  |   ...the tulip bag! |
The leather handles complement the smart style of this medium sized handbag and a vintage button (dark purple in the daylight) finishes it perfectly.
I started the tulip bag, then found a piece of the ladies' apartments fabric, decided it was just big enough to make a bag, and had to start that as well...which will be finished first? 
 My Uncle John wears lovely 100% woollen jumpers. He wears them right out, if you know what I mean, until they're totally past it, and then Auntie Dot gives them to me. Here's one he wore earlier! I chucked it into the washing machine on a hot wash to felt it, sewing up the moth holes first! It shrunk to about a 26 inch chest size. Skip to the end to see what became of it, if you're not interested in all the details that follow. I quite understand!  Nicely felted and an ideal starting point for a bag! I started to manipulate the felt. First question: could I make the sleeves into a handle without detaching them? I needed to get rid of some of the excess fabric to have more of an idea as to whether it would work.
I then got to thinking about the interesting shape the V Neck and shoulder piece was. Maybe if I snipped through the V it would make a funky front pocket? I pinned it on...
So I had the bare bones. Next question: Could I stitch it together on the trusty treadle and line it to make it look like a proper bag?!
Now to that fiddly handle. I pinned the rolled edges together and machined along, leaving a gap at each side for the fabric to settle in its own way! It actually worked out fine!
 Now it looks more 3D! I ended up making another smaller buttonhole and adding a flower button to the top of the pocket-this stopped it from gaping! I then turned my attention back to the handle as it still wasn't quite right-I steamed it flat and machined down each side. Now it sits sensibly. Phew-this bag evolved - it made itself. Me and the trusty treadle just gave it a helping hand! It's a bit asymmetrical but that adds to the character! These pics are more true to colour.
I finally added the lining with two open pockets and a zipped pocket, finished with a beaded zip pull. It'll now go back to it's original owner-although I don't think Uncle John will appreciate it, but Aunty Dot might!
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Hello, I'm Ruth Overton. My nickname as a child was 'Ruthie Toots' which is how the name Archives
March 2025
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