Anne, the Fabric Wrangler (or the story of the Mullet Purse)

Besides working very hard on the inside, I have been trying to do some new things in my outer life. For example, I wanted to make chewy caramels from scratch. So, I did what I always do: I head over to Recipezaar. I found some recipes, and most people commented that their caramels were too soft. I wanted chewy, not gooey, caramels, so I found a recipe that had a higher end-cooking temperature. So I made them, slowly cooking simple ingredients on the stove. However, I ended up not making caramels, but toffee. So-hard-you-have-to-suck-on-them-to-make-them-soft toffee. Delicious, but not what I was aiming for. Will have to try again another day.

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I also have been working on making myself another purse. One with *zippered pockets* and a flap to cover the opening and enough body to keep its shape. I have a bunch of fabric, and found in my stash some purple wool and a contrasting yet complimentary cotton fabric for the lining. I also had zippers too, so I was all set to go.

For the past couple of weeks, I have been working on it here and there for a few minutes. I looked up a tutorial for zippered pockets. Ironed in interfacing. Got the zippered pockets done. By Monday, I had decided that I just wanted to finish it already. So, in then past couple of days, I worked hard and got it done.


The finished purse...

Just call me the "Fabric Wrangler" because , jeez, sometimes this project was a pain. Thick fabric, lots of layers, me being picky because I didn't not want any of the lining to show, etc. But I made the fabric submit to my will (mostly)!


Front detail...


Now, the reason I call this the "Mullet Purse" is this. You know how the description of a mullet is "business in the front and party in the back!"? Well, this purse is business on the outside and a party on the inside! I love the lining fabric! It is bright and colourful. It is like my own little secret that this serious purse has a fun interior. Unfortunately, my batteries in the camera died before I could take a pic of the zippered pockets and the lining. I guess those will have to wait until tomorrow! It is pretty huge for a purse; it can hold 5 large paperbacks and still have room for my wallet, iPod, phone, lunch and whatever else I may ever need. The strap is long enough to go over my shoulder, and is also tapered.

Is it perfect? No. Is it GoodEnough (tm)? Absolutely! The zippers work, and I think it looks pretty good. Besides, it makes ME happy, and that is all that is really important, right?