Hello, everyone!
The Harry Potter Party Posts are all finished and I am owing you guys a pdf file of printables. Which is all ready and scanned. But I do not currently have access to my files and other regular computer stuff so I am going to wait until I am before putting it up for sale. This way, if anything goes awry with the download process or the transaction process or there is some glaring typo I missed, I'll actually be able to fix it right away.
In the meantime, I will share a random project not related to parties or Harry Potter.
Have you heard it said, "Less is more"?
I will add: "Especially with bags."
See - I've been craving what I generally call a Goes With Everything kind of bag. You know the kind: works with church outfits and supermarket runs and dropping kids off at school; big enough to hold your tea mug and a spare sweater when at the mall but not so humongous that it looks as if you've packed all your kids' beach towels and a year's supply of diapers.
I own many different bags. Not because I like the variety, but because I keep making and buying new bags in my fervent search for a single candidate that might possibly transcend most social occasions and color schemes. Occasionally I will find one remotely suitable, and proceed to use it to death, until it's stained and ripped and the zipper jams and even I can't tell what color it is anymore. Or until I've realized my needs have inexplicably changed and I no longer need something so big, or so colorful, or so waterproof or so. . . whatever.
Anyway, last week, I made a new bag.
My ongoing craving might be an omnicouture impossibility but my (current) specific weakness is grey and brown and plain and non-fabric-looking, hence this taupe suede and chocolate strap ensemble. I haven't had the time to go shopping for leather of the right thickness to cut into straps, so for the time being, it's vinyl.
Yes, it's completely featureless. The suede, however, dresses it up, I think. Isn't it interesting how the kind of fabric (not the print) defines a bag? I've always been partial to solid fabrics with extraverted textures.
I will admit that I was tempted to applique a big accent detail on the front like I did with this bag, but eventually decided not to take the time to. Maybe for the next iteration - I have a milk chocolate suede that I could try that out in - I'll do some floral thing with saddle-stitching. Hm.
I do still like subtle print, though. So I always funkify the lining.
See? Mildly distracting on the inside, but calm and easy-going on the outside.
Incidentally, this bag has an invisible snap that you er. . . can't see, to hold the mouth shut. And the base seam is driving me nuts in these photos because I didn't want to get my ironing board out in the middle of all the home remodeling and press it open, and now I'm paying the price for it.
Just to see if I could turn this same design into something conventionally dressy, I made another bag in Jessica Jones' In Theory barkcloth (golden retro gorgeousness).
Instead of a hand-made strap, I used an actual belt. Amazing time-saver.
And put in one of those turn-lock flap closures to complement the brown strap (and the brown base, which you probably can't see in the photos).
And I'm trying out a new way to make a faux-welt pocket on the inside. Much easier than regular welt pockets because you don't have to do the crazy interface-the-welt-window thing.
Here you go: one fancy, one plain.
When I have some time, I am going to make a few more variations on this design - a grommet-knot rouleau strap, for instance. And I must do one with those shiny screw-in grommets. So many possibilities.