Purse

Here's another purse I made using the idea I saw from a TV demonstration by Linda McGeehee. This one is lined, but that makes it bulky, so I think a double faced fabric or one with a nice reverse side would have been a better choice.

Purses

One of the charity projects Columbia Fiberarts Guild is doing is to make tote bags for women and children who have to leave an abusive situation with only what they can carry. Here are two of the prints I used to make a bunch of bags. I am so lucky to be in a loving marriage.

On TV Linda McGeehee made this type of bag on a show for Martha Pullen. It was so neat I had to try it. Of course, I didn't decide until I no longer had the show and had to figure out the details on my own. She does have a pattern on her website for sale, but I was sure I could do it. It starts with two long rectangles of fabric with a zipper in each end. Then you fold it not quite in half and put on a strap-cool idea.

Felted Purse

The flap on this purse is felted and was a more muted color than I'm used to working in, but I decided to decorate it anyway and couched a couple of cords down in the swirled pattern around the Shisha I had put on the piece. Then with Perle Cotton, I used running stitch to echo the couched lines.

While debating how to use the piece, I noticed that there was a piece of orchid Ultrasuede in the closet-have no idea where it came from but it was a perfect match. The cord was made on one of those plastic cord makers and is from yarns in my stash.

I'm glad people liked my rusted fabric and gave suggestions on where to find the soapless scouring pads. I did find some in the auto section but will look in the other places too. Thanks for the input-always love to get it.

Lace Purse

When we were in California, a friend and I used to go to a special antique store. I always look for purse frames. Since this one isn't antique, the nice lady gave it to me.

It has sat around here for a long time but the painted lace seemed like it needed to go with it. I painted the lace with acrylic paints then bonded it to lining fabric. To make a pattern I traced just inside the frame then flipped it to create the bottom shape. I cut it out after adding seam allowances.  Once the fabrics were seamed and the lining attached leaving the bottom of the lining open, I beaded the flower centers.

Attaching it to the frame was a challenge, since it is hard to sew that close to the metal and is done by hand. To cover the stitching, I put 4 beads on each section then hand stitched lace on the inside to cover that stitching. It's the way the antique ones were done.  It's not my favorite but was a good learning experience.

Purse

Here is the purse I made from the felted panel. It is a McGhee pattern and still needs a handle. I like her patterns-easy to follow and the product looks good.