November... Bags, Boas, and Light Dusting

It is hard to believe it is already November. October came and went very quickly.
The leather Zen Bag has been pretty popular this year, so when I found some gorgeous suede in chocolate and caramel at the leather store, I just had to try the Zen in suede.
The colors are great for fall and winter. I love the luxurious feel of the suede and the thickness of it too. The bags stand pretty much on their own.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/114343887/the-zen-bag-minimalist-suede-tote-in

https://www.etsy.com/listing/114344648/the-zen-bag-minimalist-suede-tote-in?ref=v1_other_1

Gorgeous, don't you think?

Back in September, I purchased three books by Natalie Chanin: Alabama Stitch Book, Alabama Studio Style, and Alabama Studio Sewing + Design. I just adore the simplicity of the looks, the easy patterns, the detailed explanations and the beautiful pictures. So far, I have made a bolero, an unadorned poncho, and I am currently working on two projects: a reverse applique poncho and a scarf- the Rag Boa.

The scarf-
The Rag Boa is from Natalie Chanin's first book,Alabama Stitch Book.
I am making it for a colleague and a friend  *S* who just had surgery to remove most of her pancreas, spleen and gallbladder, in addition to having just completed radiotherapy after breast cancer surgery.
Why a scarf, and a Rag Boa at that, you will ask? Well a couple of years ago, my friend S and I went to New Orleans for a teacher workshop. She had never been there and loved the city, the food, and the "laissez-les-bons-temps-rouler" attitude of the locals. We went into many gift shops and S purchased quite a few feather boas and gaudy plastic rings. You know, she said, when things get bad at school, we will lock ourselves in the principal's office, we will dress up with the boas and the rings, and I am sure it will make us feel better- at least laugh our heads off for a while... Stress relief...
I wanted to make something special for S, something that would remind her of happy times past and future, something that would feel like a hug, and something she could actually wear outside of the principal's office.
As I was perusing the Chanin book, my eyes fell upon the title: Rag Boa. Perfect! I chose pink and gray for the colors.

I was reading somewhere, perhaps in the book, that Natalie gave a similar boa to a friend who wears it and uses the end of it for dusting. It made me smile, I can so see S doing that.
My boa will serve several purposes: it will look pretty with almost anything, keep S warm, hopefully feel like a friend's hug, ....and keep the furniture clean.

Thank you Natalie, for your beautiful books, wonderful accessories, and for sharing them all with the rest of us.

Take care of yourselves-