It Started off Bigger...
My day job co-workers decided to go big for Halloween this year. There are two main departments and the decision was made that they should compete. Department A is a programming shop (my team), and Department B is a graphic design team. Any predictions on how this will turn out?
Anyway, my team decided to do a DC versus Marvel theme. I immediately picked Poison Ivy. Not because I can pull off that outfit, but more because I've been wanting to do a project with leaves for a while. When I found a picture that showed Uma wearing the cape with all the leaves and color, I knew I was hooked.
I started planning the cape, but the more I worked on it and realized how much work it would be, I thought, "Gee, that's a lot of work for something I will wear only once." I changed my plans to do a duster and got busy. I selected my colors first and Swiper approved. My plan was to go with a muted pallet.
Lovely, eh?
I got to work making leaves. I worked and worked and worked an worked and made 10 leaves. YIKES! Duster was out - decided to go shorter and make a vest.
More work to yield another 10 leaves. Okay, with a deadline approaching this was simply NOT feasible. I toyed with a shawl as I worked on more leaves, then decided a scarf was better. But, did I really want YET ANOTHER scarf? Nope. Then it dawned on me - girl needs a bag! Think of all those potions Ivy must have to carry around, plus her lipstick. Plus, she'd probably GROW her bag. Decision re-made.
As I designed the bag I decided to keep the gradient colors that show up in the cape. For the base I made two main panels (11" wide x 9" tall), two side panels (4" wide x 9" tall) and a bottom (11" wide x 4" tall).
I liked it. I then started joining the pieces. I played around a bit so I could get a very heavy look - almost like a vine. To do this I just sewed extra heavy in a few places and the seam started to twist and turn on its own. NOTE: At this point I did not completely join everything. I kept it flat so it would be easy to work with.
Once I got everything pieced together I started adding the leaves. The goal was to keep the color changes obvious but blend just a bit. Here's a couple of shots after one week of progress (top) and after two weeks of progress (bottom).
For the handles I went back and forth on purchasing pre-made or making my own. I settled on making my own in order to keep the organic feel of the bag. These are made by crocheting one row of SC then braiding them together. You then SC across the ends to create the attachment point. I ended up doubling these to be sure they could support the weight of the bag.
Here's a shot of the bag - still flat but now all the leaves have been added.
At this point I've attached the bottom. It looks like an actual bag!
Next up is to work on the lining. I have the fabric picked out (a dark green batik with leaves) and need to cut and sew the pieces together. I also think the bag could use a bit of support structure, so I need to play with that some more. More to come in the next week or so. I think I will actually finish in time for my Halloween costume. I may not win the contest but I'll have the best looking bag there!
Happy Hooking!
Care'
