Organza-Embellished Two-Layer Purse- Part 3 of 3

The newly narrowed bag...

...turned right-side out again.

 

A close up of the organza stripes.



Tucking the lining into the bag and pinning it in place...

...prior to top-stitching. 

 

Adding a leather strap and buttonhole (front)...

 

...and back.

 

The finished bag...



...with a matching iridescent button...

 

...and shown here with her two 'sisters'! :)

 

As you can see...

...my 'trusty' organza fabric did not disappoint. :)

The torn strips 'melted' into the project during felting...

...providing an iridescent shimmer.

I was especially thrilled to find a button in my stash...

...which so closely matched the appearance of the organza.

It's curious, isn't it (looking at the last photo)...

...how green leather accents seem 'right' for each of these three disparate bags?!

Organza-Embellished Two-Layer Purse- Part 2 of 3

The finished piece, immediately after felting...

 

...and, again, after blocking and steaming...

 

...which noticeably improves its texture and appearance.

 

A close-up of the felted-in organza...



...and one internal pocket.

 

After turning the project inside-out again...

...I narrowed the sides of the lining a smidgen...

 

...and trimmed away the extra felt

 

Sewing the cut opening closed, except for a 'turning hole'...

...prior to turning it right-side out again.

 

Even though I'm showing you this project well after my other two-layer bags...

...in actuality, I made this one first.

(Since it was a gift, I had to keep it secret until now.) :)

One of the things that I learned as I went along...

...is that it works best if the 'lining end' of the felt is slightly narrower than the 'purse end'.

In my later two-layer projects, I merely modified the resist a bit...

...but for this one, I had to stitch and trim the felt into the correct shape.

Next time: the finished bag with leather strap...

...and an iridescent button closure!

Organza-Embellished Two-Layer Purse- Part 1 of 3

Snipping (and then tearing) organza fabric into strips.

 

Laying out wool and fabric for an inner pocket.

 

Covering side one with layers of blue and white merino roving.

 

Placing organza strips on the resist surface for side two...

 

...and adding a second pocket.

 

Mid-way through felting...

...cutting open the end of the felt and removing the resist.

 

Turning the project 'right-side' out...

 

...and removing the pocket resists.

 

If you think that this fabric looks a bit familiar...

...you would be absolutely right!

It's the tail end of some well-loved yardage...

...that has felted-in beautifully for me over the years.

Next time: the lining is sorted out...

...and the bag starts to take shape.

'Painterly' Two-Layer Purse- Part 3 of 3

After tucking the lining into the interior of the bag...

...a view of the purse back...

 

...and front.

 

Fashioning a leather flap for a closure...



...and carefully cutting out the center of the stitched buttonhole. 

 

The handmade leather strap and flap are attached next...

 

...and the button is sewn on.

A view of the purse front...



...and back. 

 

The lining of the purse...

...with pockets.

 

After sewing the open end of the lining closed...

...I tucked it into the body of the bag...

...to create a two-layer purse.

Next, I machine stitched around the top of the purse...

...to hold the lining in place.

From sour apple green leather, I fashioned a strap and flap...

...and stitched them both to the bag.

Finding a ceramic button in 'just the right color'...

...was the icing on the cake!

'Painterly' Two-Layer Purse- Part 2 of 3

Removing the resist midway through felting...

...by cutting open the project at the 'lining end'.

 

Snipping the pockets open...

...to remove the thin plastic resists within.

 

The finished felt on one side...

 

...and on the other.

 

Turning the project inside-out...

...and sewing the 'lining end' mostly closed...

 

...leaving a small opening...

 

...for turning it right side out again...

 

...then hand-stitching the opening closed.

 

Because this project is both outer layer and lining in one...

...it's rather simple to 'assemble' the bag once the felting is complete.

By temporarily turning the bag inside out in order to stitch the lining closed...

...I avoid an ugly seam on the inside of the purse.

Next time: the finished bag...

...with leather accents.

'Painterly' Two-Layer Purse- Part 1 of ?

Laying out 'teased open' sections of roving to cover the resist...

 

...rather than 'perpendicular shingles' (my usual method).

 

Wetting out side one.

(The yellow end will become the purse lining.)



Flipping the resist over to side two...



...and adding another layer of roving.

 

In order to achieve the desired thickness...

...I added one additional layer of wool to each side.

I also added inner pockets...one in each yellow section.

 

I found that I struggled a bit with this unpracticed layout technique...

....but I do love the way that it retains strong 'bursts' of color in the final piece.

 

The spot of orange you see is not a 'which side is which' marker this time...

...but merely the repair of a thin area in one of my pockets. :)

 

As with my earlier two-layer purse, I began with a long, rectangular resist...

...and covered it with several layers of wool roving.

For the 'lining end', I chose fiber in a sunny yellow color...

...and for the bag itself, I used my friend Lorin's intensely dyed "Tiffany Glass" roving.

Observing her 'painterly layout' last year in our Arrowmont class...

...I noted that this method made the most of the intense color shifts in her roving...

...so I tried to emulate her way of laying out wool while creating this purse.

Next time: the bag takes shape.