There are hundreds of ways to carry a cell phone, I have not been good about keeping mine with me in the past. Now I have an IPhone I enjoy. Looking on line at the dozens of hard leather bags there, both for over the neck or over the shoulder, I did not see one that seemed to be for me. Having studied ladies' antique pockets and sewing rolls and little bags to keep embroidery scissors at hand, a variety of pretty little keeps filled my head right away! A pretty phone bag could be made of crewel embroiderd upholstery fabric. Or one of the little oriental rug copies that used to be given with tobacco products. How about one for rug hookers or a bag trimmed in wool applique? As a lover of old quilts, I started with quilt fragments.
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I have finished two patchwork phone bags. I wear them around my neck, not cross body. The pink one is snug enough that the phone does not jump out of it, the slightly larger log cabin one has a brown button and a loop at the top.
For my next one I have turned to southwestern inspiration.
Denim and silver are almost a uniform for me. I enjoy the southwestern jewelry I grew up with and have loved all my life. So I naturaly turn to the American Indian's medicine pouch or the mountain man's possibles bag. The medicine pouches are mostly smaller than I need and the possibles bag is slightly larger. Many people wear the leather possibles bag cross body as a purse, or for shooting supplies which it carried in earlier times. A hunter might hold it over his head when crossing a creek, Keep your powder dry! (and patches and dried food stuff.)
A pretty medicine bag made by a Taos craftsman is typical of newer ones.
On this velveteen bag the ornament is an Apache prayer stone, mounted in leather by a contemporary Indian artist. Among early trading goods prized by Indians, fabrics ranked high in exchange for beaver pelts. Velvet was worn with deer skin and broadcloth and soon, calico.
My brother says "An ancient-styled medicine bag with 21st-century
technology.
Wonderful!" e
