So far, the rush of November and stillness of January, has been the time when I design for Spring. All the sketching and patterning comes together as the New Year rolls in, and, if I am really lucky, the first samples are complete by February. I will be adding several new designs to the current collection.
That's why recently I sourced some wild leathers - for the first time. Nothing truly exotic, just a small bundle of deerskin and elkskin.
Traditional tanning of deerskin leaves it with a richly coloured, velvety, matte surface, which, to the touch, feels very similar to the nubuc side of the leather. It is also subjected to very little `finishing`, leaving it extremely fluid and stretchy. Once on stabilizer, the leather takes shape well and the stitching appears quilted deep into the pliable surface.
It was just what I needed for my tasseled bag design to appear this Spring. I wanted a softer and modernized take on a traditional Western look, suitable for day and night....
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Deerskin - soft and velvety, with hunting holes... |
Elkskin is much stiffer on the surface finish, and yet amazingly stretchy as well. It`s matte surface made me wish, I could find more upholstery stock, that looks like this.
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Elkskin - amazingly speckled |
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Soft edges |
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First three colours |
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Zippers and some brights |
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Knots and tassels... |
Posted by Jolanta http://jolavdesigns.com