Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Brand New Clutch Design

After weeks of contemplation I decided to draft a new pattern for my clutches. Still using the 8 inch chunky metal kiss lock frames, this new design is overall a better fit than my earlier version. The new design features a flat bottom, is slightly smaller in size yet can open up bigger and fit more inside! Cool, right?




So anyways, as a result I would like to clear the old designs out to make room for the lovely new ones. I'm having a sale, all previous versions of the 8" clutch are now 20% off. Please visit my shop and check it out!

Here are a few pictures of the new design:




I'd be happy to hear what any of you think!

Friday, October 2, 2009

Vintage Kimono Clutch



Blogging is a completely new endeavor for me. I've always been quite slow when it comes to new technology and communication devices. I've owned my first cell phone for about a year now and only just discover T9 for texting. I'm embarrassed when I remember my painstakingly slow first text messages which continued on for the better portion of my first 'cell phone year'. However I'm hoping that blogging will become second nature to me eventually. I plan to not only write about the projects and items going into my Etsy store BabbsBoutique but also use this blog as a fun and creative place to share new ideas and projects that have nothing to do with my store. I will also do a few giveaways with items from BabbsBoutique so please stay tuned...


Now I'd like to write a little about my newest project on BabbsBoutique. A few months ago I decided to try my hand at re purposing vintage clothes and fabrics to create interesting clutches. Well actually, one of the first clutches I ever made about 4-5 years ago was made with a vintage remnant of bright orange upholstery fabric. I haven't been so lucky to find anything quite that cool yet but I did find a beautiful vintage silk kimono in the back room of a little thrift store in Brandon, Manitoba. I had been holding onto it for months until I finally got the courage to take the scissors to it a few days ago.



At first I thought I would treat the kimono like it was just a piece of fabric. But then I had the idea of using pieces of it that defined it as a garment. I started with the left-hand bottom corner and used this with the trim still attached, as a front pocket on the clutch. For the back of the clutch I used the back of the kimono complete with back darts and centered them on the backside of the clutch. I added a brightly colored orange vintage button that I found at a flea market in Brandon and lined the purse with corresponding orange dupioni silk. I had a lot of fun creating this purse and would love to hear what you think!