Monday, March 10, 2014

Vicki Batman ~ #handbag Monday: How I made a bag!


Handbag Monday!!

I perused eBay recently and found the makings of a bag at a great price - $14.00. So I bought it.

But I had to make a bag out of it - right? So I went to JoAnn's Fabrics and found beaded handles (about $8.00 each) and a nifty button to fashion into a closure.

Here's the components:

 
 
The colors are fabulous! And the bird in the middle is done in petit point. The handles are made of dark wooden beads which I sewed with a waxed leather thread. Here's the finished product:
 
 
 
The bag is large and roomy. Even a little large for me. I want to add a stiff cardboard to the bottom for more stability. The only complaint? The lining is dark and I lost my phone.
 
 
What do you think? Could you make a bag like this?
 
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Poinsettia bag: Week
 
 
As you can see I finished the gusset. Now, I am working on the center out of a side panel. I had to buy more thread and went to where I usually purchase this silk variety. They were out. They put in a special order for me and I'll have to go back. In the meantime....
 
I went to another store. They carried the same brand; however, the dye lot is different. So I pull one strand from the old skein and one of equal length from the new just to make sure there is not glaring difference. You know, I can't tell. 

5 comments:

Melissa Keir said...

I hadn't thought about the dye lot when doing a needlepoint project. That makes sense, though.

I like what you did with the bag. The bird and design are pretty.

Angela Adams said...

It looks big enough to hold all my stuff -- I'm one of those people who puts everything but the kitchen sink in my handbag.

fOIS In The City said...

Vicki, Just added you to Pinterest. I basically use them for researching design ideas for my decoupage and haven't been very proactive adding the pictures of my crafts. I'll be doing that later this month. Love this site. Love everything you do :)

Shirla said...

I love the bag...want to do something similar for myself.

Vicki Batman, sassy writer said...

Hi, friends! I can't believe I didn't check in with you.

Thanks, Melissa. Dye lots are interesting. If they colors are way off, then I'd better have another plan. So far, good.

Hi, Angela! This bag is pretty big. And I'll have an addendum coming to fix the problem of digging through it to find stuff.

Hi, Florence! Congratulations on going to Pinterest. I put lots of craft projects up there. I love you too.

Hi, Shirla! and welcome to HBW. After I'd done some needlepoint, I consulted with a friend who was a tad older and way more experienced about doing a bag of my own. Then I consulted with the shop owner. I was nervous as heck, but since the bag is made of one stitch, I did fine.

Here's my pinterest page in case you want to see what I've done: http://pinterest.com/vickibatman