Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Wool-Lined Winery Commuter




Sometimes someone will ask me to do something I've never done before, something I'm not immediately sure I can manage while also making it look good. Typically I'll give it some thought, come up with a plan, tell the customer what I can do, and proceed directly to the Creative Freakout.

During this stage, I :
lay on the floor wondering what exactly I'm trying to pull,
suddenly have a great idea,
lay on the floor and feel immense hatred for all of my ideas,
am excited about a new challenge
lay on the floor and lose the ability to make any kind of decision
get up and make an espresso.

Hopefully and very eventually this cycle ends in an actual finished product, and this time, when it was all over, I was in love the results. Not only does this messenger bag have a very different look from many I've made before, it also has some awesome features. It's fully lined with 100% wool felt, has an additional chest strap for stability while riding, and a wine bottle sleeve for bike trips to the local winery.

3 comments:

  1. Sweet! Where did you come across the felt?

    I have a Woolrich wool/acrylic blanket waiting to line a shoulder bag made from innertubes (like the Haversack from Alchemy Goods. If I ever score enough fat-tire tubes. I made a wallet from road tubes, but I'm not sure I would like the look on a larger creation.

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  2. Pedro: Wool felt is pretty widely available online. The felt I used was not repurposed, but since wool is naturally such a sustainable textile I don't mind buying it new if I have to. Though if I ever find an accessible source for recycled wool felt, I would certainly opt for that. Either way, it's a great material to work with. Have fun with that inner tube bag!

    Celestial: Thanks!

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