What an outstanding day, made all the more by the reports of snow storms to the east! I spent the morning screen printing, listening to Michael Enright and the CBC 75th Anniversary special. So many memories. This afternoon I couldn’t resist the sunshine. When I came back inside I was inspired to make the pouch below. I gathered all my brightest scraps and sewed them together–the red skirt, the green jacket and the final pieces of the glorious Wendie cobalt. It makes me smile!
I have had a couple of requests for red bags so I have posted these bags for sale on Etsy. They all have cross-body shoulder straps and interior pockets. Two have handy outside pockets. The two smaller ones are made from a recycled leather jacket, the largest from the last piece of the beautiful Montreal leather. If you like these bags, just click on the orange Etsy button on the right for more pictures and details or leave me a comment here.
I made this clutch today and it seems perfect. I’ve been saving this leather–it was purchased new, something I don’t do very often. You may remember I also had it in blue. Great texture and colour. Below is a challenge I have set myself–to make a bag from this jacket. Will post when finished.
In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying this late fall weather. Today I biked to the market, filled my baskets with squash, kohlrabi, parsnips and cauliflower and a pound of freshly roasted organic coffee. How lucky we are to have this bounty so close at hand. Kudos to the market vendors who braved the cold!
The top image needs little explanation with its iconic backdrop. The surfer is my son, Colin. The photo was taken by his friend, Matt, from another surf board. Quite a feat!
The other photos are taken in my favourite town just outside Hamilton. I was back for a dinner to honour one of my highschool classmates and it was a weekend of memories. The building in the background is the wonderful Detour café where we sat sketching and at left is their perfect latté.
One of the things about using recycled leather is the supply is finite. So it is farewell to cobalt skirt 2. This one became a bag and a clutch. I like the lining as much as the leather in this clutch–it is natural cotton screen printed all over with my favourite bird. It also has a small leather pocket. The outside has a purple tab and removable wrist strap. The clutch is 10.5″ x 5.5″ x 3″, a good size for a night out.
I haven’t been very good at updating Etsy–but I promise to get some things on there today, including this clutch.
I love this photo . It captures the creative intensity of the day–the piles of colour on the table, the lovely work being created. Also the hooking on the wall behind and reflected in the mirror on the right.
9 students spent the day at Bookhou creating amazing work.
Here is the demo from a fresh angle:
and here they are hard at work:
and here are the pieces near the end of the workshop. These folks were almost all first-time rug hookers. I was so impressed by their achievements!
I just noticed that this is my 100th post! For an initially reluctant blogger, that is a milestone.
Yesterday I was back in the dye pot, dyeing new scarves. It is great fun to combine new colours each time to make something unique. These scarves are made of 100% wool, 2 yards long, so they wrap nicely around your neck with lots to spare. They are warm, colourful and easy-care.
Below are the finished scarves.
I have a love affair with El Naturalist shoes–they are truly comfortable–and great to wear. I recently found a pair of El Nat red boots in Port Hope, sketched above–if what I am buying comes in red, I have difficulty veering away. Then I read this post about OFG (once you are on the Paris Breakfast site, click on favourite posts and then Older French Girls to get to the April 22, 2010 post–it’s worth it for the fun) and their propensity for wearing red! Now, I am not claiming to reach those levels of fashion–but I do love red el nats, well actually red in general.
So…I thought I needed a new shoulder bag to match the new boots and do them credit. I had a large piece of beautiful leather which I bought in Montreal last winter. It is actually the first piece of leather I bought apart from thrift stores and I had been saving it. I had enough to make this Sumac October bag and two other smaller bags which I will post later. I have already given this bag a trial run and it is the perfect size for me and my gear. The interior has four pockets and outside is a large zipper pocket.
Kits are all assembled and ready for Saturday.
On the left is a sweater destined for the dye pot with some Majic Carpet turquoise on its way to becoming pairs of mittens. I line each pair with recycled 100% woollen scarves so these mittens are cozy!
I love to combine different sweaters in the same colourway to come up with a variety of mittens. Each pair is unique. Below are the ones which were inspired by this sweater after its dye-job.
