Felt Amulet Pouch

I slipped into a SoulFood journey a few days ago, and am writing hard to catch up with the rest of the travellers. (You can read my journey so far on the Art Rites blog. The URL is on the right.) One of the prompts is about receiving a a bag filled with useful objects, so I decided to make one.

Several weeks ago I tried felting, and while I decided it's not really my thing, my experiments left me with a few bits and pieces I knew I'd be able to use at some point. Yesterday, I cut a sheet of fleece-backed felt into strips and sewed four pouches. The other three are still at various stages of embellishment, but this is the one I finished yesterday in response to the prompt.

I stitched a strip of wire and fabric ribbon on the felt strip, then sewed the seams. The clasp is actually a scarf ring, which I attached by sewing the ring to the flap, then snapping the top down again.

The leaves have been in my bead stash for a while, too. They are Czechoslovakian glass beads that shimmer pink and blue.

Though I'd have liked some gold cord piping for the handle, I had none left, so I improvised by sewing on a strip of tinselly Xmas tree chain. If I find something better this week, I may replace the handle, but otherwise I'm quite happy with the outcome.