Bag of the Week 11

Polymer Clay Necklace Purse

Here’s something a little different this week.  I made this little necklace purse a number of years ago when I was experimenting with polymer clay.  The instructions were published in Belle Armoire magazine, published by Stampington & Company.  Unfortunately, I have gotten rid of all of my old Belle Armoire’s and cannot find information about this article online.  If anyone has old issues and finds the reference I would be grateful if you would share the information in a comment.

The purse was constructed from sheets of polymer clay rolled out with a pasta machine.  These sheets were then molded around a form which was created from layers of corrugated cardboard wrapped in aluminum foil.  Several colors of clay were kneaded together to give a mottled effect and the front and back were stamped with a rubber stamp using metallic gold ink.  Clay beads were added along the sides and bottoms and then the box was cut complete around to form the purse opening.  After baking (the clay is left on the form until after this step) a rattail strap strung with more beads was added.  Lastly, a black tassel was threaded through the bead on the bottom.

This is a unique purse that can be worn like a piece of jewelry.  It is very delicate and fragile so care must be taken when wearing it.  It is 3” by 4”, large enough to hold ID, credit card, money, lipstick and maybe even an iPhone.

Things have been very busy around my house recently.  I am currently working on a long-term home dec project and I am hoping to have a series of posts with pictures coming soon.

Bag of the Week 10

The Picksac

Like last week’s bag, this week’s selection was designed by Barbara Randle and is called the Picksac.   The instructions and pattern for this bag can be found in Barbara’s book Crazy Quilting with Attitude. 

The body of the bag is created from a solid piece of fabric, in this case, an ivory and navy toile.  The front and back of the purse have pockets that were pieced from a variety of denim prints.  A single handle, large button and tassel complete the bag.

The bag is lined with a medium weight denim, and the difference between the weight of the inner and outer fabrics created a neat piping effect along the top edge.  In fact, this look was created simply by favoring the heavier lining fabric slightly when pressing the edge.

After writing about Barbara’s two books last week I noticed one for sale at one of my favorite discount book sites, www.hamiltonbook.com.  More Crazy Quilting with Attitude  is on sale here for a mere $4.95.  This is a beautiful and inspiring book, one you will be pleased to add to your collection.

Bag of the Week 9

Gondola by Barbara Randle

The vernal equinox might be another two weeks away but I am sure wishing for a little breath of spring.  So I pulled out one of my cheeriest purses for this week’s bag.  This is one of several designs I have made by Barbara Randle.  

Barbara is best known for her modern take on crazy quilting.  She is the author of two books, Crazy Quilting with Attitude and More Crazy Quilting with Attitude, and offers classes throughout the country as well as from her home in Birmingham, AL.  Her designs are fresh, modern and full of color.  She likes to use a black/cream colored print in her work which really makes the colors POP!  Her technique is not hard to master and the embellishing portion is loads of fun.  Barbara also has several patterns available through the Vogue Pattern company.

This bag is similar to Barbara’s Gondola Purse.  I made this bag while attending Martha Pullen’s School of Art Fashion.  Barbara designed this bag for the event and came with lots of kits in all sorts of color choices.  I chose colors that I love but that were a little outside of my comfort zone just to challenge myself a bit.  The fabric pieces, largely silk, were pieced onto a canvas foundation and then embellished with couched fibers and decorative stitches.  The lining, in two cheery colors, lime green and turquoise, has lots of pockets for organization.

This was a really fun purse to create and is also fun to carry.  It gets lots of attention!  Watch for several other B. Randle Designs to show up as a Bag of the Week in the future.

Bag of the Week 6

Heart Pouch

Here’s a fun little number to spice up your Valentine date outfit.  I created this whimsical little purse several years ago for a show that I was participating in, and it was the first thing to sell at my booth.  The purse is made from red coat-weight wool and is sewn in a simple pouch style.  The heart design is another from Kathleen Parman’s Herky Jerky line (you can read more about Kathleen’s work in my January 20^th post).  I stitched the design on black fabric and then stitched the panel to the purse front using more Herky Jerky stitching.  I knit the eyelash I-cord from one strand each of black and red Fun Fur and created the strap from wool yarn using the Spinster.

Here’s another I created using the same design but different colors.