This is what the evening sky looks like in Firenze these days. In September in Italy, it feels like everyone is starting a new school year. It is reminiscent of my elementary school through college days, when I would return in September with a new haircut, new clothing, new books, binders and teachers, sharing stories about my summer vacation with my friends. The same thing happens here. Everyone is so excited to be back here, to see each other, to tell each other how they spent their time in August. Blondes turned brunette, everyone's hair is longer or shorter, everyone's skin is bronzed. New restaurants and locali are opening and old familiar ones are re-opening their doors. I love you, Firenze, but I will never, ever, ever, be here in July again.. and by the sound of things I don't think I will ever see this place in August either. September is just gorgeous, the autumn breeze makes the city magical again.
The skyline of Chianti on a gorgeous Sunday evening.
View from the Ponte a Santa Trinità .
Since you last heard from me, I've been to New York and back. My return after being away for seven consecutive months was interesting. I know we all make fun of the Italians for their lack of urgency and the pace at which they do things, but once you adjust to living life this way it is extremely difficult to return to the pace of a city such as New York. My brain does not function as quickly as it did before living in Italy. I do not want to give you the impression that I do not still love the city that I will always call my home. I am and will always be a born and bred New Yorker at heart. However, there are small things like getting my morning coffee in midtown that made my blood pressure rise. I never thought I would say it but I no longer enjoy coffee in paper cups with plastic lids. I missed the clanking of the espresso glasses on the saucer at the bar in the morning.. and twice in the afternoon. This is only one small thing of many that I missed. Needless to say, it was absolutely wonderful to return to my second home.
I have been back in school for only 5 days and I've made a lot of progress quickly. I think I had a lot of bottled-up creative energy so when I got back I jumped right in and was able to finish a pattern in half a day, and nearly the entire bag in a week's time. Above you see the sketch of the bag on which I am working. It's a unisex style gathered towards the top, with a strap resembling a belt that can be worn across the chest messenger style or over one shoulder. I am using black camel skin for the exterior of the bag, and faded bandannas as the lining. Some of you who have known me since college and saw my fashion show freshman year will remember the bandannas: My homage to Cornell Design League.
The lack of one zipper pull resulted in a four hour adventure to the industrial town of Scandicci involving an aborted mission on my bicycle. By the way, my bicycle survived on the street for the entire month of August, all parts in tact. I still cannot believe it myself.
I am also using a thicker guage thread on this bag which Acci, our dear lovely machine, did not appreciate. It took me a few hours to thread it properly, as all of the settings for the tension must change. It amazes me how the slightest change such as unscrewing the bobbin 1/25th of a millimeter will change the stitches completely. The heavier thread makes a significant difference as a design detail, which will be apparent when you see the final product.
I am learning a new technique, which is insertion of a "filetto". This is a cord that runs around the perimeter where you have seams on a bag. It is a functional design detail, a way of finishing what would otherwise be a regular seam or raw edge. I cut the leather into strips, and passed it through the spaccatrice to make it thinner. Then I threaded the strip of leather and a cord made of rubber through another machine simultaneously. The machine wraps the leather around the cord, sealing it on one end. It almost looks like spaghetti. Then you thread it through again and it makes small folds that look like teeth in the photo above. This allows the cord to bend smoothly around a curve without puckering. The thing that amazes me most about this is that there is a machine to do just this.
After gluing this cord around the perimeter of the round base of the bag, I stitched it down with the sewing machine. Of course there is a special foot that must be assembled first that has a space in the center, allowing the cord to pass through. Once stitched in place, I had to scythe the edges where the two ends of the filetto meet, so they overlap neatly to finish the circumference almost seamlessly. I had to cut the rubber inside precisely so ends meet ends, and then I had to (very carefully) scythe the leather. Above all, the most important thing I took out of this exercise is how this detail is supposed to look when it is done properly. On a high-end bag, the filetto should be executed flawlessly and is one of many details that should and cannot be overlooked by quality craftsmen.
Many of you have asked how long it takes to complete a bag. Once the pattern is complete, the bags I have constructed should take approximately 12 hours start to finish. If all goes as planned and if acci behaves properly, I should be done with this bag tomorrow, just in time for my departure... back to NY!! I know, I move quickly.
Stay tuned...
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