"Rescued' Purse- Part 4 of 4

Drafting a design element.

                                        Punching 'strap holes' in the finished felt.

                                                         Paper patterns...

                                       ...are pinned onto two thin layers of pre-felt...

                                                           ...and cut out...

                                        ...then placed onto a layer of cotton scrim...

                                                          ...wetted out...

                                                            ...and felted.

                                 The intentional 'hairy edges' of my design elements...

                      ...echo the accidental ones along the side seams and purse bottom. 

                      A strap and bag attachment are fashioned from a piece of leather...

                                      ...as well as this Deco-style leather closure...

                                            ...(which masks an earth magnet).

                                    The expanded bottom provides a roomy interior.

                                                             The purse front.

                                                

                                               A close-up of one leather closure. 

                                      The blending of white and brown wool fibers...

                                         ...results in its 'heathery' appearance.

                                            The back of the finished purse.

                                          Naturally, when thinking about 'rescue'...

                 ...these two international symbols of help and healing sprang to mind.

            In creating design elements that mimic the distressed look of my bag...

                                ...I hoped to change the viewer's focus...

                                        ...in a felting 'sleight of hand'!! :)
   
                       

Pencil Roving Purse- Part 2 of 2

The fully felted bag (while still wet)...

 

...and after drying (side one)...



...and side two. 

 

Cutting a purse strap from an old pair of jeans...

 

...and using variegated thread to stitch it up.

 

The finished purse, initially...

 

...and, later, after shortening the denim handle.

 

Rare-earth magnets, encased in floral fabric, form the closure.

 

The softness and loose texture of pencil roving...

...allows it to felt quickly and easily into any finished piece.

The individual strands retain their shape...

...and, in this case, appear to be the crayon markings of a small child! :)

From a pair of discarded jeans, tucked away in the attic...

...I fashioned a long, denim strap.

After attaching it to the bag, however, I found it to be a bit too long...

...so I cut it in the middle, removed a length, and easily reconnected it.

To maintain a clean exterior, I used magnet closures again this time...

...covering them in a bit of flower-print fabric for ease in attaching.

Pre-Felt and Raw Icelandic Fleece Purse- Part 3 of 3

I used rare-earth magnets again for the closure on this bag...

...but the resulting front flap looked a little plain...

...(some of my friends even thought it resembled an animal's snout!)...

 

...so I added a non-functional button.

 

The bag back...

 

...and in full view with its leather strap.

 

The fabric lining with inner pocket (not shown)...

...the red 'dot' is one of the magnet closures.

 

A close up of the leaves, Icelandic locks...

 

...and green glass beads.

 

The finished purse...

...in all of its hairy glory! :)

 

This bag proved to be a bit challenging for me...

...because of the different rates and ways the pre-felt and raw locks felted.

I do like the counterpoising of both wild and controlled elements, though...

...and I certainly will try another project like this sometime.

Several of the leaf edges needed a little hand-stitching after felting...

...so I used it as an opportunity to add a few 'blingy' green glass beads for fun! :)