The beautiful catalan fabric I got in France became three bags. The pouch with orange leather bottom and the orange and pink tote which you have seen in previous posts have both sold. This pouch with turquoise zipper, leather tab and interior suede pocket is the last of Collioure. This is a great pouch to clip into a bigger bag, and at 7″x6″x3″ it is large enough to hold your camera or other treasures. I am going to post it on Etsy soon.
This pouch is bigger and more lively. I experimented with fabric paint and am pleased with the results. The lining is pink and orange stripes and dots, so this is definitely one happy bird bag! I will be putting it on Etsy later today along with a couple of others. I am very happy to say that I have already had two sales, so I am off to the post office today, sending one package to Texas!
Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments. 221 people visited the page! I hope that you will continue to leave comments–it is very heartening to read your opinions and your encouragement. This is a new, somewhat unnerving adventure and I am so glad to have you accompanying me along the way.
The winner of the draw is #17, Cathlin. My husband was barely awake this morning when I asked him to choose and number between 1 and 29 and he chose 17. Cathlin, please send me your postal information and I will pop the logo bird pouch in the mail to you.
The Etsy shop is up and running (thank you Owen for your help). Just click on the orange button on the right to visit. There are currently 6 items in the shop. Please let me know your opinions about what you see there and what you would like to see.
I made this small pouch from a recycled leather skirt. Some time ago I posted the skirt and Wendie commented that this blue is her favourite colour. As I was working on the pouch, I was thinking of her, and it wasn’t until afterwards that I realized that it was her ‘big birthday’. Although we have only met a few times, Wendie is a great blog supporter–which I very much appreciate. So this pouch is named in her honour.
I have more of this leather for a bigger clutch–and has luck would have it, VV had two more blue items, an 80’s jacket and another skirt–so there will be more blue items on the sewing machine soon!
Below are other views, including the interior which is lined with gorgeous gold fabric screen printed with birds–from the market in Limoux.
ps I will announce the winner of the draw tomorrow.
I have decided to set up at Etsy store to sell my leather and canvas goods. I hope that this will happen early next week. To celebrate this event, a large step for me, I have decided, following the example of my mentor and friend Arounna, to have a give-away. Please leave me a comment, telling me which products you would like to see in the Etsy store and I will randomly select a winner next Friday August 26th. You may have to scroll back to look at the canvas and leather totes, pouches and bags to see what I could possibly make for the Etsy site. The winner will receive this adorable little pouch.
I used the last of the catalan fabric to make this tote along with left over pieces of orange and pink leather. It is such a puzzle fitting the pieces together! It is 16″x16″x5″ with a long adjustable across body strap that can also be made into a carry handle. I love the colour play of the leather and the stripes.This is the first time that I have used webbing in a handle, and it works well with the leather.
The bag has two exterior pockets and four interior, two large and two small. A perfect tote!
I made a few small bags last week, but this is my first ‘real’ bag since I returned home. I love the deep teal colour of this bag and the lovely texture of the leather. It is made from a remnant which was just enough–the exterior pocket and strap are lined with black leather from a pair of pants. The lining is a great green and white ticking, screen printed with ‘the bird with attitude’. It measures 13″x11″x3″ and the strap is 38″ long so fits nicely across the body, my favourite way to carry a bag. This is my second bag in this style–Carissa–named because she inspired the first of this series, the grape bag.
The French have a wonderful relationship with coffee. There are no take-outs and certainly no drive-throughs. However, your coffee is often accompanied by a piece of chocolate–the idea is to savour and relax. Cafés abound and it is such a pleasure to sit on the terrace of one and watch the happenings around you. There is always time for a sketch!
I am inspired by the colours of southern France.
The first set of birdbrain bags are made from a small piece of turquoise canvas I have been saving. They are trimmed with recycled leather from a pair of leather pants.
The second set of pouches are made from Catalan fabric which I bought in Collioure on the Mediterranean. They are called sunshine fabrics! Each pouch has a small suede pocket inside to match the zipper colour and the one is trimmed in buttery orange leather. I have enough catalan to make three more pouches in varying sizes. It has a lovely durable weight and does not need lining. All of these pouches are suitable for carrying your small treasures.
