I have made two sizes of totes for the show beginning this week. The mid-size totes shown in the first two pictures are approximately 13″ x 14″ x 5″, the large ones are 17″ x 16″ x 6″.
These are made of heavy-duty canoe canvas and trimmed in leather. Inside they each have a zippered pocket. Most have leather handles that are long enough to go over your shoulder, but the red one seemed like a good everyday bag, so I put on a long adjustable strap and snap closure.
The red mid satchel was such a good size that I decided to use the cobalt skirt for a second one. Here it is–lined with more bird fabric from Benin, Africa–and a bird zip and open pocket.
Speaking of Africa, we started making our travel plans for 3 weeks of aid work in Kenya next February. More on that later.
Here are three versions of my canvas pouches. They are all screen-printed on various weights of canoe canvas with non-toxic inks. The middle ones are lined with polka dot cotton, the top and bottom have finished seams but are unlined. Some of these will make an appearance at the show in TO at the end of the month, others are bound for Etsy. Let me know if you like them!
Today I am making tomato butter and cleaning up the debris in the yard from the four flowering crab trees (long past their best) which we finally parted with this week. Beautiful day to do anything outside! Hope you enjoy it.
This is the last of the beautiful skirt I found in the spring. I was able to make the wendie pouch and a clutch and now this one. The first two have gone to cobalt blue lovers–this is the last one. It is a little bigger (6 x 8.5 x 1.5″) and has a zip and open pocket and a detachable wrist strap.
Fortunately I did find a second skirt and I am currently making a larger bag with shoulder strap, much like yesterday’s red mid satchel. We will see how it goes. It’s not as vibrant as this cobalt, but beautiful nonetheless. Recycled leather has its own story and has a way of letting you know what will work. This leather seemed bound for small hand-held bags for evening or jeans–for those occasions when you don’t need a huge bag of stuff. Your phone, cards, cash, keys and glasses will fit in here nicely with room to spare.
And Wendie, there was enough for your strap. It’s on its way to you!
Sometimes I stop and wonder why I am so intense about finding leather castoffs and making something new. It is close to an obsession some days, trolling through thrift shops, unpicking zippers, reworking remaining remnants. After all, I am retired from job #1 and I should be out enjoying myself–playing golf or something! Yikes!
I am learning that this is enjoyment for me: the hunt for the perfect piece, the item which was once loved and is now awaiting a new life, combined with the puzzle of reworking, redesigning, creating something new that people will carry and use with pride.
So all that said, here are three new bags. The first is City Carissa, once a Michael Kors Italian Leather suit–the leather rich and supple and an incredible deep green.
City Carissa is a bigger bag, 12x14x3.5″, with an exterior pocket and a magnetic closure. The interior is green ticking with a zipper and open pocket and the bird with attitude screen printed on the side opposite side.
The next bag, the red mid satchel, was once a red skirt, quite short. However the leather was so beautiful I couldn’t resist. I combined it with a my remaining remnant of red croc to make a great mid-size bag. It has a zipper closure, an exterior pocket and a strap long enough for cross body, but thin enough that it can be knotted to make a shorter strap to carry the bag under your arm.
The interior of this bag is great striped fabric from the market in Limoux. The French fabrics are beautiful, their colours intense. The bag has the zip and open interior pockets. It measures 9x13x2″.
The last bag is my City Revival bag. It too started life off as a skirt. Those of you who know my favourite Picton store, know that this skirt was once in an expensive Toronto boutique. Most of the clothes I buy at City Revival I wear, but this gem ended up as a bag. It is beautiful flocked caramel leather. It is lined with screen printed stiff canvas, giving it body and durability.
This bag measures 11x14x4″. It has a long strap, exterior pocket, magnetic closure and great screen printed lining with zipper and open pocket.
A clutch out of the same soft cobalt blue leather and a great mid-size bag with two straps. (Thank you, Shannon, for your suggestion.) I’ll be posting both on Etsy later today and then I will be out of touch for the next few days, enjoying all the wedding festivities. Enjoy your day.
This bag is made from a small remnant of beautiful pumpkin leather. This is my favourite size of bag–11.5 x 9.5 x 3″–big enough to hold wallet, phone and other necessities, but small enough to be comfortable. The cross-body strap can be knotted to carry the bag on one shoulder, tucked under your arm. It also has an outside pocket, a must for me, just big enough to carry subway tokens or a couple of keys.
However, my favourite part about this bag is the lining. It is a great orange and lemon remnant from a shop on the market square in Limoux. I’ve screen printed the bird with attitude inside and added a zipper pocket.
All in all, a great everyday bag.
Feedback and ideas come from many sources. There is a great woman at my local bank who always comments on my purses. She wears a small cross-body pouch to hold the various cards she needs for her daily routine. She suggested I try to make one, approximately 6″x 6″. So here is the prototype–Jan–made from a red leather jacket. I have some bright green leather, the sleeve of a batwing jacket, and I am hoping to transform it into a second one. The lining of this one is one of my favourite cotton prints. The pouch has a snap closure, a small pocket and rivet detail.
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!
