ANDREA AYALA

stunning tarot cards by andrea ayala. found through mieke williams.

LEATHER BOTTOMED TOTE BAGS

i'm going to start having leather bottomed tote bags in the shop on a more consistent basis. this one is available here.

AN AMBITIOUS PROJECT COLLAPSING

an ambitious project collapsing has become my favorite blog as of late.

MONDAY JANUARY 25

just put a few new tote bags up in my shop. the rain and grey skies mean that it's a good day to stay inside and sew -- so i'm hoping to have some more bags ready for either later today or tomorrow morning.

SMITH

i just returned from a week spent in san francisco/seattle/portland visiting friends, randomly coming across mind-blowing fabric (that will be incorporated into an upcoming spring collection), escaping the cold boston winter, and taking advantage of all the restaurants that focus on local/sustainable ingredients.

i have to say that i ate some of the most delicious food i have ever tasted. the most incredible iced coffee at farm:table, nettle/leek/bacon/creme fraiche/parmesan pizza at the san francisco farmers market, fresh citrus and kiwi fruit also from the farmers market, drinks and small plates at the alembic, and of course iced americanos from stumptown.

but the best meal was by far at smith in seattle. bone marrow to start -- followed by braised oxtail served over creamy polenta and hazelnut gremolata. for real i have never tasted anything so delicious. i have been dreaming about it ever since and i'm sure i will continue to do so in the days to come.

FRANK LEDER

these images are from german designer frank leder's A/W 08-09 collection -- hinterland:vagabond. his newest collection, poachers, is equally as stunning.

DETAILS

best part about the fabrics i work with are all the little details. handwriting, careful field repairs, old hardware. i go crazy for this stuff.

FORESTBOUND GIVEAWAY

so i've teamed up with the wonderful kate miss to do a special giveaway for one of my weekend bags. this bag is made out of canvas salvaged from a military container cover dated 1972 and was made especially for for me, for you.

to enter go HERE until thursday january 14th.

this is my first ever bag giveaway -- i thought it might be a nice way to say thank you to everyone who has been so supportive and encouraging over the past year. good luck!!

MARKET BAG

layered WWII era canvas with this olde fisherman's netting to create a market bag. the leather used for the shoulder strap is incredibly soft and beautiful. up in my shop now.

HARVEST POUCHES

while cleaning my studio i came across some scraps from my harvest series bags. decided to make them into a few simple pouches. 2 are up on my etsy shop now.. maybe another 1 or 2 will be up there tomorrow.

RUSSIAN CRIMINAL TATTOO

a few weeks ago i picked up a copy of the russian criminal tattoo encyclopedia vol. 1 and it blew my mind. this three volume series was put together by a russian prison guard who spent his lifelong career documenting over 3,000 prisoner tattoos. most of the tattoos are really, really intense -- these are a few of the more toned down ones. if you're into this kind of stuff i highly reccomend these books.

SATURDAY JANUARY 2

updated my shop with a few new tote bags. i've been taking a bit of a break from sewing for the past week or so.. but expect many new bags in the upcoming days.

SELVEDGE.

the most recent issue of selvedge magazine has a real nice article about one of my favorite artists, j morgan puett, and the artists' colony that she has established in rural pennsylvania. these images are from various rooms and structres found in the colony.

over 10 years ago j morgan puett was a fashion designer living in new york but decided to quit that life and build her rural artists colony -- she took all of the remaining clothing that she had designed and petrified them in beeswax. so amazing.

COLLECTION.

for whatever reason, i don't really like using the bags that i make. instead i have a growing collection of treasured old bags that i like to use. they are all very special to me so i thought i'd write a bit about them here.

found this leather duffel/suitcase last year at our favorite winter time flea market for $20. i use it when i take longer trips away from home. i'm not sure of its age.. but it's real old. and it's in almost perfect condition. my favorite part is the zipper that goes all the way along the bottom. gives me a nice spot to store books while traveling.

newest addition -- a small RRL dopp kit bag to hold all my tolietries.

found this leather backpack sometime last year. it originally came with a huge metal framepack attached on the back.. but some heavy duty bolt cutters made it relatively easy to detach. i like using this bag for short weekend trips or for days when i'm carrying around heavy things.

found this woven market bag at the flea market this past summer for $5 and it hasn't left my shoulder since. this is the bag that i use every single day.

i'm not trying to play favorites or anything - but this duffel is probably my all-time favorite find. it's a WWII era US navy sea bag and i've never come across another one like it. the stitching details on the straps and the three rope/grommet closures are what really make this bag incredible to me. it's super sturdy so this is the bag that i usually stuff full of books and other heavy things. it's also just the right size for weekend trips.

and finally -- the sweetest little leather pouch. it originally held fishing lures and hooks but now functions as my wallet.