i lost my job and then got into a severe car wreck (basically i broke bunches of bones & couldnt even walk for two months) so now i can use my sewing machine and  have been making purses because they require no fitting (the reason i hated flat pattern drafting in fashion school).  so now i want to sell the pile of purses that are currently taking up my sewing space.

the bags are all made with high-quality quilting cotton, organic fabrics and unique finds from a designer fabric store (similar to mood in new york, but cheaper and in chicago).  and some are made with vintage textiles & trims.


i spend between 1 & 4 hours on the bags and was thinking i would charge between $40 and $100 for the bags.


these first two take the longest to make & are made with a super stiff interfacing.  i have no idea how to price these because they require hand stictching & vintage trims.


this one has lots of internal pockets (i forgot to take a picture of them before i sent it to my cousin) i was thinking $75


this one i was thinking of selling this one for about $40, it is about 12"x8"x4"


a bag like this for about $60


this one is made from sari silk (i bought it at joann's before i have my best friend who lives in calcutta send real sari silk to me)  this one for about $50.


silk from a designer overrun that i have had in my stash for several years, it is 12x5 with a vintage button closure.

if you read this more than a day after the posting there will probably be more bags posted in my album, in addition to jewelery...
http://picasaweb.google.com/mfwiley/IWasBoredSoIMadePurses

basically the question is, do the prices seem reasonable & would you buy the bags?  i haven't started selling yet and i want to approach local boutiques as well as sell them online.  any advice would be appreciated!

i got bored and made myself a clutch to take with me to the bar:



and one with sari silk:


and one more out of a silk stripe and a vintage button:


someone probably should take my sewing machine away...

my mom dragged me with her to her quilting guild (i am not patient enough for quilting, i need instant gratification) and they were having their semi-annual garage sale full of unwanted fabric and books from the 80s as well as a silent auction with unfinished projects.  and since i have a broken pelvis and can't really go out, i decided to go and see if there was something good.  and voila!  in the silent auction was an amazing box of treasure.  it looked like ancient fabric scraps but this is a sample of what was inside:


http://picasaweb.google.com/mfwiley/VintageQuiltPieces/photo#5187826019027617442

http://picasaweb.google.com/mfwiley/VintageQuiltPieces/photo#5187826225186047746

http://picasaweb.google.com/mfwiley/VintageQuiltPieces/photo#5187826319675328306

http://picasaweb.google.com/mfwiley/VintageQuiltPieces/photo#5187826375509903170

http://picasaweb.google.com/mfwiley/VintageQuiltPieces/photo#5187826469999183714

and the best part:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mfwiley/VintageQuiltPieces/photo#5187826577373366146

http://picasaweb.google.com/mfwiley/VintageQuiltPieces/photo#5187826517243823986

the rest of the treasure is in my web album: http://picasaweb.google.com/mfwiley/VintageQuiltPieces

paper pieced stars on newspapers dated 1934.  all of this done by hand.

also in the bottom of the box are hundreds of tiny squares waiting to be added to a quilt...

now, my plans for the unfinished blocks are to turn some of them into handbags & clutches but my mom the quilter insists that i turn some of it into a quilt.  is it sacrilegious to use these bits for something other than a quilt?  and has anyone worked with  quilt pieces from the 1930s (or other vintage blocks) before? 

i think these are spectacular pieces and want to re-purpose them, so any advice from quilters and textile lovers (who are not my mother) would be greatly appreciated!