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Firefly Bag
I made this bag to display in the art show at Lunacon 2010. The trunk of the tree is made of linen, and the leaves are made of crepe-backed satin. The black background is made of silk noil. To give it a sense of depth, I turned the fabric for the upper layer of leaves 90 degrees, so that the light catches differently on it. The fireflies in the scene are made of Swarovski rhinestones. It is lined with sparkly confetti dot cotton and interlined in wool felt for structure.
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Stonehenge Bag
I made this bag to display in the art show at Lunacon 2010. The standing stones of Stonehenge are made of 2 shades of wool, and sit on a foiled cotton confetti dot landscape with a silk noil background. Swarovski rhinestone stars dot the sky, and a foiled linen moon phase design adorns the flap. The button is made of Preseli Bluestone, which is the same type of stone that makes up most of the actual structure of Stonehenge. I purchased the stone at a local Celtic specialty shop, and epoxied it to a button shank base. The button itself was my inspiration for creating this bag.
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Fiddle Bag
I made this bag as a gift for Brahm Stuart of the band The Mystic Minstrels. The Mystic Minstrels are my favorite band at the New York Renaissance Faire. After years of watching their lively performances, I felt compelled to give something back to them in return. This bag is meant to resemble stained glass, and is made of different pieces of appliquéd dupioni silk. I actually strung the fiddle with thin silver trim, and affixed the strings with invisible thread.
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Peacock Bag
I made this bag for Catalina Colibri of the band The Mystic Minstrels. The Mystic Minstrels are my favorite band at the New York Renaissance Faire. After years of watching their lively performances, I felt compelled to give something back to them in return. Catalina mentioned to me that she loves peacocks, so I chose one as the theme of this bag. It is made of textured cotton, and all of the feathers are appliquéd dupioni silk on wool felt. I hand painted the gold details onto each feather. Flat beads made of shell decorate the area under the flap. The feathers on the top of the head are represented by faceted glass beads, with hand-couched gold cording for the feather shafts.
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Grey and Black Chenille Vest
This vest is an item that I made to sell at my booth at Dexcon 2010. It is made of upholstery jacquard and lined with cotton, and features a large appliqué on the back. I turned the fabric 90 degrees to make the appliqué, which produced an interesting effect. The edges are trimmed with cotton bias tape.
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Red Pirate Coat
I made this coat for a gentleman who was very taken with the gold and green pirate coat featured in my gallery. Although he originally requested the same fabric as that coat, it was no longer available in that color choice. Instead, he chose this red and gold variation of the same pattern. This coat is lined in an iridescent red and gold dupioni silk, and has large pockets on the front. The back has a fully-lined pleated flap for extra flare. All of the trim around the button holes had to be sewn by hand with invisible thread in order to preserve its structure. My client chose large gold dome buttons to complement the gold colors in the fabric.
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Red Wool Cloak
This cloak is an item that I made to sell at my booth at a convention. It is made of red and purple wool in a plaid pattern, with a purple textured fleece lining in the hood. The cloak itself is unlined, but all of the seams are finished with flat-felled seams. Red cotton bias tape trims the front and hood edges, and a hand-sewn decorative leather appliqué supports the weight of the cloak clasp.
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I sold this bag in the art show at Lunacon 2011. It is made of dupioni silk, and lined with cotton. The design was created with appliqué techniques, and decorated with Swarovski rhinestones. The edges of the 'zeppelin' flap were satin-stitched for a finished look.
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Bamboo Forest Bag
I made this bag to display in the art show at Anthrocon 2011. It depicts a forest of bamboo. It is made of cotton corduroy. I turned some of the “stalks” of bamboo 180 degrees so that the grain of the corduroy fell in the opposite direction, thus creating a sense of depth in the composition. An iridecscent dupioni silk dragonfly adds a decorative flair to the scene. The dragonfly's wings are made of iridescent organza, and I stitched the veins of the wings with a contrasting thread. Swarovski rhinestones make up the eyes of the dragonfly, and add a hint of sparkle.
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Arctic Fox Bag
I made this bag to display in the art show at Anthrocon 2011. This arctic fox is made of wool, with dupioni silk eyes. Since the wool has a matte finish, and the silk of the eyes is shiny, the eyes really stand out from the rest of the face. The ears of the fox are dimensional, and only attached to the bag at the base, so they actually stand out from the fox's head a little.
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Mallorn Tree Bag
This bag was inspired by my love of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. It depicts a Mallorn Tree of Lothlórien. The tree sits on a background of wool. It is made of silver dupioni silk, with leaves of gold silk appliqued onto wool felt. Each leaf is adorned with a Swarovski rhinestone. An Elven Flet hides under the leaves of the tree, and is decorated with Swarovski rhinestones.
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Unicorn Bag
I created this bag as an entry for an art contest. It is made of iridescent dupioni silk, with a linen lining. The silk is arranged in different angles and shapes to resemble a stained glass window. A glass faceted button holds the flap closed.
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Koi Bag
I made this bag to display in the art show at Anthrocon 2011. It was inspired by my backyard koi pond. The colorful koi fish is made of dupioni silk. The background water is made of decorative cotton. I stitched the suggestion of water ripples onto the water for visual interest. The flap, which is meant to resemble a lily pad, is made of dupioni silk. A large resin flower bead adds a splash of color to the lily pad. I was very happy with the way this bag turned out, and I especially liked the contrast between the shiny silk of the fish and lily pad versus the matte finish of the cotton background.