BlogHer - purses - Comments

thrift store = craft store?

Skye — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 13:10:57 -0600

Thanks for the tutorial, Debra. I'm starting to think that when taken collectively, the thrift stores of America are a bigger craft resource than Hobby Lobby, Joann's, etc. combined. You just have to know how to use the raw materials you can find there.

Flooded Lizard Kingdom
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Heroine Content

another tip

alyssaroyse — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 09:14:44 -0600

i do a lot of bag felting (they are great gifts!) and i have had really good luck making the bag first, and then felting it. I think I just do this because this is how i did it when i was knitting them from scratch, but it does make all the seams etc meld together extra strong, which is nice. the drawback, of course, is that they aren't lined, but that hasn't been an issue for me at all. but the rest of how i do it is just like how you do it..... cool. (i have sometimes washed them as many as 3 times, just to get it really tight.....)

you can also "weave" in special touches - buttons, trinkets, beads - by using 100% wool yarn and just stringing it through the bag before you felt it. then it all goops together and they are permanently embedded.
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Alyssa Royse
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Thanks, Trisha!

debra roby — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 08:47:05 -0600

The felting was the slow spot in the process. Making the actual bag took less than 2 hours... including ripping and re-sewing time! Please leave a link back here to your finished bag so we can see.

Debra
A Stitch In Time
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Great idea!

trishaokubo — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 00:32:55 -0500

What a wonderful idea, Debra! I'm inspired--this is going on my weekend project shortlist :)