Crafts - My Mom's Leather Tote

I'm not really fond of sharing my work here on After the Denim. I try to keep a distinction between, what I make and what I write about here. Of course it's interlinked, but I prefer the distinction most of the time and if you want to see examples of what I make, you can just check ATD's Facebook, Tumblr or Instagram. However every now and then I make something that I'm really proud of or really satisfied with, and  this is the case with this tote that I made for my mom as a Christmas present.

Now this tote is similar to another bag that I featured on the blog previously, however I've become more comfortable with bag construction and this worked out a bit better. The concept is pretty much the same; a simple, rugged and completely handsewn (as in using two needles and absolutely no machines) tote with one big compartment and an inside pocket. This tote was sewn with a braided polyester thread, as I wanted a optic white thread as a contrast to the turquoise leather, that I hand picked for my mom, when I visited the Tärnsjö tannery in Sweden in the summer. My mom has never been afraid of colours and her favourite colour is turquoise, so it was an easy choice. Luckily she liked it, and has been using it daily for some months now.

It was quite a lot of work folding the edges and sewing them, but I think it adds a nice touch. My fingers looked terrible afterwards, this braided thread is hard on the skin and some thousand stitches took its toll on my fingers.

Leather backed double capped rivets

The burnished edges aren't holding up as well, as I would have liked because the handles get bend quite a bit.

This leather has quite a bit of grain character. It's normally used for shoes, but proved to be an excellent material for bags.

Worth a Listen - Donnie & Joe Emerson

This post could might as well be called "On the Subject of Parental Love", as I've been thinking quite a lot about it lately. Possibly due to the fact that my parents have always shown me so much support and especially in recent times. When I was younger, I would have all these obsessions, for instance like finding and collecting fossils. At some point my parents took me to this big limestone quarry, which was situated in the other end of Denmark and they would spend a day with me, just digging away for fossils. I could go on and on with stories like this.

This summer I've been listening to this song "Baby" by Donnie & Joe Emerson A LOT. It's not a new song, as it was released back in 1979, however it still sounds fresh and relevant. Back in the day no one took notice of this record despite it's obvious qualities, but I guess the music business is like that. Some things just aren't recognised in its time, but is left for future generations to appreciate.

If you're still reading here's the connection to the introduction. Donnie & Joe were supported massively by their parents, who funded, what at the time was a really good studio in the middle of nowhere for their sons to practice and record. They spent a fortune on it. It never really paid off in the sense of making any money on it, however the amazing record "Dreamin' Wild" was released.

So instead of me using up more words, I suggest you spend a good 7 minutes watching this little documentary on the whole project. It's heartwarming.

Oh, and mom, happy birthday.

My Mom's Rings

My mom is quite creative and quite handy and I sometime hope, that I've inherited some of her skills, but I have my doubts, when I see, how many things she has excelled at, sewing, painting, drawing sculpting, knitting and so on. 

I could show you more stuff, that she has made or designed, but for now I'll stick to a couple of rings, that she had custom made to her specific design some time in the 60's as far as I recall (it could be the 70's, so mom, please forgive me, if I'm wrong). I've had them in a drawer for quite some time because I've been meaning to have them reproduced in my size, albeit I want to have some minor alterations made. 

Somehow I've never gotten around to actually having it done. Most likely a result of me never wearing much jewellery - except for a watch.

The first ring is the one, I've always liked the most. Please bear in mind, that it used to look a lot better, but one of my sister attempted to resize it, which made it crooked. To make matters worse she also decided to clean and polish it. Luckily it's starting to patinate again.

One day it struck me, that I could easily wear a signet ring, but in the end it'll probably be hard pull off.

I have just sent these pictures to a good friend of After the Denim in hopes of having them reproduced in my size.