Saturday, August 16, 2008

Purse for Children's Dramatic Play or Treasure Collecting

My daughters love to carry little purses to carry their "treasures" in...whether it be little rocks or a feather they find outside, or felt gnomes and needlefelted acorns.

This past week, while recovering from surgery, I had plenty of time to embroider this little clutch (or purse...whatever you prefer to call it).

Although this one is for sale in my Etsy shop (see the link to the right), the girls both asked if I could make one for them.

My thought is that as we go on our nature walks, that the girls can carry the purse (it has a cotton yarn handle that is long enough to fit over the girls' shoulders), and place their little treasures inside...a smooth acorn, a beautiful fall leaf, a magical stone.

The felt used for the purse is 100% wool, with the leaf being a plant-dyed wool felt. There is no comparison, in my opinion, between 100% all-natural wool felt and synthetic wool. Wool felt is superior in quality and provides a richer sensory input.

The purse closes with a standard snap, making it easy for children and adults alike to use it.

It is hand-embroidered with tiny blanket-stitches (about 7-8 per inch), so it is sturdy and will hold the items placed in it. It is meant to be an heirloom piece that a child can pass along to her children.

The cover design is a sage-green leaf that has a chain-stitch design on and around it. There are tiny yellow dots made with embroidery floss around the leaf on the pumpkin-color orange felt.

The size of the purse is 4 1/2" wide by 3" high.

It was a joy to embroider this purse...and now I'm ready to begin to make 2 more...one for each of the girls so we're ready for our autumn nature walks.

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