Purse - Completed Front Panel

Step One - Finished!

Last night I finished the front panel.  It looks great, feels good, lays flat (which I never take for granted when doing piece-work with leather) and the little circles look so darn pretty.  I can't wait to see the whole thing.  My daughter, Sarah, commented about how quickly it went together.  I gave her an exasperated look - how can she say that when I've put in hours and hours and hours on this thing...but she's right. Compared to my previous purses and bags, this one is coming together at lightening speed.  I think it must be the crocheting.

The Front Panel

Sewing the Last Circle on the Front Panel

And Now I Begin the Back Panel

I'll admit it.  I get bored doing the same-old thing over again.  I can't resist all those beautiful leather pieces still awaiting a project of their own.  It took me a whopping three seconds to decide that the back panel needs a different color scheme.

I like things that are two-sided.  Having different colors on each side will make the bag more versatile. And more fun, too.  It comes naturally to me.  I design entire lines of jewelry with two sides and people get very excited about it when I sell them at art shows.  "Look!" they say, "I can turn this bracelet over and wear it with my other outfit and no-one will ever know!"

 Leather Pieces for the Back Panel

Circles for the Back Panel

I built this color scheme around the luscious turquoise pieces impressed with designs in chocolate brown.  The other colors fell into place as soon as I chose the turquoise one.  

My First Request

Sarah is crazy about the circle-designed purse and she loved the red-and-black earrings I made for her last week (pictured in a prior post).  Last night, she ran her hands over the completed Front Panel and sighed.  "Mom," she said, "I know you aren't making these to sell...but would you consider making one for my birthday?"

Of course I will!  We'll make it special, just for her, to her own specifications.  I'm sure she'll want it smaller and more purse-like, and she's already said she'd like a flap closure.  I'm also sure that she'll absolutely adore picking out a color scheme of her own the next time she comes over.  I'm looking forward to it too.  Oh, and she told me she's already designing (in her head) a necklace to go with the earrings. 

Well, it's back to work for me.

Thank you for reading this, and please leave a comment if you wish!  I'd love to hear from you.