Beaded Flapper Purse in Silk

My current project. I’m still deciding how I want to do the closure. I thought about using a goldenrod yellow satin made in India for the lining.

However after looking at it, I’m thinking a matching blue satin would be better. I’m also shopping around for a purse clasp in gold tones, though I’m also considering Czech glass buttons for closure.

This is a 70% silk/30% nylon yarn called Contrasto (made in Italy) that I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with. It’s a yarn that is actually a knit tube in design.

Yarn descriptions have described this yarn as woven, but it is truly a knit tube.

The yarn is soft enough, but the structure of the yarn does not lend to the textures I usually work with. AND, though soft-ish on the ball, once worked up into stitches, this yarn becomes not only much less soft, but stiff. It is a durable silk, not a fluffy soft silk. I’m thinking more along the lines of the kind of silk structure that was used as armor, personally.

Additionally, it’s a (darker) dessert tan color, which in this kind of yarn texture does not blend well with very many things.

ANYWAY…. I also had 5 yards of this $7/yd beading. Which I also knew I wanted to do something with, but wasn’t sure what. As I was contemplating colors, suddenly this vision came to mind and I’m loving the outcome. The beaded fringe is playful like a flapper dress! And the silk makes for a very strong bag.

I’m not sure how I want to do the closure yet. I’m not a fan of zippers that show. But I don’t have a vision of another other closure that would work better and look nice with this dressy combo.

Though I am at this point considering a simple button closure if I can find perhaps a glass button to match the light blue cat’s eye beading.

Anyway, material costs are already $50. I expect my material cost to increase at least another $45-50 by the completion. Definitely a luxury piece for its size!