Although I hate to admit it, life has changed over the past
few years. Celebrating close friends’
birthdays now means a nice dinner and perhaps a small thinking-of-you token
gift (notable exceptions being spouse, parents, and nephews of course). Long
gone are the days of trolling the local mall for “the” gift for your BFF. These days I generally like to make most of my gifts (time and laziness permitting with heavy emphasis on the laziness).
Every now and then, life throws you a bone and you happen to
stumble across the perfect gift. Such was the case for my very good friend Am M. I was in an antique mall when I came across a
set of vintage hankies (I am fortunate enough to not have allergies and am
rarely sick, but I still have a deep seated obsession with vintage
hankies. It’s odd---I know). Well, sandwiched
in this packet of hanky goodness were two really great hankies that were a
perfect gift for Am. I have to take a second and elaborate on great—one hankie
was very much in the mid-century modern flavor (which is Am’s thing) and was
monogrammed with her last name initial (if I was a cat, I would have used up
one of my nine lives on this gift). The fact that there were 5 other hankies
that I could add to my growing collection was also (admittedly) a bonus.
So, having found
these great hankies, I was super excited, however, I had to do a little
more. It seemed a little odd to give just
the hankies no matter how great they were. I recognize that not everyone shares
my deep seated affection for vintage hankies.
I decided to make a small little coin purse that Am could keep one the
hankies and perhaps a lipstick in for the times when she was traveling light.
I sat down and started thinking about how this little purse
should be. After several failed
prototypes, the final plans were decided (with almost no formal training, my
sewing style is decidedly fly by the seat of your pants with a touch of just make
it happen). Finally, the fabric was
picked, cut, and ready to go. The happy
flow of the project at this point took a turn for the worse as evidenced by the
multitude of coin purses that now have permanent residence in the corners of my
craft room.
True to my nature, I eventually managed to pull things together…just in time
for Am’s birthday.
~A