The period 1770-1789 was a time of transition in Europe and North America. It is this period that historians have long considered the dawn of the Modern Age. 

Fashion often acts as a visual guide and barometer of social values and conditions, and within such a climate of change during the 1770s and 1780s, it was impossible that fashion would not be influenced.

Can any of us pinpoint the precise moment when our modest collection of fabric, trim, patterns, buttons, and other costuming materials turned into a bona fide, oh-my-gosh-it's-taking-over-the-house Stash?

Probably not.

Like Carl Sandburg's "Fog," it crept in on little cat feet, and now we find ourselves in possession of more Stuff than we can possibly recall... as we stand at the sales counter buying even more of what we might already have tucked into closets and drawers, stacked in boxes, and hidden under the bed.

I love handbags. They are the cherry on the banana split of fashion ensembles. Like hats, they complete and complement your gown. Properly researched, they add credibility to your historic or vintage attire.

Two bags came into my hands a few years ago: two wristlet purses, artfully gathered and sewn onto the highly popular Bakelite bangles of the era. “Cheap, fast and easy” was a phrase applied to high-living flappers, but the same could be said of these bags aswell. I'll show you how to recreate them both.