Noodlehead Envelope Clutch with Umbrella Prints Fabric

Posted on September 30, 2014September 30, 2014 Posted in BagsTagged clutch, envelope clutch, noodlehead, recycled, repurposed11 Comments

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as combining a great pattern with some treasured fabric. I’m heading to LA to visit some girlfriends this weekend and in anticipation, I wanted to make up something as a gift. Anna of Noodle-head re-engineered her Envelope Clutch recently and I couldn’t resist trying it out with some treasured Umbrella Prints fabrics. Pattern is here: Envelope Clutch PDF Pattern – Noodlehead.

The only modifications I made were including heavy duty Pellon interfacing with the fusible fleece on all outer parts, ditching the side D-ring in lieu of a leather tab and using some more repurposed leather for the trim, handle and inner card pocket. (Side note: Can you believe I now have 3 stuffed garbage bags full of leather and suede that friends have given me?!) I was able to sew through all of these layers because of my industrial Juki. Even with that, working my way through two layers of fleece, heavy interfacing, fabric and leather was a chore.

While in LA, I’m hoping to visit a girlfriend from high school. While I went to undergrad and medical school, she moved to LA to be a dancer and had quite a run dancing in the Academy Awards, on tour with singers and on TV. In my mind, she is most famous for her part in George Michael’s video “Faith”. Anyone else remember those amazing legs? Yep, that’s my friend Lori.

Can’t wait for some girl time.

Hillary

Recycled Leather Clutch

Posted on April 24, 2014April 24, 2014 Posted in BagsTagged Bag, clutch, recycled, upcycled2 Comments

My friends have been incredibly generous donating their old leather coats to me when they heard I was upcycling the leather into bags. Perhaps my telling them that their Duran Duran, Members Only Jackets were no longer in fashion had something to do with it. 🙂 In any case, I now have 4 leather jackets in addition to one I have already used, generously donated by Bianca (Thanks! I made them!.). I decided to make up a clutch for a friend using a cherished Hmong Remnant, some printed leather and a turkish tassel I had on hand as a zipper pull.

I made up a pattern (my favorite part of creating) and used some hot pink cotton I fused with thick pellon interfacing for the lining. Next up, I’m cutting into some Anna Maria Horner voile for a hexagon variation quilt.

The Bianca Clutch

Posted on February 27, 2014February 28, 2014 Posted in BagsTagged Bag, clutch, leather, repurposing3 Comments

The digital age has changed irrevocably our day to day lives. The way we interact and make connections has forever changed. Through various forms of social media, we now can date (thank goodness I am married!!), we can reconnect with friends from high school and we can make new friends on line. I was reminded of this recently when I received a surprise package from Texas. Via Flickr, I have been introduced to the work of many talented people. One such person is Bianca (http://www.flickr.com/photos/48608470@N06/). Bianca has THE best style. She makes clothes that compliment her so well and her hand stitching is amazing. Soon I also discovered her blog (http://thanksimadethem.blogspot.com) where you can find great tutorials and inspiration. Bianca somehow read my mind after I got my new industrial machine and picked up a leather jacket from a thrift shop for me. Little did she know that I had been requesting old leather jackets from friends and family with the idea of repurposing to no avail! In any case, Bianca’s wonderful gift came and today I decided to put my new machine and this leather to work.

I pulled together some of my favorite Carolyn Friedlander Botanics and followed an online tutorial for a fold over clutch I had been eyeing. (http://youandmie.com/tag/foldover-clutch/)

To add some extra bulk to this quilting cotton I used a medium fusible interfacing and I quilted the lining. (This is one of my favorite bag making tricks as I often like a little more heft to my bags but prefer a smooth nonquilted outside.) My Juki did well and I am delighted with this bag. I only used a small amount of the leather in this coat and look forward to using more. Thank you so much Bianca!!

Michelle Patterns Pocket Clutch

Posted on February 6, 2014 Posted in BagsTagged Bag, clutch, handmade, michellepatterns, sewing5 Comments

Continuing to foster the “soft” side of my personality, I sewed up a Pocket Clutch from Michelle Patterns (pattern here: http://www.michellepatterns.com/product/pocket-clutch-pdf-sewing-pattern). This was such a nice departure from my other recent projects. It is so tiny and delicate with two inner pockets. I used one of my favorite vintage buttons and the pattern is simple and straightforward. I give it a strong recommend. Alas, I think the Yang part of my creative personality is going to be hard to control. I spent the rest of the morning drawing up plans for another geometric baby quilt, this time in black and white. 🙂