Colored Floral On Clutch Purse

[js5972]

I can never figure out where to post my work, so I am putting it in several forums.

The floral patterns are modified from a Tony Laier Craftaid. All coloring is with Eco-Flo dyes, which I am still trying to perfect.

The purse kit is a "Victorian Clutch Purse" which I think is discontinued-well at least it should be. After I took these pix, I discovered that the purse would not snap shut with the (inside) strap attached. I'll have to move the snap. Pretty typical of Tandy kits, though. They never really fit together quite right. I always use backing, so I am pretty sure it is not caused by tooling stretch. I don't particularly like to use kits but I have not the inclination, skills, tools, or equipment to make my own "guts" for purses, wallets, etc.

Comments are welcomed.

[AndrewMc]

Hi John, like the colouring on the flowers, you seem to have a good grasp on the eco-flo dyes. Got some myself but the little test pieces I've tried never seem to work always end up with a line between colours, you've got a good blend on the flower petals. My only point would be the petal that continues under the stitching on the left, the few pieces I've done I try and keep any carving inside the stitch line or lace holes, just seems neater to me. Know well what you mean with the kits and innards! Overall, looks good to me.

[js5972]

Andrew, thanks for the input.

I was looking at some older work that I did using spirit dyes and I see that the blending was much smoother. My observation is that the leather becomes saturated faster with Eco, so the subsequent layers tend to sit on the surface-thus the line between the colors. Maybe its that the first coat makes a slight resist? Anyway, "dry brushing" rather than multiple thinned out coats seems to work better. Does that make any sense?

Those petals crossing the stitch line are downright embarrassing. For some reason, I thought it would look OK when I layed it out. Very sloppy on my part, though. My only excuse is that I was originally going to lace the edges. The "customer" wanted stitching.