Jersey Cotton Bags from Maslinda

 

While working on my dress and now having just started the embroidery on my sister's dress for the wedding (which I'll show you on Friday!), I've gained an enormous new respect for jersey cotton. If you would have told me a year or two ago that I'd be wearing that material on my wedding day, I probably would have laughed (though if you had told me that I'd be getting married at all two years ago, there's also no way I would have believed you so maybe that's not such a good comparison!). Anyway, my point here is that I think the material gets short changed because we usually only associate it with t shirts. Or more recently, sheets. 

But, and this is a big but, the fabric has so much more going for it. As I've shown you, it can be made formal with the addition of stitching and beading, and as you see today, it can also be turned into gorgeous handmade bags.

Fani Vogiatzi, a designer based in Greece makes her kilim bags out of cotton jersey fabric scraps. "Maslinda just like the name says (literally means “prettier” in Portuegese ) aspires to make a woman feel more beautiful and at ease in her clothes," which I honestly can imagine—it's summer, I'm wearing a simple dress and sandals and am carrying this bag...and that makes me really happy already because I can tell that this is the sort of bag that would make you feel put together even without any other accessories.

Fani shares her time between Athens and the tiny island of Amorgos, and I think qualities of both of those places are reflected in her work. And I must admit, with the dusting of snow that we had here overnight, dreaming of Greece is really helping to start my day off on the right foot. Thanks Fani!