Apple Blossom Purse

Today it feels like it was a very long time ago, when the apple trees were blooming - the most elegant, intriguingly delicate with its shades of pink to crimson glory, the apple blossom inspired so many poetic confessions. 

My poetic confession today is with this purse, I ended up loving so much...

It is a pure revealing of my soul - such a pretty, not screaming pink, my favourite ever, characteristic in texture fabric, embroidery, Japanese-style design, absolutely cool and unique handle and great size...

I have always wanted to make a big bouquet of apple blooming branches for my picture album, but I have never had the heart to cut them. That is how the idea of copying one of the blossoms and embroidering it was born.

It was late April, when my lonely apple tree was blooming. I took the impossible challenge to draw one of the tiny branches, staring hopelessly at the tree, as if there was a power in it, that could lead my hand into somehow representing this innocent beauty... 

I took all my stash of embroidery floss from pink to crimson red and greens out and started looking for the right colours. It had to look real, as if it was a picture taken. Well... the sun was playing games with me, undermining my work, the wind wasn't helpful either, making the leaves dance... I fought with them with all my creative ability, just until I had the closest possible realistic colours. And what an inspiring fight this was in between the sun kisses and the wind hugs...

After this adventure of creating the perfect blossom, it was time to work with thread and fabric for the so desired image of the apple blossom.

By the time I was done painting with the needle on my favourite canvas of HAORI fabric the real apple blossoms were gone, sacrificing their life for the fruit growing to start.

I had my image of the blossom now forever painted on my fabric. What to do with it, was another decision I did not want to make lightly. So I left it on my working table to look at it every time I do something else, to inspire me, until I see in my heart what I want to make with it.

And here it is - the purse.

I adapted a pattern by Yoko Saito from one the many books, written by her in my library, that give me such inspiration.

I used the new Spring-Summer 2017 fabric from HAORI for the back and the bottom and the classic solid pink for the front. The handle is from my so favourite deep green, with which I have made so many items. I think it will end up being on every item I make with HAORI :)

Zipper is the happy LECIEN Jelly zipper - I love these zippers! I lined it with regular light weight cotton in matching colour.

The purse is free-style hand-quilted on the front and I followed the gentle lines of the print on the back and on the front right side, to create more contrast and drama. 

The handle is embroidered with feather stitch, using variegated sashiko thread. I also applied that stitch on the front, where the two fabrics meet. For those of you, who read my posts for quite awhile now, you know my love for the French knot is limitless. I can not have embroidery theme without it. It makes my feather stitch so much more interesting...

That is about it for the purse. My girls fought over it, without realizing the more they fight, the prouder I was becoming with myself (without my nose pointing too high), and most certainly, I can not share the purse with neither of them (how would I choose who will have it, and I can not make the same one ever), so it stays for me. And it makes me happy - it is a rare thing to make something for myself, so I am planning to enjoy this moment.

Thank you for sharing the moment with me! 

I hope you have so much inspiration in your days, because without inspiration, the soul and heart are sad.

Happy summer days, my friends!

♥ Ivelina