A Pussy Bag

Art is a dialogue. A conversation between artists and the world that surrounds them. Real life inspires art, and, in return, art hopefully makes a difference in the real world. Inspiration often derives from beautiful things, but sometimes, sadly, also from the not-so-beautiful.

One of my recent works is my small comment on what I see happening all around:

This is how it came to be: A few weeks ago a dear friend had a birthday gathering. I wracked my brain trying to figure what to give her. She already had one of my notebooks, a zip pouch and a tote, so I couldn’t bestow more of either. Purses are too personal to gift, as are decorative cushions. I was running out of products...

For days I kept thinking about it. I knew she liked denim. I also knew that she, like so many of us, recently became interested in, uhmm… pus, I mean ... cats. And then, one morning, I woke up knowing what to do!

I sorted through the pile of my kids’ torn jeans:

I picked one of my son’s torn pants, as well as a piece of jeans I darned a few months ago:

I selected a bright pink linen cloth for the lining (this one HAD to be pink!), as well as a beautiful pink and purple cotton for the inside of the inner pocket:

I cut, ironed, interfaced, appliqued, pinned and sewed:

I finally added a bright magenta strap, along with a magenta loop and a pink wooden button, all to go with a certain pink hat she recently made. And there it was: a brand new Pussy Bag!

My friend seemed delighted, and at the very least got a good kick out of it. Unfortunately, I have a feeling she might get a lot of use out of it (though, of course, in normal times I love it when people use my creations!).

The thought of my Pussy Bag making a statement out in the world was so satisfying, that I decided to make a couple more and put them in my Etsy shop. Check them out. I'd love to hear what you think!