When I was seventeen

When I was 17, I used to spend Friday nights with my sweetheart and some of our friends, eating pizza, cruising the mall and hanging out in the Burger King parking lot. I didn't know how to make anything when I was 17, though I was happy enough to make out at almost any opportunity.

When I was 27, I used to spend Friday nights in much the same way, though with a very different sweetheart in a very different city, drinking beer, slurping noodles and trying to direct the cab driver to our apartment building in a foreign language. At 27, I could make plenty of stuff, but all of it was food.

At 37, I'm pretty happy to spend a Friday night at home, stumbling back and forth between the computer and the sewing machine making myself a new little purse. I only had one glass of wine at dinner, so it was pretty easy to stay on top of this tutorial.

If you try it, my only advice is to not be too generous with glue and to note that inserting the second side of the purse is much easier than inserting the first one, so start with the back flap. (My back flap is just plain blue linen, and I'd feel slightly happier if there were tiny glue splotches on the plain blue linen than on my embroidered front. Oh well.)

Sorry for the deluge of photos, but I'm pretty excited about this one. I've been petting it all day.

Comments

[rachel]

it is really, really pretty!

[stephanie s]

excellent! your embroidery is so great too! i understand your wanting to pet it all day long.

[Mama Urchin]

So fun and pretty.

[Nanya]

wow it turned out very pretty!

[julie]

oh. my. goodness. gorgeouso!!!
And thanks for the link, I have been wanting to try making one of those claspy style purses but didn't have a clue how to do it.
Your embroidery is perfect and I love the blue dots inside!

[Sonya]

So very lovely. Funny the things that change, swapping nights out for nights in.

[Tami]

What a cute purse! Loving it...Did you use coirdiroy? (sorry I can't spell)

[dana]

This was a great post. I loved the making out comment, and I love your little purse. The chrysanthemum has found a perfect home.

[mary]

lovely little purse and such a great post. Hope you had a great mother's day.

[kristin]

thanks for sharing the update-by-decade. love your story line. and your purse...well, i might not want to put it down either!!! it's perfect in every way...right down to the polka dot interior... and i'm drooling over your wonderful embroidery. well done!!!

[sara, the wine makers wife]

This is one of the best posts I've red in ages. Well done. I really enjoyed the photos and the story. ^_- While my sweetheart is the only guy I ever did much making out with, I still have evolved from uncreative and macaroni and cheese in a box to gourmet and quilts, in less then ten years. You inspire me.

[carol]

I love your blog. You are so open and creative. Really nice.

[meg]

woah. i want to try one!
yours is soso nice!