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Wednesday 20 April 2022

The Cross Body Prototype

Yesterday morning, I drove to an artisan market about twenty minutes away and had a wonderful conversation with two of the women who work there. It was easy, without stumbling, and we got along right away - always lovely. Even though the market is not the right place for my work, I'm hoping we can all get together again for coffee in a couple weeks. 


 

In the afternoon, I finished the cross body prototype (minus the strap) using the fabrics I painted on the weekend. Painted fabric is somewhat stiffer like a leather, vinyl, or waxed canvas and I wanted to make sure I could turn the bag as well as figure out the best way to press the seams while sewing. I'm quite pleased with the finished look. Each side has seven pieces pieced together.





I tested muslin for the lining and hated it, even doubled with interfacing. I won't be using that again. This version has a zippered inner pocket. Asking around, the most common must have's women tell me about their purses are a slip pocket on the exterior and a zippered pocket on the interior. I'm still thinking through the different ways to make the exterior pocket. It's an opportunity for fun. 





The bottom corners are boxed and the bag is 2" deep x 11" wide at the bottom, 10" wide at the top, and 10" high. It's not a tiny cross body bag but that's not my style. I like to get my wallet and my EpiPen in easily so my minimum width is EpiPen width by whatever height works well with that.  





I like a bag to close securely in some way either with a flap, a zipper, or both. Just open seems like a book or a shopping bag to me, not a handbag.





Above are the two muslin pieces I used to roll the excess paint off of the brayer on to. I cut them in half and then serged one section and threw it into the washer on a regular setting without soap. It had been less than twenty-four hours since doing the painting and I'd set it with an iron. The washed fabric is softer and other than that, there's no difference to the colour at all. YES YES 




Sewing by the window is working out great. I can see into the trees, watch the birds and squirrels, and listen to the sound of the creek when the window is open. I'm happily surprised. On Monday, the barista at Starbucks wrote me a lovely note, badly needed, so I brought the cup home and set it on the sill where I could see it all day. Never doubt that a kind word is appreciated. 

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - a kind word

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