I love working with colours that make me sing. Yesterday I didn’t have a lot of time, but I made these small pouches. They are made from the very very last of my beautiful orange leather which is on so many of my pieces–combined with a pink skirt. Inside I mixed different batik cottons. If you have one of my pieces, I want you to enjoy the feel and the look inside and out — these little pouches fill those criteria–baby-skin soft and great, great colour. They will put a smile on your face.
Here are the two pouches which I use all the time–they are from former days, but are still holding up well to the work I give them. The front pouch is for cosmetics and the back one holds all those essential cords and plugs. I have another small leather one for business cards–and another for all my rug hooks. I find the pouch essential for travelling and for daily use.
This is all by way of introduction to some new pouches. My friend, MA, a lover of all things cobalt, got a new large wallet and so set me on the task of making a larger cobalt pouch to carry it. Here are the ones I came up with–all out of those cobalt skirts I found last spring–and each lined with a different wax print. Calm and dignified on the outside and a burst of colour on the inside. These pouches are all 9.5 inches wide, approximately 6″ high and have a 3″ base.
I have talked here before about how I love the patterns on African wax cotton prints. You can see the wealth of designs here. Lined up above are the linings of some large pouches–similar on the outside, cobalt or evergreen recycled skirts–but each lined with a unique piece of wax print. I have been collecting these fabrics for a while and the examples here were purchased at markets in Kenya and France. Below is another example, this one with its recycled suede pocket is ready to be inserted into the second Toffee Delta tote. Such rich colour and design. 
Here is a new triad–evergreen and aqua with deep red accents. It is an unlined bag made of heavy-duty leather with a double leather bottom attached with dome rivets for durability. It has lots of pockets–three on the front and another four inside. 14.5″ x 14.5″ x 5.5″ and the handles have an 11.5″ drop for easy carrying.
I made two pouches today, inspired by the colours of our cycling trip. These pouches are made of recycled leather and lined with cotton. Great supple leather in orange/cobalt and citron/red. 8.5″ x 5.5″ with metal zippers and a myriad of uses on their own or in a larger bag. In the on-line store now.
Meet the hadley, the first cousin of the luna. Great ruby red leather. The hadley has the luna’s double front pocket, but on the back there is a an extra pocket with a magnetic closing. Your phone will fit safely in here on its side. And, the hadley is lined with the best fabric–the euro squares. I only bought one yard of this and I am so sorry. The hadley has all the regular birdbrain features–double leather bottom with dome-shaped rivets for protection, adjustable long across-body strap with clips, metal zipper and double stitching throughout. Two pockets inside and two outside–a double and a snap. A very functional and attractive bag. 14″x 12.5″ x 5″ and in the on-line shop now.
One of my favourite it girls with her new tote. Pru’s sac was the prototype, but it seems to be a design that works well. The second one, the pb2, is also sold from the on-line shop, on its way to NY. I have loved working on this design collaboration and am now in the process of a second collaboration–this will be a bag of multi-colours.
And there will be a new bag in the on-line store tomorrow. The Hadley. I think it is a good one. You can click the instagram button on the sidebar for a preview.
The prudence b is a design collaboration. We wanted a big generous tote that would carry all gear, but that could fold down to a smaller size when needed. We wanted it to hang easily from the shoulder or to fit comfortably across body. And we wanted pockets outside and in. The first pb worked out well, so when I was looking at the pieces of leather in my recently acquired remnant pile, (fast dwindling!) I thought I would try the design again. This one is made from a beautiful mahogany coloured leather with a lovely sheen. It has the standard features: a double leather bottom with rivets, an adjustable strap, an outside pocket and two inside, one for phone and one larger, and double stitching throughout. And this pb is lined with a great Kenyan wax print. 15″ wide, 16″ tall and 5″ deep. In the on-line shop now.
I spent the afternoon sketching. I sat on a bench outside the Carnegie Library in Picton and sketched the buildings across the road and the library entrance right in front of me. I have always loved this building–so many of Ontario’s small towns have these lovely old Carnegie libraries. This one was built in 1907 when the town received a grant of $12 500 from the Carnegie Foundation. You can find a listing of all of Ontario’s Carnegie libraries here.
The sun was warm and the sky clear. A perfect afternoon for this. Several people stopped to chat and offer comments, including a local artist in residence, but all were kind and generous. For me it’s not really about the product, but rather about recording the moment — and while I am concentrating on the angles and the shadows, my brain sorts through design ideas and I come home refreshed and ready to tackle the sewing machines again. I’ve just started on some new red leather.
Remember the pile of high quality remnants I got in Toronto a few weeks ago? I have been having fun with those remnants. It’s always a good design challenge to use small pieces. I have managed to make a second Prudence B tote in a great mahogony–it is close to finished and I will post tomorrow. In the meantime, I have been using the smaller pieces for pouches. Here are two which are now in the shop. The first, The Star, is lined with bright cotton batik. The second is a rough pouch made of ruby-coloured heavy leather which will get softer and lovelier as it ages. It is unlined with a pocket on the front. I find I use several pouches in my big tote–great for organizing. Check out the on-line shop for more details.
My friend Penny asked me to make her a red strap for a small bag she had. I told her I had used all my red leather on my recent totes. However, when I went searching in my bins I found that by combining various scraps of leather, I had not only enough for her strap, but for a small Keller bag. Meet the Penelope. This is a great handy tote, 11″ wide, 12″ tall and 4″ deep with an adjustable strap and two pockets outside and another two inside. Two different types of durable red leather, one smooth, the other pebbly give this bag a unique look and inside the lining is a great wax print from the market in Bondo, Kenya. The double leather bottom with feet add to its durability. This is designed to be a great everyday bag with pockets to organize the details your life. The Penelope will be in the shop tomorrow morning.
