Purse...Second Side, Taking Shape

A Yucky Surprise

I had a purse-related mishap today.  Remember how I so cleverly taped the prepared circles together, in the order that they'd be added to the piece?  Well, that didn't work out so well for me this morning.

I had a nice row of circles all taped and ready to stitch onto the back panel.  I took the first one off the tape, stuck the needle into it to begin stitching...and did a double take. It was ruined! A bunch of the surface was gone.  The tape had pulled the top layer right from the leather, and there was a pale splotch near the middle of the circle. Aggh.  A thin layer of green-tinted leather still clung to the tape, I could see it clearly.  How ugly.  How unexpected.  I had no idea that something as innocuous as tape could damage leather.

The white area isn't camera flash...it's the damage.

Okay, not a disaster, but still, it was annoying.  I made a replacement circle out of the same olive-green remnant (much prettier than it sounds), wondering what I'd do about maintaining the order of the circles if I couldn't tape them anymore. Then I felt pretty silly because all I have to do is tape the pieces on their backs instead of on their fronts.  Duh.

The back panel, one-third completed

Just because it's a cool picture...

And this one too

The last week or so, I've been working on this leather-and-crochet project at the same time a big bathroom remodel is underway in our home.  With the construction guys forever coming and going, and the noises, the hammering and sawing and screeching tools, and the decisions to be made (quick! What kind of tile do you want? We need to know - NOW!), and doors to the outside to be shut (the workers seem to be allergic to closing them) there is no way I can do any real work.  Such as writing or practicing my classical guitar.

But hanging out at the kitchen table, stitching little circles together is just about perfect for my frayed attention span and spent nerves.  I can work on this purse and still be at the construction guy's beck and call.  Hmm.  Come to think of it, I'll probably always associate this particular purse with the bathroom remodel.  

Okay, that's enough of an update for now.  It's past midnight, and I need to get some shut-eye before the guys show up at seven thirty tomorrow morning.  Buenas noches!