Neon and Neutrals

Some more natural leather projects for you to break in just how you like (plus, luxe silk tanks):

I\’ve been gushing over my Ogden tanks for a while now (see here), so I thought I\’d take a couple quick snaps over the weekend. You may remember this skirt from the spring–it\’s tricky to match things with but this nude/blush tank goes nicely I think–the fabric is this silk crepe de chine from Mood in the \”cream pink\” color, although I also made it in \”lavender fog.\” Wearing silk feels so lovely and since the pattern only calls for 1 yard, you may as well splash out on a $20/yard crepe de chine, right? (ps: this color is a bit sheer but the lavender one is less so. i would actually do a full lining rather than the half lining in a pale color but i think the more saturated colors would be totally opaque. mood has like 100 shades of this stuff so between all of us we can make them all into Ogdens, don\’t you think?) I made this pattern in a straight size with no alterations and I couldn\’t be happier.

My clutch is also handmade, not by me, but by my mom!! I sent her a link to this currently-unavailable clutch by Matine and after a trip to the leather store nearby she very (very) nicely made me one of my own! It\’s a natural, undyed leather, so it will take on a gorgeous patina over time, deepening from this pale nude color into a warm brown. I\’ll let her tell you a bit about the process:

\”I am always up for a craft project so when Allie asked me if I could make a leather clutch purse for her I thought “sure, why not.” In all honesty I have been eyeing a leather sewing machine on Amazon for months and I just can’t justify spending the money.  I have sewn leather on my traditional household machine but have felt limited to sewing only thin leathers.  The timing couldn’t have been better because I had come to the decision that what I really wanted to do was learn how to hand sew leather.  I watched videos online, shopped at Tandy Leather and bought hardware online from The Buckle Guy.  After I gathered all of my supplies I practiced every step.  I made a paper template of the clutch shape and lightly traced it on to the vegetable tanned leather.  I cut the scalloped edge first and then away I went punching my holes and saddle stitching.  The entire process was pretty nerve racking.  One false move and it would just be junk.  Just like with items I sew I see all of the flaws with the clutch but overall I am happy with how it turned out.\”

Using a bit of the same leather, she also made my husband a strap for his watch. For his 30th birthday(!!) he had his heart set on a Timex watch with a leather strap and I just could not find one! DIY to the rescue–the Weekender watch has a slip-through band, so the strap is basically just a tiny belt that the watch itself slips onto. He loves it and we all agree it will be interesting to see how the leather ages–in the picture above, you can see how much color his belt has taken on, and that was the same color as the watch strap was when I bought it (about 5 years ago, I think).

xoxo,