The leather is centre-stage in this art tote. It is a great rugged chocolate colour with a finish that will only improve as it ages. The bag is simple, one outside pocket, two inside, a sturdy metal zipper closing and two plain leather straps, cleanly attached with rivets which also secure the inside pockets. This tote will carry your art supplies and double as a weekend getaway bag. It has a double leather bottom and reinforced sides. A classic. 17″x14″x5″
The Gallery 121 show is coming up. It begins on November 2nd and the formal opening is November 5th 2-4 pm. Yesterday in the sun, I lined up the small shoulder bags I have designed for the show. I call them G121. They are a simple leather day bag with a flap and magnetic closure. Some have pockets on the back and they all have a pocket inside. This is the bag you would take out to the show or for dinner. It has ample room for all your essentials and just slings over your shoulder. It is designed to be worn hands-free, cross-body, but the leather strap can easily be knotted to shorten.
The bag measures 9.5″ wide and 8.5″ tall with a two inch bottom. Carissa has been road-testing one all summer, and she tells me she can even fit her small water bottle in it. I think they are a fun and useful boost of colour in your life.
I have lots of fun making these little rectangular pouches from my favourite leather remnants and colourful zippers. They are great for your sunglasses or pens. The bright colours ensure that you will find them in a crowded tote. These will be available at the Gallery 121 show, but if you can’t make it and would like one, just write to me with your colour preferences. They make great affordable gifts!
I wanted to make a daily tote. The one you rely on to carry all your stuff on busy days. The one that looks good everywhere and wears its age well. I had this great mocha leather which was just enough to make this tote, 12.5″ wide, 12″ tall with a double base of 4″. There is an adjustable leather strap, subtle brass coloured hardware and a back pocket with a sturdy metal zipper. The front flap is double leather and closes with a leather strap and brass knob. Inside it is lined with great jigsaw cotton with two additional leather pockets.
In the online store now. Check under navigation on the right.
I was in Toronto yesterday getting some supplies. A selection of my new bags and hooked rugs will be in a show at my favourite local gallery for the month of November and I’m working non-stop to get everything finished. I could not resist the beautiful leather remnants pictured below when I was buying zippers and rivets. They called out to me! I have plans to combine the colours and turn them into small zippered pencil cases and make-up bags. I’ll be posting them here soon and some will be in the on-line store.
I also wanted to let you know that I’m trying to post work in progress each day on Instagram. There is a button on the right under Navigation which will take you there. I would love if you would follow my progress. Thanks for staying with me, Christine.
I used the same teal leather as the bag I featured in the last post–(the second photo captures this rich colour best). This time it is a bigger 121 bag — 12″ wide, 11″ tall with a 2″ base. It also has a flap lined in recycled pebbly black leather with a magnetic closure and a generous exterior back pocket for keys or phone. But on the bigger bag there is a wide teal leather adjustable leather strap which attaches to the bag with metal clips. Inside there are three pockets, including a zippered one for security. The bag is lined in great polka dot batik cotton and the pocket sports the birdbrain graphic bird in a hurry. This is a great everyday bag which is generous in size for all your daily needs.
I’ve been back in the studio working with some beautiful leather. The first is a deep teal blue in a perfect weight. I made the small 121 bag you see here and a larger one is on the cutting table. This is a perfect colour for all year round, a strong hue which fits into any palette. I may be partial on this. Teal blue has long been my favourite colour–and it is a hard one to find in leather. And I’ve lined it with fuschia dots–perfection! This is a small cross-body bag. 9″x7″x2″, but its roomy exterior and interior pockets are designed to hold all you need for a day in town.
Here are a few pieces made in a great denim-like leather. I had several small remnant pieces and was able to make one 121 bag and pouches in several sizes. They are my new favourites.
I bought this material in Ireland lat year. I love its punch of colour and its durability–it has a coating which you can wipe clean. I made a smaller city tote last year and it is standing up well to the rigours of a busy life. This tote measures 18″ x 15″ x 5″ and has a large double leather pocket on the outside. Inside are two more useful pockets. So it’s ready for all your toting needs. It is lined in navy denim, has leather carry handles and bottom and a durable metal zipper. 
Here you can see the Bird in a Hurry graphics on the large pocket as well as the double leather pocket on the other side. Great for organizing your things. This sturdy pouch stands up on its own, ready to be filled with art supplies, books or your travel needs. In the shop today
We have been home a week, but I am still adjusting and feeling like I’m not on top of anything. Life always seems to return full-on. But, for now a few more sketches. They follow our trip to the very north of Scotland, over to the Orkneys and then back down the west coast to Ullapool. They were all done outside, sometimes in the rain, sometimes completed on the spot and sometimes paint added later. What I love most about sketching is how each sketch, no matter the quality, brings back the essence of my time in that location–the day, the weather, the conversations around etc. So you are experiencing the place on a deeper level not only when you are doing the sketch, but each time you look at them again. 
I am just home from 17 days in Scotland. We were busy and the internet was spotty, so I had the chance to do only one post. But I’m back now. Thanks for sticking with me!
At the start of the sketchbook I drew a map so I could chart the journey. We spent a few days in Ayr (which is not on the map) with my wonderful cousins before beginning our tour. We took four ferries, saw countless lochs and mountains and stayed in small hotels on the coasts. Fortunately for us, the weather was outstanding–I wore my warm coat only once, and that was back in Glasgow. We kept a good pace, but I drew at every opportunity, often making a quick standing sketch and adding paint later.
A few things I brought home from the trip: My Scottish grandmother spoiled me with hand-knitted clothing as I was growing up an ocean away and ever since I have loved Scottish textiles. Here you can see some Harris Tweed (more on that in another post), a hand-knitted hat for a little person in my life and socks the colour of the landscape. At bottom, an inspiring book of Hebridean sketches–again more glimpses of these sketches later.
I had a chance to sketch the main pedestrian street of Ayr with the Wallace monument in the sunshine and Culzean castle in the rain.
Edinburgh is one of my very favourite cities. I sat on various benches doing quick sketches, trying to capture the remarkable architecture. These are views of the Old Town.
It will take a few days to share my sketches…and then I’ll be back in the studio finishing my rugs and making some new things for a show at the beginning of November. So more posts very soon.