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Saturday, December 26, 2015

Bags from give-away materials

Two bags displayed, one layered over the other one. The bodies of the bags are from a brown- and tan-striped against white-background fabric. Each bag has a decorative square panel on the front with an abstract woven design. Folded and stitched strips of fabric form the bags' handles. One bag's handles are brown and the other bag's handles are black.

Each of these bags is one-of-a-kind and these two are the only two like them there are. Anywhere. In the world. I made them out of repurposed materials. The handles were strips of wool fabric, the decorative panels came from chair upholstery and the body fabric bore evidence of pleating — possibly curtains or a skirt. I feel good that this bag “closes the loop” by salvaging valuable materials and giving them new life.

As I explained this week to someone who asked if I’d make bags for sale, I only make things for family and close friends — people I care about — and that allows me the luxury of sourcing each item and making it unique and one-of-a-kind. Part of the fun is in working with materials that come from unexpected, serendipitous sources like free boxes or thrift stores. And with these bags, every thing was repurposed; it was fabric that was being given away.

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