Mesh Petal Purse

Garden wire, rose stems, wire staples, garden twine

​There are several small mesh purses in Emma Dent’s collection.
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In the late 1800s, everything chivalric was all the rage, so chainmail-like coin purses that attached to a chatelaine were stylish accessories for Victorian ladies. I wonder if Emma Dent ever used any of them herself?
 
The purses in the collection are made from metal links in the same way armour is made. Machine methods for making mail were not readily available until the early 1900s, so the mesh for these bags is almost certainly hand made.
 
The mesh of my purse is also hand made. The links were individually cut from garden wire and linked together by hand. The purse frame is cut lengths of gilded rose stem,  and the handle is crocheted garden twine attached using wire staples.
Instead of coins, the purse contains precious rose petals.
 
Sudeley is renowned for its beautiful gardens and in particular its roses.
But gardens do not look after themselves.
 
This purse represents the effort that goes in to keeping any garden, in particular a rose garden.
It is a tribute to the gardeners of Sudeley Castle.