Canadian Smocking! and link to tutorial...

Lest you be given the impression that I've suddenly become obsessed with Star Wars, allow me to explain. See the amazing visual texture of the blue robe in the photo??? THAT, my friends is Canadian, or North American smocking, and that is the focus of my obsession. It's a method of gathering the fabric on the back, so that it gives that rumpled, elegant texture on the front. For a tutorial on how to do it, visit Savvyseams (I also borrowed this white smocking sample image from their site). I LOVE the result of this technique, so stunning...another site to check out for guidance on how to create this gorgeous texture is the Padawan's Guide (I borrowed the pic of Padme, above, from that site).

Cute Purse Tutorial

Here at the Speakeasy, we're all about handmade. Well once upon a time, a friend brought me a really cool purse from Japan. "Here, see if you can make this," she said. It's never a matter of if, for the truly handbag obsessed, but a matter of how. So I came up with a tutorial for this purse, ages and ages ago, and posted it on Craftster. If you've somehow never visited Craftster, and you love making things, it really is a treasure trove of unconventional craft twists--mixed with excellent time-honored technique tips.

Craftster is also a bit of a Mecca for the resurgence in the making of handmade items.

The tutorial lives here: Japanese Purse Tutorial...don't laugh at my pics! They're vintage from my camera phone era!



Make your own!