part American Indian. Now she lives in the East, near the Atlantic. That is why I put a piece of Ivory Scrimshaw on the back. The Silk lining is a bright purple with embroidered colored Polka Dots. She called to say that it was just what she wanted. I was thrilled