A couple more padded, zippered cross-body purses made this week. Finished size 8" x 12"
Usually I harvest legs from pairs of blue jeans, but this time I received a nice piece of duck cloth with a multi-denim print from a friend. Not much difference in the weight of the cotton duck fabric vs. cotton denim blue jeans. A good experiment.
From another pair of jeans I harvested a back pocket. Lined the pocket, then framed with fabric strips. The body of the purse is 3 layers, duck cloth exterior/batting padded/cotton print lining.
Padding gives the purse shape, and an appreciated weight. It is durable, and won't stretch out of shape. Made to look good and last a long time.
I machine stitched decorative diamonds in a vibrant orange on the front pocket. And, added a hand-painted wooden heart.
The colorful fabric band (located above the pocket) was secured with machined blanket stitching--each spaced stitch bite has a hand-sewn 6/0 glass bead. I like using stacked fabrics to make a durable yet flexible carrying strap. I did all the decorations before add the zipper and sewing up the side seam.
The handmade polymer clay beads were baked in the oven, and later glazed using a liquid sealer (dipping method), and hung to dry.
My signature zipper pull: It is easy to string the beads on 20 lb. hemp cord and attach to the zipper pull. It is fun to zip a handful of beads.
Another purse . . .
My bead glazing method is quite simple . . .
Glazing Beads for my Purses:
Clear Pledge Revive It Floor Cleaner is a perfect glaze. Nice satin finish. I use a double strand of No. 10 crochet thread to string on the polymer clay beads with "smaller" plastic bead spacers. The spacer bead keeps the polymer clay beads from sticking together.
After dipping into the glaze, I put a pin through the loop I made on the crochet thread and hang to drip dry on my thrift shop lamp shade. A plastic bag catches the drips.
Thank you for visiting me today.
