bags and purses

I had three purple jackets in my bin waiting to be transformed. These are batwing style with lots of material in the sleeves. This is the first. I wanted to incorporate the pockets and the great geometric quality of the stitching and make a soft slouchy bag, big enough for all you carry in a day. I think leather is amazing–after a season or two of wear a couple of decades ago, this leather is beautifully transformed without a complaint!

I should say that I call this bag Carissa 2 because the first purple bag I made has accompanied her everywhere for the past 6 months. She is my greatest fan and advertisement. Her new bag is in the works (don’t tell her!) and it is apple green!! I hope it will be ready for her birthday.

 

Inside there is a zipper pocket and an open pocket on the one side and a turquoise suede open pocket on the other. The lining is a beautiful striped fabric which adds strength and structure to the bag. It came from Montreal’s fabric district. I am looking forward to getting back there next month!

 

 

 

 

This is the bag made from the jacket I talked about here . I am actually going to make 2 bags from that one small jacket, so this is the first. The second will use those crazy pockets, not quite sure how yet. I wanted this bag to be simple and uncluttered so I put leather loops for the attachment rather than rivets. This has the added benefit of easily allowing you to change the strap length. The lining is a lovely stiff cotton from the market in Limoux–and what could be better with the coming winter than having the flowers of summer in your bag?  As you can see there is a double inside pocket on one side and a suede slip pocket for phone and keys on the other.  It is 13″ wide, 11.5″ tall and the strap is 50″ long.

 

 

 

More kodachrome pouches. I love combining the colours and textures. They are a wonderful relief from the more challenging work of creating a bag out of a jacket. I posted a jacket a few days ago–it is well on its way to being a bag, but recycling leather and zipper (without end tips) poses some problem-solving situations. Hope you will see the finished product soon.  BTW thank you for all your wonderful comments about the first kodachrome pouch. It is always so nice to be reminded that you are not alone in the ether.

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!

 

 

 

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 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.