Raw Silk Handbag

Among crafters, what I did today is called "stash busting." Among normal people, it's called finally getting sick of having a box of uncut fabric in my closet and wanting to show it off as finished products.

This was a true labor of love. I've never made a proper handbag before, because like most things worth having it took a lot more work than you'd think. Today, I finally took the plunge. I'm really excited about the results, especially because I've been hanging on to those wooden handles for years. Literally! Years! I bought them when I took my roadtrip to Portland with CC because they were handmade and super adorable. The bag's shape actually mimcs the triangular handles, but I couldn't get it to not slouch in my chair.

I won't get into all the nitty gritty, but I am pretty proud that the finished bag has two small pockets on one side (for camera and phone) and a very large pocket on the other side (for a book). Because both the teal raw silk I used and the swirly mustard yellow and chocolate brown cotton I used are high quality fabrics with some natural sheen, they don't photograph well on my cheap camera. The colors are a lot more saturated and fun to look at in real life. I can't wait to take my new pouch out on the town!

And because today was a busy crafting day, dinner is going to be simple. I made a large batch of ro zao because I want to freeze some, and I added pressed tofu and quail eggs to tonight's dinner.