Felted Wool Purse

I have spent some time playing with felting recently and came up with this purse which incorporates both needle felting and wet felting.

The background of the purse is black wool melton to which I needle felted some luscious plum and grey wool and silk roving ... leaving it trailing off into soft wisps. Next I used my sewing machine and black thread to free motion stitch a design over the felted fibres as well as the background. I added a few lines of iridescent thread drifting across the bag as well. In the next step I needle felted some pieces of hand dyed, hand spun yarn that I had been given by a spinning friend ... I love the thick and thin areas of the yarn as well as the little knobs that form where some of the thin areas twist on themselves. I didn't want to flatten the yarn too much so it is lightly felted and then I included a few judicious hand stitches (and a sprinkling of beads)to make sure that it holds in place. The back side of the bag has been created in the same way.

I wanted to make a jazzy flower for the lower corner of the bag so I set to work and made some wet felted balls from plum wool and from the wool/silk fibre ... I also made a few worm-y shaped pieces which I curled up a bit before letting them dry. These pieces were assembled to create the gorgeous flower, adorned with beads that graces the front of the bag.

This purse is lined with hand dyed fabric in plum and blue/grey tones and it has a zipper closure across the top with a wool tassel. The strap is cotton webbing that has been securely stitched to each side of the bag. The bag measures approximately 8.5" x 10" with a 17" drop from shoulder to bag.

This bag will be inspiration for a class that I will teach this spring, but in the meantime, this one might end up in my Etsy shop.

I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year!

Two new silk bags and a special sunflower purse

I have been replenishing my stock of fibre art purses this week as I sold a good number of them over the past month or two. Two of the purses that I am showing today are constructed of silk and each has an area with free-motion quilting. The first purse is made of dupioni silk that is chartreuse in colour with just a little hint of magenta. The area that was quilted in black thread was then lightly brushed with charcoal textile paint to highlight the stitching. They are delightfully simple and elegant and will be appealing to someone who is going on a cruise or needs a bag to accent a special outfit.

I think that one of the delightful features of the yellow silk noile bag is that it could also be worn with casual attire as the soft nubbly silk will lend itself to being paired with denims as well. The stitching on this bag has been done in a beautiful variegated thread and the beads weigh the deep flaps closed for security.



The third purse is constructed of linen blend fabric that is a light putty colour. The big sunflower gives it a playful feel but it is still a purse that could be used in dressy situations as well. The lining fabric matches the sunflower on the flap.

There are further photos of these purses in my Etsy shop ... kathykinsella.etsy.com.

Needle felted purse

Now here is a wonderful original purse . . . you won't find another walking down the street towards you!

There are a variety of fibres needle felted onto a base of cotton batting and muslin . . . fabrics are felted first and then yarns, roving, silk rods, silk fibres, tussah, mohair curls,and ribbons are felted on top . . . then some hand embroidery and beading have been added to embellish it some more. Click on the photo to see more detail.

The purse is lined with a piece of hand-painted cotton that has been textured with metallic paint . . . and the strap is hand spun yarn by a local fibre artist friend who used thin strips of recycled silk along with the other fibres to create this unusual yarn that is perfect for this bag.

It is all a veritable feast for the senses and will be a source of much discussion as a sample when I take it to show the needle felting class I am teaching soon.

A trio of purses

A short while ago I received an email from someone who had purchased one of my little purses through my Etsy shop . . . with an inquiry about whether I might be interested in creating a purse for each of three of her friends . . . to remind them of the costumes they wore to a masquerade recently.

I was sent photos of each of the costumes and given complete freedom to create . . . what fun! You can click on the photos to see more detail of the purses.

Here are photos of the costumes (with permission) and the bags that I created, as well as the costume and the bag that I made for the customer initially (I didn't know it was to go with a particular dress.) The costume photos are a bit small but I think you will see enough to know where the inspiration came from.

The first purse was made for the "ice witch". The purse is made of black and white dupioni silk that is pieced in a soft curve and is beaded in black and white . . . with a few of the black beads drifting into the white and a few of the white beads drifting into the black. The strap is also both black and white and it is lined with charcoal cotton.












The second purse was made for this costume that I initially had a bit of trouble identifying . . . but we referred to her as an "owl person" as her costume included a beautiful cascade of feathers down the back as well as around her neck and she had an owl perched on her shoulder. The bag is constructed of brown silk noile and has a little black tulle ruffle at the bottom of the flap which echoes the ruffle beneath the hem of her dress. The purse is stitched to look like a tree trunk and has "moss" and "fir boughs" made of thread lace that I constructed separately and then added. There are a few feathers tucked secured under the branches and a smooth polished stone weighs the flap closed.












The third purse was made for this "princess". I was concerned about matching the colour of her dress so I was delighted when my customer was able to obtain a piece of the fabric that it was made from (the photo of the purse was taken indoors and the colour appears different from the dress -- but it is the same!). The flap on the purse has been made in the same shape as the top of the dress and beaded to invoke memories of this beautiful gown. It is lined with silver dupioni silk.













The final costume is my delightful customer who commissioned these purses and her purse, which was made for her a couple of months before the other three. All she told me at the time was that she would like to have a purse that was black with silver stitching . . . the one I made is constructed of black dupioni silk and the swirls are metallic silver thread as are the beads. The beads on the lower edge of the flap help to weigh it closed. There are also more beads on the back of the purse.

Yet more purses

There can't be too many more new purses, can there?? Oh, yes -- here are a couple that haven't appeared in the blog yet -- and there are a few more waiting to be photographed so you'll just have to check back for them.

The bag created in the autumn colours is one that I made a few months ago but I've been having a hard time getting a good photo of it. It is slightly larger than my usual little bags (by maybe one inch) and the lines are much more geometric than my usual flowing swirly lines. Click on the photo for a zoom view.

The turquoise and dark brown bag is made from an Amy Butler fabric and is lined with a batik that echoes some of the colours.

Both these bags are in my Etsy shop, too, with photos of the inside as well.

Thanks for looking.

More little purses

I have been having lots of fun creating new little purses lately so here are a few more that have emerged this week. . . I'll add some more photos of others in the next while.

Most of these little bags are approximately 6" x 7" (give or take an inch) and have a strap that is long enough to wear across your body.

The first photo is of the detail on the flap of the purse that is shown on the model. I have included the model photo so that you can get an idea of the size and the way these little purses fit.

The third photo shows a bag that was made from re-purposed fabric given to me by a fibre art friend (so I'm not sure of the fibre content). The design and stitching is part of the original fabric and I have simply created a purse from it (this one has a little buttoned pocket on the inside, too) and then I added the bead cluster on the lower flap and bead trails on the front and back of the purse. The fabric has some "pleats" in part of it which adds to the texture and interest.

The brightly coloured bag was so much fun to make with leftovers from a quilt -- the little circles and ovals are added and stitched in layers and it has a wonderful bright lining in similar tones.