Monday, March 22, 2010

Flower Purse With Re-Purposed Strap

 

 

 

 


I've been exploring different kinds of handles for my purses lately...

...and for this one, I decided to re-purpose one of my old belts.

I felted the bag by first placing circles of pre-felt on my resist...

...then ringing them with 'wreaths' and adding 'stems' of wiggly yarn.

I added several more layers of wool and wet-felted the bag as usual...

...then removed the resist and positioned the bag into a flat-bottomed shape to dry.

I diced up a bunch of my old belts with a rotary cutter...

...removing the sections with belt holes and buckles...

...and leaving long, plain pieces of leather.

My sweet bf punched four holes into the ends of each new strap...

...spacing them so that the strap doesn't flop over on the finished purse.

Working on these belts was a walk down memory lane for me...

...since some of them date back to my Jr. High School years!! Yeesh! :)

I picked a strap for this project that seemed to be the right length and color...

...and sewed it onto the purse at each side.

I braided a length of the same wiggly yarn for a closure loop...

...and attached a button with upholstery thread for strength.

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7 comments:

PeggyR said...

That is gorgeous. I need to find someone in this area who works with making their own felt and working with wool. I have books, but I prefer hands on type things.

Suzanne said...

Love your latest bag -- so clever! Like PeggyR, I'd love to take some hands-on workshops. Thinking about a couple over the next 6 weeks, before I get too engrossed in knitting for my shows.

filz-t-raum.ch said...

wonderful feltbag!!!
bye,
filz-t-raum.ch

Kim van Waardenburg said...

I love the circles with wool threads in all colors!! Well done!!

Mariana said...

so pretty! love the surface design!

Heather Woollove said...

Thanks, ladies!
Peggy and Suzanne-wish you were closer! We could have a mini-felting workshop!! :)

Unknown said...

Love your bag and the colours you've used.