It's in the way I made you up inside my mind

Here they are, my bags--finally!  I would have posted them a few days ago, but the day after I finished them, I didn't really want to look at them anymore, and then I had to hand them in to be marked.  It worked out well though, I was able to get a great photographer to help me take some fancy schmancy shots to share with you!
The only guidelines for this latest studio project was to make a set of three bags, a mini production line if you will.  It was a lot of fun--since there were no restrictions other than you had to make a set, everyone was able to pursue an area that interested them.  A lot of my classmates used repurposed materials; I used beaten up old leather coats, and created textured insets using heat setting.

I absolutely love heat setting.  It's probably my favorite technique of late, actually.  (That and embroidery). I made myself a huge duvet cover with this technique last semester--one day I'll share that with you too.
Basically, what you do is fold/pleat/scrunch/tie the fabric, and heat it up.  The heat changes the structure of the molecules that make up the fibre, so that they now sit in a different way, maintaining the structure that you coaxed it into.  Does that make sense?  Well, see those pleats?  They aren't going anywhere!  (Even if they weren't stitched under the leather.)

Inside I made little labels with my business name, and I also created small hangtags with my logo, care information and such.
Believe it or not, these bags hold a ton of stuff.  I can put my laptop in them, as well as the random assortment of odds and ends I always seem to carry with me.
The only thing I wish I did differently was add a messenger style strap.  I had planned to, I even made a prototype with one.  But it just didn't sit right on my final version, so they're hand bags only.  Which is okay, I figure I'll get a pretty great arm workout carrying them around.  Plus I think they get more attention that way, rather than being wrapped around your body and tucked under the arm.

Finally, I just have to mention my latest obsession, the Tumblr 300&65 Ampersands.  It's great.  I've been checking it daily for my ampersand fix.  (I'll be the first to admit, I'm a bit of a nerd!)
Cities of Weather by Woodpigeon