Thinking about a Bike Tour

Restoring a Leather Purse, Part One.

I have a rather odd hobby. I like to find random old purses in thrift stores and restore them. I blame Coach bags. I love love love the old leather Coaches.. so I will scour the stores hunting them. Over the years I've found, rehabbed and released/kept over thirty older leather purses. Most were Coach. Some had no names but were just awesome. I've kept my eye out for rarer bags.. Maybe one day I'll luck onto a Hermes or a Channel. You never know what you might find.

This is the cleaned purse. At this point the leather is very dry, I will need to fix that. That bit of silk is what I will line it with.

Yesterday I found my first real Dooney and Bourke. It was a mess. I actually passed it up at first, it was so dirty. The leather was almost all stained, the brass was dull and there was something hard and gunky on the keyhole latch and there was black grime all over the D rings and the strap was mildly sticky. But it was 75% off the tag price and that worked out to under 80 cents.

I won't mention the inside mankiness or the ink stains. Or the weird smell.

Actually, I will mention the smell. It was a mix of layered old body odor and too much perfume. And old food. It smelled like the last owner never bathed but instead preferred to cover herself in spray on stank. And she apparently ate with her bag in her lap. I didn't notice it till I got home (as it was covered by thrift store general smell)... but then I kept smelling another human. A dirty one. Yeah gods. I'd planned to clean it this weekend but some things couldn't WAIT. It was just that bad of a stench. YUCK.

Tools of the Trade.

I will take this time to note that while I have used these techniques to clean leather bags with little/no ill effects you can IF YOU ARE NOT CAREFUL really screw up the leather with my methods. Acetone will remove all the dye. So will bleach. Brasso can discolor leather. You'll want to work in a well ventilated room and don't fucking smoke. Call it a disclaimer and a warning. Try it on a hidden spot or a scrap first.

HOW-TO: Line a Skirt with Flannel

This is for those of us who suffer from the cold who wear skirts or kilts or what have you. And that would be many people above or below the equator.

And for those of you wondering just why I'm post-spamming now after being quiet so very long? I've had all sorts of ideas and have even made a few. I even took pictures for this blog. Sitting and typing in the cold room though? Not really a fan of it. The fleece skirt from last post is making it bearable.

This is yet another way to warm up a nether region. Sure, I could just wear tights.. but that just gets old. And many of them don't breath or fit weirdly.

How to line a skirt with flannel.

I started with a wool/acrylic blend from the thrift store. It was a very wide handmade circle skirt...and the fabric really did not suit the style or cut of the pattern they chose. I picked it because I wanted to have a loose house wear item and I thought I could save it. Meh. Pitfall of the dollar day sale. It happens.

You will also need flannel. I'm using a flannel top-sheet.

You may also want to use elastic and or a zipper, depending on your body shape and preferred waist band. As I have curvy hips I tend to use a short zipper at the side and two sections of elastic in the back, one over each bum-bump. This way there are no gaps and the fabric lays better.

Machiavelli here will be our overseer.

Fleece Slips for Warmth! Whee!!!

It was a really cold winter here. As in the cold came and the cold stayed. Hell, it's barely above freezing right now as I type. Cold. Blech. Time for spring. But first let me share just how I did not freeze my buns off.

Flannel and fleece slips and skirt linings. Really.

This is a fitted knee length fleece slip with back kick flap.

You see, I generally wear skirts because I have the damnedest time finding jeans that fit comfortably. I was spoiled by all the lovely loose fitting jeans of my youth.. my bits will have nothing to do with these slim fit things of nowadays. And I'm hippy. In both ways. I smell of nag champa and have junk in the trunk. Skirts just work better for me.

But many are COLD and DRAFTY. So this was born of a 5 dollar for two fleece blankets deal I had wrapped up in the closet. I used Simplicity 2917, took the skirt and made it a bit on the smaller side and at the petite length. Instead of a zipper I sewed in a U shape opening with elastic to hold it up. I made all darts and trimmed the fabric close. The waist band is just a bit of blanket folded and sewn over the top edge to avoid too much bulk. I used the blankets own hem for the bottom. Under a loose fitting longer skirt or dress you cannot see this at all. And you shall have a warm butt.

I loved it so much that I even made a regular skirt of the stuff from another fleece blanket that is actually just a skirt for normal wear. Different pattern.. and a front slit.. and long.. but same idea. Nice soft warm fleece for the neather regions. I'm wearing it right now.. I like my butt warm, thank you.

And next post.. how to line a skirt with flannel!