A new bag in the making.

It's always fun and challenging to develop a new bag. The ideas usually brews for a while in my brain before materializing into what, at first, is a rough version of what I intended. But with refinement and detail and a lot of patience, something does eventually emerge.
In the case of the Envelope Bag it has been in the works for awhile. It started a couple of years ago when a coworker and friend moved away to Seattle. I wanted to make something unique as a gift for her. How to capture the personality and character of a person in a bag?
Katie is bright and spirited, but at heart a workaholic and super organized. The Envelope Bag was born from the idea that a fun carry-all in bright summer colors could double as a corporate envelope to carry papers or go along on an interview.
Then last year another friend, Alyson, saw a photo (above) of the Envelope and wanted one. So a bit of refining and reworking, the second iteration of the bag emerged. Very similar to the first, but the proportions got refined a bit and the materials also changed to work for winter.

The result is an elegant, but still fun bag that seems more appropriate for that interview I mentioned. We are in Boston after all and not the beach, so Charcoal Felted Wool accented with a pretty bright orange detail is just perfect! The final step will be the custom stencil to complete the bag. I'm struggling with this decision. I love the leaf pattern, but keep wondering if it will still work with the more stark, serious fabric. Maybe the contrast is just what it needs... After all, life often is a lovely combination of both.