Finished Object: Round the World Clutch

Oh sweet pattern matching:

I centered each piece over the pagoda vertically, and I matched them horizontally based on the placement of the magnetic button.  I think it worked well.

I’m not much of a stasher.  I bought this fabric years ago with the idea to make a corset.  I carted it around with me to England, back to the U.S., and here to Oz.  This and my tapestry work were the only textiles I immigrated with.  All that time I assumed it was a poly, I didn’t care because the colors and pattern clutched at me.   When confronted with the fabric choices while making my PR, I decided to burn some of the fabric.  Smell of burning hair, crumbling ash?  Great snakes, we have silk!

Every time I took out the little piece of fabric over the years, I would smile and laugh about such a pretty piece of fabric covered with dogs, pheasants and insects the same size as pheasants.  It has a sort of understated whimsy.  What are those men in the pagoda up to?  Talk?  Meditation?  Teaching?  Rocking the ganj?  It’s really up for interpretation.

This motif- so pleasant.  Why the bells on the gate?  Where did the picnickers go?  What kind of tree is that, and where can I get one?

I used some gold poly taffeta, the same as the flowers in my fascinator.  I’m also using it to line my red brocade cincher belt, but after that never again will I work with such disgusting fabric, I don’t care how well it coordinates.

I’m experimenting with purse engineering as a side project.  I decided I don’t like stiff fusibles- they tend to crease unless I fuse them to a piece of canvas and use the whole thing as an interlining which is as time-consuming as it is bulky.

This Alter-Madison bag already uses lightweight boning where the flap attaches to the purse.  I decided to bone all around the bottom edge, and each seam on the side as well.  This would have been easier had I decided to put the boning in flat.  I used Rigilene because it’s cheap and I can sew through it, eliminating boning channels.

Additionally, I used a non-fusible low-loft batting.  It is thin and dense, rather likes to stand up on its own.  Once I had my “bag-cutting” hat on at 9pm Saturday night, I discovered I had rather less of this batting than I thought.  I made the bag shorter to accommodate my batting.

I fused a little bit of fusible non-woven to the flap lining, and an additional square of heavy interfacing which I stitched down.  Too bad my aim was a little off:

My inner Apollonian artisan really, really wants the button centered in my interfacing square.

I used black piping on the flap to frame the pagoda and keep the troublesome gold taffeta from rolling over.  After everything it put me through, I wasn’t about to trust it.

Hand-stitched the lining in, took about 15 minutes and gave such a pretty finish.  It’s not like I could stitch through the brocade without looking ick.

Great bag, I feel like a lady.  I haven’t had a “nice” bag since highschool, and I finally used (some) of that brocade I’ve loved longer than I knew my husband.  I have the idea to make a hat with the leftovers, but it can rest for now.

This, the fascinator, cincher belt, shopping bag, hemp sun hat.  I can’t decide which to finish next!  No pics with the dress until they’re all finished and my dress is blacker.  I’m on day 2 of stewing, will probably give it another night.