Cutout Purse

Recently, I was contacted by a person who had bought one of my cork cutout purses at one of my shows. She said she'd been using that same cork purse almost every day for the past three years! It was well past its prime, and she was ready for another purse. She was able to hunt me down and purchased the exact same purse again. Now, that's a loyal customer.

The design of the cutout purse is very handy. Once you get used to having such easy access to your cell phone and keys, it's hard to go back to digging around inside another purse for those things.

Here is the cutout design in a few fun fabric prints for summer, now available in my Etsy shop.

Mother's Day is just around the corner! For the next week, use the code "mikimi" to get free shipping on anything in my Etsy shop.

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Flat Zip Pouches

You know you're pathetic when it's been so long since you blogged that you can't even remember the password. Over nine months, and I don't even have a baby to show for it. I'd promise to try to do better, but I don't want to eat my words.

My excuse is that I've been busy sewing! I've been working on orders for several wineries, and I'm so happy to be doing so. Back when I first started this blog and my little business, I never would have believed that I'd even have this small modicum of success. I'll knock on wood (and on cork) that it continues.

A couple of the wineries have ordered flat zip pouches from me. Pictured above are "plain", although they're anything but! I call them plain because there's no sewn-on embellishment--it's just the natural beauty of the cork.
These are flat zips with a leaf design. On my next post (which will hopefully be posted in less than 9 months), I want to share about how I cut these leaves out.
And these with a thick stripe of dark cork down the middle are my least favorite to make. The seams where the light and dark cork come together are bulky and create the most work. You'd think the leaf pattern would be more time consuming than the striped ones, but no, I can sew that leaf pattern on in under 3 minutes.
I've had a lot of practice and plenty of chances to time myself. Here are 80 flat zip pouches, boxed up and ready to go tomorrow, to Sterling Vineyards in Calistoga. Last week, I sent 48 of them out to Beaulieu Vineyard in Rutherford. If neither of those places are in your neck of the woods, they are also available in my Etsy shop!

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Embellished Cork Messengers

There's no doubt about it--I'm lazy when it comes to this blog! But hopefully, it means I'm being productive in other ways. Right? Well, I don't know how true that is...but I'm trying. Sewing has a way of being edged out by everything else in life.

I am pleased with these new embellished messenger bags. After I made the journals in my last post, I realized that I should be embellishing more of my cork items. Natural themes seem to pair best with the cork. Pictured above is my first leaf motif, a close copy of what I made for the journal cover.

Then, I made this straight stem motif. Both my daughters prefer this one. I have to say, I kinda like it better, too.

The embellishment is time consuming--but I find I enjoy that part best. Although I may not really be able to recoup the time spent in the price of the bag, it's okay for now. If I were making hundreds of these at a time, I might need to come up with a quicker way of doing it than cutting each leaf individually with plain old scissors--but for now, it's something I can do while I watch American Idol or Project Runway. ;)

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Black Cork Sling

I'm excited to introduce a new color for my cork bags--black! Technically, it's not a true black, more of a brown-black. I know that I personally favor black bags, so I had to make one for myself right away.
This sling style is really versatile. The strap is long enough to wear cross-wise, if desired. The zippered pocket on the outside provides easy access to your cell phone or keys.

Best of all, it's made of cork, which is eco-friendly as well as water- and stain-resistant. Although similar to leather in feel, no animals are harmed in the production of cork fabric. And it was handmade--by me! In my own sweat shop (except that it's too cold for any sweating right now). Now I need to get my rear in gear and add it to my website.....

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The Perfect Pouch

Please click photos to view larger.

I'm quite pleased with my new pouch design! They have an appealingly rounded shape to them and are the perfect size for putting into a larger purse or for carrying alone. The wrist strap makes the zipper easy to pull open and closed, but the bolt snap makes the strap detachable, if so desired.



They measure 9" wide by 4.5" high, a good size for most makeup brushes or pencils. Or slip in your cell phone, some cash or credit, and your keys--and you can travel light for a short shopping trip or lunch with a friend.


I'm working on adding these to my website now--but it will probably take me a day or two to get everything photographed and listed. From now through the end of February, The Perfect Pouch will be just $10 each (regular price $14).

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