Kate Spade Drawstring Opus Purse & A Warning

Tags

bag, bags, drawstring opus, kate spade, opus, purses

To Well Heeled & Revanche

I got this bag at Nordstrom Rack maybe 2-3 years ago for $200-something.

The straps are patent leather.  I’ve used this bag to DEATH.  The handles are long, and extremely comfortable.  This is my default, go-to bag.

BUT. See below.  The straps are breaking.

A lot of the Kate Spade bags have this type of strap.  The reason why it is breaking?  It may be because the material is patent leather.  Patent leather isn’t very bendable.  The straps are long, and as such they ‘fold’ down when not rested against something.  I’m not sure if the regular leather will do this, but this is just a quick review and warning to those who want these types of KS purses.

♥ E&I

DIY: Turning a vintage sequin top into a zippered clutch (Part 1)

Tags

bags, clutch, crafting, DIY, Fashion, pouch, sequin, sewing

This is my 4th clutch project in my zippered clutch series!  Check them out along with other DIY projects here.

I asked you for your opinions on this $5 sequin top at the end of 2011:

…and 60% of you said to turn it into a clutch instead of leaving it alone!  I also thought about turning into a skirt, but honestly A) I don’t think I’d wear it and B) I haven’t made a skirt before!

As I readied the sequin fabric for sewing I realized I could make an additional makeup pouch out of the two sleeves.

Here’s the finished makeup pouch!

I think I’ll sell this one for either at my Etsy shop or my blogshop.  I haven’t posted it up yet though, I’m about to head to another LASIK appointment right now.

The larger sequin clutch will be completed later on.  Thanks for reading!

♥ E&I

DIY: Turning an 80′s Sequin Sweater into a Zippered Clutch

Tags

bags, clutch, DIY, Fashion, pouch

( Hi everyone! I won’t take credit for the sewing tutorial itself but I just want to show you how you can start off and maybe give you some ideas )

I stopped by my local thrift store yesterday (the same store that I bought the vintage Dior blazer at) and they were having a $1 sale for select merch.

I stumbled upon this oversized 80′s sequined sweater:

I know its summer but I do love my stripes and sequins, and wild colors are in style at the moment! (Almost reminiscent of H&M’s collaboration with Sonia Rykiel?) I thought it was big enough to make a DIY project out of…So I bought it.

Leather and canvas pouches are really trendy right now. Think American Apparel:

(buy here) (similar here)

First I cut the sweater: (at the moment sequins are all over my carpet and desk!)

And I cut it again:

I had an extra navy blue, 10 inch metal zipper on hand a from previous custom order, as well as an old Orla Kiely for napkin (soft, thick, and baby blue!) I was initially thinking about using an old red pillowcase, but I felt blue would look better.

By following this pouch tutorial (and adding additional iron-on interfacing to the back of the sweater), I sewed everything together. Over all the project took around 2 hours.

Its definitely not perfect but I am in LOVE with it

Unfolded:

Outrageous colors, no? A little bohemian pop of color and shine. If it were a bit bigger I could use it for an Ipad or netbook case. Or maybe just a makeup travel bag!

Yay! I’m ecstatic with the results! If you know how to sew and you find a really cute vintage piece like this I encourage you to try it.

♥ E&I