When a design idea just doesn’t work
I had a creative idea for this black up cycled saddle leather. A boho-style bag that fits a laptop. I hand stitched the bag in sky-blue, added a pocket lining of blue suede, and lined the bag itself with blue polyester. It seemed that the bag needed something else and I painted abstract florals on the lid. I made it for sale, it wasn’t my style. Then, I showed it to my clients— no one cared to buy it. Although, some asked for a bag that size before. I took it to fairs, with the same outcome. The bag then was forgotten on a seldom-used shelf in my studio, until years later, I looked at it as a material as opposed to an item. That happened, after a large store-bought leather tote that I loved taking on trips ripped in multiple places. It literally RIPped. I needed a new one and I was not going to shop for it. So, I took off the shelf this abandoned bag and decided to make it work for me this time. I removed all that blue stitching, added animal-print leather panels and accent...