A lady by the name of Nathalie resides in France. Recently she purchased a tassel handbag that I made from my shop on Etsy.com. She was pleased with her purchase. We e-mailed back and forth and she decided that she would like another tassel handbag for everyday use that would also be larger.
The finished result is what I picture in this blog.
In this world where so much merchandise is mass produced, custom is a luxury. Many steps are involved in making custom. In creating this purse from scratch I had many things to do even before I sat in front of my sewing machine. I shopped for fabric, both outer and the inner lining. I shopped for notions such as braid and thread colours and tassel. I thought about appropriate embroidery designs. I made an enlarged pattern from which I cut the chosen fabric. I did an embroidery test on the chosen fabric to see how it would stitch out. I thought and thought and gave the custom order some more thought too. I planned the cutting, embroidery and sewing order in my head. And, then I thought some more!
This is the pale green lining that I embroidered. The outer fabric is a rich burgundy that has a nap (another thing to be taken into account when planning the embroidery and the cutting of the fabric). The faux suede burgundy fabric also feels like velvet.
The N initial is on the front of the handbag. I added this after I had already done the front embroidery.
Here is the back of the burgundy fabric when I am working on the quilting. See my pins and markings!
Finally I am almost finished. I just have to close (stitch by hand) the lining at the bottom of the handbag. That I will do tomorrow. And then I ship it to France. What do you think? It is a one of a kind creation that I made with love.
