Envy

I always have some time to spare while waiting for my washer to alarm. What do I do with that little time? I start thinking of what I could make in my next project that can touch another’s heart with a simple handmade gift.

I have been doing my research since the beginning of this year…reading crochet blogs.. checking out craft videos online and even looking through my stash of hobby books that I had purchased previously thinking that sometime someday I can get to make all those little projects. Many project ideas came to my mind. I managed to create a couple of crochet patterns for toys. As for sewing.. nothing concrete was created until I was gifted with a pretty beaded clasp purse that was handmade by another. It was in exchange for a handmade patchwork toy gift I had made for a child. To show gratitude and appreciation for my works.

I envied that the maker had such fine golden hands. Beading was never a part of my craft. It never came across to me to use beads in any of my previous projects as it was seen to me as a tedious affair. I have always tried to keep my creations simple and managable to complete with what ever free time I had. It would be a new technique that I would have to learn from scratch and try to master.. this I thought.

Well.. I do have my own moments when I envied others too. Envy them for being able to spend their time creating things that they had imagined. Materialising their dreams into reality. Envy…counting another’s blessings as I would define it.

But what really felt good besides the beading design of the purse was that.. I found it really useful to hold my coins. Easy to reach into it and take the correct coin change whenever I needed. It was also one of those pretty cute “click clack” purse that I had wanted as a little girl but was told its an impractical item to own.

Thus I decided to spend some time designing one after reading books and watching online videos as references.

Now here’s a version of my rudimentary work … the Japanese called it Gamaguchi, the English called it the Vintage Clasp purse and the Chinese called it the 口金包. I think it just makes a really nice “Click Clack” sound and fun to play with when I have really fidgety fingers.

I tried making a version of it a couple of weeks back but I was not very impressed with how it had turned out. Perhaps it was the template pattern dimensions that I drew that went wrong..

Well, there is always room for improvements. I decided to do more research using Vintage Purse book by Sandrind and The Purse Clasp book by Zakka Handmade Workshop and came up with another template drawing pattern.

I hand sew the cloth pattern cuts together using the simple backstitch technique.

Now comes the toughest part.. using pliers to fix the metal clasp onto the sewn purse pouch was really a test of my grip strength.

Finally completed. I am happy with the outcome. Another gift project idea created. Perhaps I may even attempt to create a crocheted version of it too..