...here's another one

Here's another purse I started ages ago, ripped out a million times, and finally finished.

 FRONT

BACK

this is a new one I am working on.  it is alligator print embossed leather.  The buttons were bone pendants that I  made into sew on buttons. It is a hobo bag....I am getting better at this! 

This is a way cool product I found at Sailrite.  It is a super sticky but thin double adhesive tape made for holding canvas together when you are repairing sails.  It works great on the leather which is impossible to pin, and is a lot easier than using leather contact cement.  I have tried other available double stick tapes, but this stuff really sticks....it works great conforming around curves too and yet is easy peasy to lift up if you make a mistake or want to remove it.  also, my sewing machine needles do not get gummy when they sew over it.

 the next photo shows a strap just getting sticky tape applied and another strap that has already been folded over the sticky tape.

and lastly, this is what happened to last nights dinner.  the fairly new crockpot , on low for about 2 hours, exploded its glass lid into our dinner.  bummer.  i looked it up on line, and apparently this has happened a lot in the past.  still waiting to here what the manufacturer has to say about it....

 ...so we had to eat leftovers for dinner....

...and lastly a lovely flower from the front garden - just because.

BIRD AVENUE BAGS

BIRD AVENUE BAGS ...... that will be the name of my new etsy shop that is coming soon.  I've been talking about doing this for a long time, but I just had too much on my plate.  The shop will feature a  line of leather art purses...and other leather wearable art....in my typical bohemian weird style....I hope to add bronze handcast elements to them eventually, but for now I'm just using vintage buttons.
....At last I finally finished two purses.  One I had started before, but I could not get my regular sewing machine to sew through all the layers.....
My DH bought me an industrial  machine for christmas year before last....but I hadn't had time to learn to use it.   This machine sews thru and over multiple layers of leather like butter - easy peasy.  The machine lets you set the speed so it doesn't go flying thru the leather ...and maybe your fingers.  I use it on "100" speed, which is like rotating the wheel by hand, but your hand is kept free!
I also had to figure out that when I rotate the leather i need to be sure the needle is still in the leather, but already on its way up...this way i got a square stitch as i turned, not a round one.  (i guess this doesn't translate very well in words).
The hardest part in making a leather purse is finishing it and putting it together IN THE CORRECT ORDER.    You have to figure out when to add the zippers, the pockets, the snaps etc.  so that you can turn the leather, topstitch, etc.  This purse

does not have a closure because i did not add it at the right time.  I could open up the lining at the bottom

and add it....but the purse is already SOLD as is, so I will leave it alone.  (The purse is actually symetrically round, but it looks a little wonky in the above photo).  This was the first purse I attempted to make on my own.....This is the other side.

vintage button embellishments...

It has a red and black lining and 2 pockets inside - one with a zipper and one with a magnetic snap.

This is my second attempt.  It is a tote from a purse pattern by DJ Pettitt.  It too has vintage buttons and handpainted details.

It has 2 pockets inside, long straps, and a snap closure.  I think it is 15 inches wide by 16 inches high. It's quite large...... It has darts on the bottom to give it a bit of shape.

If you are interested, EMAIL me...