Birdbrain

Yesterday I introduced the Grosvenor travel tote. Now it is finished and ready for the road. It is made from two recycled coats and  is 17″ wide, 14″ tall and 4″ deep with 2 exterior pockets, one with a zipper, the other a slip pocket handy for your keys,  and three pockets inside. It features a double leather base with metal feet for protection, a metal zipper and high quality hardware. Inside it is lined with red cotton canvas. The removable shoulder strap is adjustable or you can use the padded handles. This is a versatile travel tote with understated good looks.

This isn’t a formal introduction. It isn’t even finished yet–there is a shoulder strap to come and a few more details to attend to. But here is the Grosvenor, a birthday gift for my sister. (On the reverse there is another pocket from a leather jacket from Barney’s in NYC. Fitting, don’t you think?)  The whole tote is made from a recycled jacket and is great pebbly leather. More pictures soon once it leaves the studio for good.

I have been making some pouches, assorted sizes and colours. I find them very useful, and at any one time have three or four in my tote.  I even use one on its own for a wallet when I want to travel light. Here are the first three of the new batch. Once again, the linings are as important as the outsides of the pouches. Details of size, price etc. in the on-line shop by tomorrow morning–just press the button on the right.

The Georgian tote is made from a remnant of leather and I had just enough to do it. I seem to work well under that kind of pressure. I am also making a second tote from leather upcycled from a coat–an even greater restraint (but more on that later, I hope). Back to the Georgian. This is a rough tote, so it is unlined, with a double bottom and studs for protection. It has an exterior and interior pocket and a clip for your keys. It is made from a great piece of leather and will wear well, but it is not as stiff as some of the other rough totes. It slouches a bit when you set it down–a quality I rather like.

H 14″ W 14″ D 6″. Handles are attached by three rivets and have a 12″ drop for comfortable carrying. In the on-line shop today.

 The Sage Delta is finished and ready for delivery. This tote is 17″ wide, 15″ high and 6″ deep. It has a double leather bottom with feet to protect it. The deep zipper pocket on the front is cut into the leather. The handles have a 10 inch drop and the ample shoulder strap makes a good alternative–or can be unclipped and stowed away.  Inside is a canvas zipper pocket and a leather phone pocket sewn on lovely Tanzanian cotton. All in all a great travel tote.

The new tote is well on its way. The fifth tote in the series, it is the same size as the other Delta totes, with most of the same details, yet it has its own personality. Pictured above is the lining with the zippered canvas pocket. I have featured this piece of Tanzanian cotton Super Wax Mama before–but I am still studying the border design and its layers of colour and pattern. I am designing a new rug these days and am thinking about layers of background, one pattern over another.

In the meantime, here is the Sage Delta on its way to completion. This is some of the most beautiful leather I have worked with–a rich subtle colour with memories of your herb garden. This is not a recycled piece–when you see leather this good, it’s hard to resist–and there is enough for another tote!