Spring outside is currently a squall of blowing snow interspersed with bursts of sunshine. The glorious play between light and shadow makes for ever changing drama. My first “collection” this year is being pulled together amidst the play of clouds and sunshine.
I created a collection from some beautiful hides of Alpine Calf/Young Bull in a bold, intense electric blue: La Collection Bleue pour Printemps '22. It has such intense color, yet it feels like a neutral because it’s blue. Blue is the sky, the sea, the great harmonizer.
I’m really in love with this collection. C’est bleu for starters, my go-to color, and its got a beautiful, small pebbling that makes scuffs and scrapes very forgivable. I even tested out this so called “scratch resistance” on a scrap piece and was very impressed. I took my fingernails and scraped the surface as hard as was comfortable leaving a bit of a trail. I took my chisel (basically 5 tiny blades) and dragged it across the surface as hard as I could. I cut into it I scraped it so hard. Then I wiped the fleshy pad of my thumb across the damage a few times. It felt like I virtually rubbed away the marks! All of them! I had to fold the leather to find the cut mark I made. Otherwise it was near impossible to tell I did any of it. I’m very confident this leather is durable and when taken care of, will last a long time.
I think the blue alpine calf is such a timeless choice. But don’t get me wrong, it is far from boring. I lined all the pieces with a thirst quenching punch of tangerine colored suede. The mixture of cobalt and tangerine is bold and will play well in the warmer days of summer. I lined every bag in Tangerine, edged them with navy paint, and stitched them by hand in either navy or amber thread. A few bags have contrasting natural harness leather straps. I used shiny, solid brass hardware for this collection. This set was all about bold contrasts!
True to discipline, I’ve cut up the whole hide and used it! I’ve gotten pretty adept at measuring out bags and cutting the leather to make the most out of it. With the tiny scraps I had after the bags were cut out I decided to fashion a few bracelets, earrings, and some pouches featuring leather flowers. Less waste, more exciting creations! I’ve even added some leather appliques to a woven straw bag. The more I allow myself to play, the more forward I feel in my endeavors. Do you find that getting creative always spurs on new projects?