Toots Totes
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Retro 1950's vibes

30/10/2015

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Superb design from the 1950's re-visited by Sanderson recently. I have a few pieces of 'Mobiles' in several colourways, so am starting with a lovely powder blue. I'm going to team it up with a contemporary designer-no less than Red or Dead's Wayne Hemingway  - who has branched out into textile design.
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This one is called knotted up for obvious reasons!
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The beginnings of a flapped clutch bag.
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Magnetic fasteners each side
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Simple removable fabric handle.
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D ring to hold the handle.
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All the usual pockets and a beaded zip pull. (Beads bought in San Francisco!)
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A bright yellow vintage button completes the look! 
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At a later date I added a bow, which really looked a lot better!
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Red hot!

23/10/2015

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It evolved into an angular rather than rounded design in the end, which works better with the straight frame. I nearly dispensed with the frame as attaching a handle was proving difficult. I'm glad I persevered and the  black (quadruple!) twisted cord handle complements the simple purse shape. And a red hot lining with all the usual pockets-what more can I say? Are you fiery enough to take it on?
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Some like it hot...!

17/10/2015

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This italian sample piece looks like lots of little flames licking their way up the fabric, so I've enhanced them with a bit of sparkle. Come back later to see the finished purse.
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Making a  silk purse out of a sow's ear...(crumpled faux silk)

11/10/2015

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I have a piece of faux silk that doesn't look much at the mo but I can see it has the potential to be a very lovely purse, once embellished with some carefully chosen beading and mounted on to a silvery snap frame. 
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Ribbon flower designs on red shot with black. It's difficult to capture the colour as it changes with the light.
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Trying out bead placement and settling on diamante to co-ordinate with the silvery frame and red seed beads to accentuate the flower form.
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Now beaded, cut out and mounted onto some wadding.
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I nearly used one of these for the lining, but the floral was too busy and the dupion silks just not the right colour.
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...so I ordered this Chinese dupion silk which is a bit finer than its Indian counterpart.
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...and it works really well.
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Good to go!
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    Author

    Hello, I'm Ruth Overton. My nickname as a child was 'Ruthie Toots' which is how the name 
    Toots Totes'
    came about!
    I come from a family of artists and artisans and the creative gene has resulted in a desire to make stuff. There's nothing I love more, than to sit at my old treadle  machine, sewing. It was handed down to me, through the family having been bought by my Grandad for Grandma in the 1930's. (See my blogs about the machine here.)
    More recently I have turned my attention to designing and creating bags and 'Toots Totes' began. 
    I'm going to blog about how ideas for bags come about and how things happen in the sewing room, so join me there if you want to, or bypass this to go to the Shop or the gallery, if you prefer - I won't mind!

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