Padfolios Galore!

I've just finished the 10 padfolios which are for a commission where I was pretty much given carte blanche to use whatever  fabric I wanted.   This sort of thing always makes me nervous - what if the customer says she doesn't care, but when she sees what I've come up with changes her mind?  This has been made easier for me since the customer is a cousin and anything she doesn't like, I can either sell elsewhere or use as gifts. It has given me the opportunity to print out those photo-manipulated designs and see how well they work in this format.  The top two on the left are just that, while the bottom two use commercial fabric.

All have "quilting" which mainly consists of stitching around motifs in the designs.  I was surprised that most of them could be satin stitched with black thread.  This really saved time.  Some of the flaps were left as is, but some were trimmed to accommodate the design of the cover fabric.  I really like the way the kaleidoscope designs off-center and allow for a curved flap.  The bottom one was fussy cut so the cricket would fall on the flap.  I really like that one.

While inquiring about what types or colors of designs were preferred, I was told half of these are going to men. I'd been wondering if, given the proper fabric, a man might find a padfolio something he would use.  I asked about hobbies or any other info about them that would help me choose a suitable design.  Several are into motorcycles, one's an architect, one loves anything Asian - this sort of information was very helpful. Here are the ones for the cycle enthusiasts.  I'm hoping they see in the cover fabric the curving roads that are a motorcycle rider's joy.

These two are my very favorites.  Can't tell you how long I've had that crane fabric hanging around - enough for a Japanese style jacket that probably won't get made.  The other is one of my designs, I'm hoping one that an architect would appreciate.  It has a black wood-grain fabric for pockets and lining while the crane one has an oriental chrysanthemum print.

I was a bit nervous about the stitching on this one, but really like my thread choice and the waving lines I came up with.  Clicking on any of the photos should bring up a larger version to see detail.

Here are some of the lining/pocket choices.  Each padfolio a little different depending on its outer fabric.

And below is one last shot showing how the collaged kaleidoscope falls on the back of the padfolio.  All padfolios have velcro closures and have been treated with a UV protectant/water repellent product.