The Purse That Wouldn't Be

A few weeks ago, as part of an auction for a friend, I contributed a custom purse. The winner of the auction, Lula, let me know her wants, which were:

• an 11" drop from shoulder to top of bag
• a brown or grey purse, not anything black

It seemed easy enough, but then I asked a couple of clarifying questions and that's where things got confusing. In her first email, she said she wanted a large purse. In her second email, she said a small purse. In her first email, she said she wanted something more tailored, in her second email, something not tailored.

So I dithered and sweated and stressed, drew up a sketch, made a practice purse (which didn't work), let it sit, drew up another sketch, grumbled, whined, and finally just took the plunge. Here is the original sketch.....

...and here is the finished product. Not too shabby, eh?
I'm mostly happy with it. I wish that the bottom was a little bit wider, but other than that, I really like it. The shell is made from a very warm cocoa brown wool and the lining is orangey-pink cotton. I wanted the bag to be able to open wide when it was on her arm, as she is a mom, so therefore probably does quite a few things one-handed. So on the sides, I put in 4 grommets and an adjustable tie. The base of the purse is only 2 inches wide, but the top, when untied, is 5 inches wide. This, along with the U-shaped design of the opening, helps keep sticky fingers at bay. She also requested pockets, so I got the exact measurements of her cell phone and made a custom pocket (which is why mine doesn't fit so well). There is also a small flat open pocket on the same side and a zippered pocket on the other side. I wanted a little bit of color on the outside, so I put in a box pleat that has the lining fabric on the reverse, as well as tiny (1/4") "piping" between the two sections (I call it piping, but it doesn't have any cording in it). I also wove some brown wool into the chain to tone it down a little bit.

Anyway, it's done now...and ready for shipping. I hope she likes it. I don't know that I have ever stressed out so much about a purse, and I don't really know why. =)