wool » by elke

A New Life for Old Pants

I found these pants a while ago & held on to them knowing they would one day become something fun. When I go to the vintage or the thrift shops I basically just look at fabrics, not sizes or styles. When I saw the beautiful wool on these vintage pants I knew I was on to something. Along with that find, I also dug up a very old Swiss army backpack that was ripped & stained beyond recognition. But the straps! Oh, the straps! The most beautiful old worn leather. Together they made a beautiful pair. I had a scrap of natural vegatan leather on hand that I stained red by hand which was the final touch.

Once I Was An Austrian Army Coat

But now I’m nice wooly clutches…….

What a great find that coat was. Not only did I make these bags from it but also a tote bag. The smaller versions were left unlined & the larger, fold-over ones were bonded with cotton shirting. The small white crosses are the coolest crackly leather- I only had a small piece but wish I could make a whole bag from this leather. For the pulls I cut long pieces of red leather for tassels & a contrast. All in all I was happy with the finished product as it really does’t look anything like the original coat that it started out as. These ended up going by the first day at the holiday market. So happy they found good homes! Oh yea, please note the bottom picture! I got a new branding toy- So much fun! These bags were the first to get the new label & were attached with small rivets. So clean & the branding is addicting!

Winter Hat Collection

Over the years I’ve collected many types of winter hats. The one’s above are my favorite. There are wool plaid bucket hats, cashmere caps & shearling with ear flaps. One of my favorite is the title green one that I got for my son when he was just 4 with the fantastic oversized pom pom ….. I make it fit…..

Vintage Wool IPad Case

I found this oversized amazing Pendleton wool hunting jacket in a vintage store a while back. I knew I wanted to use it for a bag in some form & after measuring the dimensions for the Ipad I found that it was just the right size to make 3 with front pockets & all. I bonded the wool to colorful wool felt & used a rotery cutter to get a nice clean edge. The leather details are made from a beautiful old belt with a great patina. The Ipad that calls this home will definitely not catch a chill this winter. Also, instead of labels I stuck my lable onto a detachable pin so it can be removed. I thought these looked nice & clean.