Epinglez?

I have come to a realization that I will never find the perfect handbag. After years of looking, and many months of unsuccessful handbag shopping, it's just not going to happen. Or at least, I will never find the perfect handbag, again. I already found the perfect, and I mean PERFECT handbag. When I say it was perfect, it really, really was. Is. Would be, if only I had bought it. No leather, not too big, not too small, not too old-lady-ish. It was simple, tapestry-ish fabric, top kind of flopped over, and there were these clippy type things on the inside on each side to kind of keep it all neat and tidy, but you could unclip it to search for those darn keys that always dive the the bottom of your bag when you need them. In the words of Goldilocks, it was juuuuust right. Except for the price.

My solution? Make it myself! I know my way around a sewing machine. I'll just buy some fabric, slap it together, add some clippy things, and Bob's Yer Uncle! Handbag!

Part 1, fabric. It took some looking, but I found the perfect fabric. Maybe not exactly perfect...not as nice as "The Perfect Handbag" but not too bad. Kind of pricey, but I'm making it myself, so that's a savings, right?

Pattern? Who needs a pattern? I know what I want so just point me towards the clippy things and I'll be on my way. Only I can't quite remember what the clippy things looked like, or how they worked. Never mind. I'll figure that out later.

Three weeks later: I'm tired of staring at the pile of fabric, scissors in hand, too chicken to actually cut into it without a pattern. Back to the fabric store. Purchase pattern, thread, 16 skeins of cord to braid Kumihimo-style into the strap, rectangle things to attach the strap to the bag, bias tape, fusible web stuff, and a zipper. Look around for the elusive clippy things, but nothing looks like it will do the trick. No problem. I'll figure that out later, right? I leave the store with the realization that I have now spent very close to what "The Perfect Handbag" costs, and still have no clippy things, and still have to make the freakin' thing.

Obvious solution? Give up. Return what I can to the store (they don't take back fabric, especially pricey fabric) and go and buy "The Perfect Handbag". Great, except that I found it at the Festival of Fine Craft we have at work every October. There are something like 200 vendors there, and I have no idea what the name of the artist who made "The Perfect Handbag" is, or how to contact her.

So, this morning, I sat down to make my own handbag, and it's going to kick "The Perfect Handbag's" butt. Except for the fact that I screwed up the cutting and won't be able to add a zipper. And I ran out of bias tape. Oh, and in Step 2, can anybody tell me what the hell is an Epinglez?