the sketch for my handbag is very roughly done but gave me an idea of what i wanted to do.
I made my pattern and started to lay it out on the fabric which was actually my moms skirt that my grandmother passed on to her.
as the inspiration for the handbag came from the handbag i created for history which was hand made i decide that this one i will be sewing with my machines because my grandmothers are all seamstress or were seamstress.
as can be seen in the pictures that the bag has many panels and the inside is padded, this is because i wanted a more stable bag also symbolising the strength my family has when we all stick together.
There are many elements attached to the bag and starting with the button on the front of the bag which represents ME! I am this small button in the broader picture that is the bag, all this is what makes up where i came from and without that i cant be who i am today. I am also the key that holds the entire bag closed and all that can be revealed is the outer part and the part that everybody sees and knows but as you open up the bag more is being revealed as if the closer you get the deeper and more vulnerable i become, same as the button once you open up the bag you are more intrigued by what is inside and you forget that there is a button.
still on the exterior of the bag on top of the flap. would be a plaited rope that is in the shape of Africa. This map figure represents or symbolises where me and my family has lived out entire lives. The reason for it being in a plaited rope represents a type of railway line and seeing that as a child i have moved alot and lived in many different areas but all still in Africa.
There is a peace symbol at the front of the bag and this is exactly what it means peace, towards my family and friends, with peace in our lives we will always be happy.
The moon and star at the back of the bag should be self explanatory. It is the symbol of my religion which is Islam. I have been a Muslim ever since i was born.
As the back opens up, the first that can be seen is the pinkness of the lining, this symbolises the vulnerability that people discover the closer they get to me and my family. the fabric has many shades of pink and the lightest one symbolises the sister i lost and she was only 3 months old.
there are a few items in the bag as well which one is a feather, this is for the culture that i experience which is the "Kaapse Klopse". reason why i choose a feather was because my first year that I ever participated in this my grandfather made me a head piece with feathers in them.
There is a necklace as well which symbolises the last thing my father gave to me before he passed away. unfortunately its not the original one. the necklace has a feather on it but it is gold and to me it symbolises the fire that he was burnt it.
Inside the flap is heart cut out which means exactly what it is, a breaking heart something that my family has been through many times.
lastly we move on to the band of the bag this is a plaited string made from the denim and it has a plat of four pieces symbolising my four grandmothers the band of the bag is an exterior item but it can be hidden as well but once its out of the bag it makes things more convenient and easy. Also the tangled family tree.
This is where i came from and the people that influenced me to be the person i am today.
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