This purple handbag was made from the yarn left over from the super bad bag.  I don't usually go for lavender, so this color presented a challenge to me.



The paisley lining matched perfectly, so I thought I would go with paisleys for the outside.  Ugh, they just didn't look right on the bag: too many purples, no color harmony going on, and the tiny paisleys looked microbial and contagious.  On their own, they are supercute, sadly I made them too late to send off for the embroidered patch swap.

Next, I started a super elaborate paisley, thinking the microbial thing was the problem.  A couple hours into the stitching (no joke) I started to panic because I didn't have the time to spend hours and hours on one (one!) paisley.  Plus, I was starting to have second thoughts about the colors and the purple felt backing.

Freak out time.  What the hell was I going to put on this bag?  I pulled out my "stuff to put on other stuff" drawer and started to sift through the sequins, beads, and ... stuff.  That's when I stumbled across these sequins ... again (I used them on the aqua bag, too).

The Story of the Sequins

I rescued these sequins from a sweater I bought last year.  They were cute on the sweater, but my long hair was constantly getting tangled in them.  I carefully cut them out of the sweater and saved them (like the little hoarder I am).  Now they have become my absolutely favorite sequins and I can't find anything like them at the store.  My casual hunt is going to become a determined and focused hunt as I use them up.  If anyone has sequin finding tips, let me know.  I've already scoured AC Moore, Michael's, Joann's Superstore, and Pearl.

Attaching the sequins to the handbag was super easy.  Three rows looks great to me.  The turquoise/pink shimmer on the lavender yarn is really pretty and it matches the lining fabric really well, too.  Glittery, yet subtle.

I'm drawn to Earthy, Autumny, Deep Jeweltone colors. As a green-eyed, redhead who was born in October, those are the colors that make sense to me.  Eventually, when I have more time to play around, I want to explore color combinations that I'm not comfortable with (lavender, pastels, bright colors).  It always seems like people do the neatest and most inspiring work when they reach out of their depths.  Of course, I could also end up with Springtime Handbags that come with their own antibacterial hand wash.