Belt-strap Handbag

In my last post ('Fold Dress') I left you with a promise to turn my attention to the pockets left from my old cut-up jeans. Now is the time to show you my design idea related to other images from 'What lies beneath (and above)' post.

Seeing this image, all I could see were the belt-straps from my jeans that you can see in the image above. The blue colour on top of this image also fits since I am using blue denim here.

At the same time, this decoration on the side of the bridge made me ask myself what I would have hanging on my side, from my shoulder respectively.

And these thoughts gave the birth to a Belt-strap Handbag idea. I have four pockets and a waist&straps from the jeans. Since pockets are meant to keep things in, a handbag does the same thing (hopefully in an organised way).

The waist&straps piece serves more as a decoration, like the decoration on the side of the bridge. Or shall I use it to carry the bag around...?

Everything seems to come back together and answers the design process.

Similarly to my Fold Dress, this design is also on a stand-by since I still have to organise a sewing machine. So bear with me and keep checking these posts. See you soon.

Update: Sunday, 26 June 2011

Belt-strap Handbag

Finally, I have finished my 'Belt-strap Handbag'. It took me 'only' one and a half day. I know that for those who know how to use the sewing machine, one and a half day seems like eternity. However, I am actually impressed with myself. I managed it all by myself AND without supervision.

As seen in a previous post regarding the design of this handbag, I already had a pinned mock-up giving quite a good idea of the outcome. What was missing was the handbag's lining. The one I have made also has an inside divider/pocket. This part, I am not going to bother you with. Apart from unpicking it once, it was relatively easy.

What I want you to turn your attention to are certain details. For instance, the name  'KPDECO' inscribed on the waist-turn-handle of my handbag. This aims towards branding that I am using as a part of this blog and also serves as my signature.

If you have a proper look at the introductory image, you will spot that I used a former belt as a shoulder strap. I removed the buckle and was left with the question how to attach it to the handbag. For this, I twisted a strip of denim and pushed it through already created holes to hold the belt in place.

As a result, I ended up with a button. As much as it has its function it also serves as a decoration similar to the decoration on the bridge that was an inspiration for this design at the first place. Lovely touch.

What is great about this design is how many pockets this handbag has. Apart from the pocket in the lining, I actually did not have to create more pockets given by the source - four pockets from cut-up jeans. This is the beauty of designing. Take what is given and use it. This particular one is like a puzzle. It is all in there. You just have to re-arrange it.

Fold Dress

Do you remember this image? It is the one from 'What lies beneath' post published last week. And this is the progress so far.


1. To start, I reached for an old pair of jeans that has been laying around for ages and cut it to pieces. For this project, I am using the trouser-legs rather than the pockets (these will find their use somewhere else).






2. Next step is to use the visual from the image above and apply it to the two pieces of what is now my material. For one piece horizontal fold has been applied when the second piece will benefit from next step - vertical fold.

By purely playing with the imagery, my design starts to take its shape.



3. Now I cannot wait to pin it all together and end up with some sort of a mock-up.

At the moment, the dress is more pins than one can imagine and can be quite painful to be tried on but this does not deter me from realising the design. What stops me right now is the lack of tools - a sawing machine to be precise. Therefore, Fold Dress is on a stand-by for now and I will turn my attention to the rest of the cut-up jeans - the pockets. For this, I will see you in my next post soon.

In the meantime, enjoy the weekend and sunshine.

Update: Sunday, 3 July 2011

Fold Dress

And finally, here comes Elena wearing 'Fold Dress' made out of an old pair of jeans. This dress was inspired by an architectural element on a side of a bridge that connects Kensington Gardens with Hyde Park.

Similarly to the 'Belt-strap Handbag', it also carries a 'KPDECO' logo seen on its bottom-left (just under the hole). Why have I not mended the hole? you ask. I decided to keep to the final state of the original piece. This part used to be the bottom fold of the trouser-leg of the jeans.

To shape the top part, I have learnt a lot about sewing for a female figure. It was slightly challenging, yet I had a good time making it.

I would like to draw your attention to the two pre-existing lines in the top's upper part and the back of the dress that had originally been made for the jeans.

I have never mentioned it during the process (maybe because it was not my making - it was already there). This bears a reference to another image from 'What lies beneath' post. Do you see the way these lines run and bend in the stonework? In my design, the lines also bend and run continuously.

The final touch on the 'Fold Dress' are the beads. A friend of mine gave me a jar of various beads and I just knew that sooner or later, I would find use for them. And 'sooner' is the case.

During this project-devided-in-three ('Web Top', 'Belt-strap Handbag', 'Fold Dress'), I have felt touch guilty for not using the intro image. Can you see the pebbles at the bottom of the river? And so, I have used this visual and transferred it onto my dress.

First of all, I colour co-ordinated and kept to the blue colour. By doing so, the beads both blend with the surroundings and at the same time, stand out. As it comes with nature, its randomness goes hand-in-hand with perfection. Therefore, I used this element and sewed the beads in less than geometrical order. And it works giving the dress extra touch of glamour.

Yet again, I have made myself rather proud. This dress came out of a section of a bridge decoration. Isn't it amazing to see how far one can go if an idea is allowed to float freely to create such an outcome?