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.

To Clear One's Palette

In order to clear my mind, I wanted to make something small but attractive and useful. This is a make-up bag. I liked the selvage and the colors that show, so I included it into the bag. A while back I ordered so zipper pulls from Etsy. This one came from Israel but I don't believe that they were made there. They are brass and smooth. They feel old and well treasured. The fabric is rather unique. It is a Cotton and synthetic combo. The hand of the fabric is quite soft and smooth. But what is so special is the weaving of the fabric. One side has only a manila and black stripe and the other side had a thread of red in it to make a tattersall pattern.
It measures 7 x 7. Not big but not small.
I thought that making this that I would be happy to get back to the one that had been put on hold a while back.

New Work

The fabric for this bag was a remnant. I had three large pieces, two of equal size. I like the idea of piecing the two pieces put together, so that is what I did. I sewed two lengths of grosgrain ribbon together and also used the same grosgrain ribbon to bind the edges. By doing using to grosgrain in this manner, I created a design element that was a basis for the purse. I also had this piece of leather left over and I incorporated it into the purse.

All of the parts added up to this whole. I had challenges to get to the completion of this purse and I would have to think on the next step. I would rip and tear and baste but it finally came out like I imagined it.
The trinkets on the side are what I interpret as charms. When I worked for my Uncle, he had a Macumba charm. I found it endlessly fascinating. It was a large ring that was on a chain. On the ring were many different charms; legs, hearts, hands, houses, money, all the items that represent the good life. This charm was not to have been taken out of Brazil. It was considered a national treasure. Even though the charms on the side of this purse are meaningless, I like how the make noise and add interest to the whole. The purse measure 14" w x 11" h and 3" w.
p.s. the teeth are not real!

The New Clutch

This little clutch is silk in a out. The pocket is a blend of the inside fabric and the outside. I found that I could do the hand sewing by pulling threads from the remnant pieces. That way it would match the exact color of the fabric. With each clutch I try to expand my experimentation. I enjoyed using the thread from the fabric.
This little gem measure 12" W x 6 1/2" H.

The Tapestry of Life

I was given this very old tapestry and was trying to figure out how to use it. Then is looking in one of my books, I realized that the tapestry fabric is used through out "purse" history. In considering that, I came upon a design. I cut the top half off because the design interfered with my plans. It won't be easy but, hey what is fun if it is easy?
This is a very fine weave and it is wool. I washed it carefully and dried and blocked it. I am pretty excited about the potential of it. The mark on the middle top is a leaf, not a spot.

The Ribbon Purse

This is a throwaway photo of my well trained dog Frida laughing at one of my jokes. Frida also imitates me by going gray at a very early age. She is 10 now but she was only 1 1/2 years when she began going gray. I have thought of using a natural hair dye but really don't you think that that is just too much?

This little number I call my "Ribbon Purse". I always amuse myself with the esoteric names I come up with. This purse is made from woven ribbon. See what I mean, how basic can a person be? QED: it is a ribbon purse.
I found the ribbon at FIDM Scholarship store and my hands couldn't get rid of it. It was as if the ribbons had glue on it and once glomed onto, it would not let go. But once I got it home, I had to figure out how to use it. Once again, I used the on-the-go look of this pattern that I made a few months ago. The ribbon seemed to say "I am sport as well as spiffy!". It was very difficult to work with until I found a fixative. The threads pulled out very easily and I have put this purse down a number of times. I decided that it would not work as a purse because of the loose weave. I kept experimenting and found a good fixative and the purse looks like it has a future. The colors are a lot brighter and more intense than this photo.

My Attempt at Jaunty

This is my attempt at frivolous and fun. The long wallet fits very easily inside, as well as the cell phone and there is the pocket for keys and lipstick. It did not take to much time, once I had all the parts together. The outside is a very new design and it is cotton and rayon. The inside is dark brown Chamois. I do like the feel of leather.

I think that I when make this design again, I will make it a bit larger. I don't do jaunty that well and I prefer to have a lot more room.

P.S. The little black spots on the left side of the top photo is Mr Chester, the sweet darling!

My Past Life Offering

This is the "Reticule" that I just finished. It feels good to get that out of my system and get back to normal purses. This "Reticule" has three different types of lace. I dyed the lace and now the colors all have a relationship to each other. It is lined with orange Taffeta. Like all "Reticules", it has a pull closer. One side of the "Reticule" I have adorned with Biwako (FreshWater) Pearls and the other side is adorned with Coral. I think that I have kept the feeling of "Reticules". And the funny part about it is that it does not feel new but decades old.

Where the Attraction Began.......

When I was around ten, I became aware of a beaded bag (very much like the one in the lower left corner) that my Mother had in a drawer. My Mother did not value "old" objects very much, so it was not treasured. Then I got my hands on it and I could not get enough of touching, holding, opening and generally trying to figure out why it was so beautiful. It was a beaded bag with the background black and the flowers were pansies. It had all the magic that something lovely could posess. I used it as a prop for my Halloween costume, I was a dancer and I would swing the bag. We moved shortly after that and I have no idea what became of it. I have thought of that bag and I now realize that that is why I enjoy purses so much. They represent to me something lovely that you can carry around all day and enjoy - Portable Treasures.
These bags are from the 1920's and are machine made. Arn't they lovely?