Wednesday 11 May 2011

Handbags from Washington

Passion for sewing and for handbags is so contagious!!
Gunnel is a Swedish dear friend of mine and for several times guest at  Ancora del Chianti B&B. She has the opportunity of travellling a lot during the year. While she was in Washington visiting the National Museum of Women in the Arts, she couldn't help to take this picture and send to me. She also sews and she sent me a lovely apron as Christmas present. Her other passion is painting watercolours. One of the latest I received is her summerhouse in Sweden. Thank you Gunnel and keep in touch!

My first bag: LOLA

First of all I would like to tell you how everything started.

My name is Laura, mother of 2 boys: 4 and 7 y.o. I run a family B&B Ancora del Chianti near Greve in Chianti, in the heart of Tuscany. I work at home as I live in the very farm house where the rooms of the B&B are. I have been running the Bed and Breakfast for 10 years now with fun and professionality, meeting people from all over the world and sharing passion for nature, art and craft with them.

In 2009 I also started a blog on my life at Ancora del Chianti. I am a creative persons and most of my works are also in the guests' rooms. I love painting, reclying stuff, cooking and from 2011 I can add: SEWING!!
I think that I am close to be addicted to sewing now!  Actually I have been meeting so many ladies, guests at the B&B Ancora del Chianti, and friends all around the world that introduced me to the secret delight of sewing. They showed me their works and tutorials and most important, they explained what sewing meant for them.
So, in November 2010, while I was wandering on a rainy day in Bordeaux, France, I found this remnant of upholstery textile in a dusty and dark shop and it was love at first sight. When I came back home at our friends’, I reported about my shopping and my projects to Julie, our lovely French host. Surprisingly she confessed her passion for sewing and showed me her last works. I could not believe that sewing addiction was so contagious!
Once back home in Greve in Chianti, I spent about a week of intense work in the tranquillity of the winter Chianti countryside in order to understand how to make a bag out of a flat piece of textile. I must admit that I have been doing several experiments (doing and a lot of ….. undoing) but I made it and in the end Lola came to life. Lola is my first handmade bag and I am so proud of it.
Now Lola is on the way to its new home abroad and I will keep you uptodated.
More bags arrived after that and ...more people involved......