A Play Day

I overdid it in the yard this week and woke up tired, sore, and too exhausted to even to take a picture of the work I've done so today is a play day. This morning, I plan to curl up with the pile of Art Jewelry magazines that a friend cleared out of her studio and into mine and just enjoy the inspiration. And, if the weather is good this afternoon, I'm debating a road trip to a fabulous garden center about thirty minutes away both as an outing and to look for items for my deck. My birthday is at the beginning of June and I'm celebrating by decorating the deck just for me since it's off my studio. Plus, I need a change of scenery. I haven't been out of town since the 5th of March and that was for a funeral.

I finished the bag I was working on as the assignment for my on-line workshop. My first thought when I was "done" was to remove the frame and the casing and reshape the top since the proportions are off for this style of bag. I could have shortened it to correct those only I want to maintain all the piecing I did so changing the top style is a better option.

I used the positioning of the straps to hide the raw edges of the pocket. I have a love/hate relationship with this method because it impacts the design of the straps and handles significantly and creates bulky areas where it is hard to stitch neatly. 

There wasn't enough of the leather left to create the handles. After auditioning the possibilities in my stash, I settled on this fabric that I hand painted about six or seven years ago. It has the exact shape of purple in it plus the metallic elements that go well with the findings.

However... when I change the top, I may need to shift and alter the straps somewhat. And that's okay. One thing I've learned over the years is not to hold precious when there's an opportunity to evolve something forward. For me, following that journey is far more important than maintaining the product.

The leather I used for the purse was from a well worn coat that another friend bought for me from the thrift store. She said it was so me and she knew I could do amazing things with it. The same friend just gifted me with this quilted panel thinking I might want to use it on my porch swing which is a dark grey. The panel is perfect and will be the starting point for decision making. I'm hoping to find a black and white checked outdoor fabric for the rest of the cushions.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - not holding precious