in2ebook Chapter 258 Making a Handbag
Chapter 258 Making a Handbag
Chapter 258 Making a Handbag
"A handbag is a large pouch with a handle cleverly attached. Although its shape is simple, it is highly practical."
"Your Highness, I think I understand now. Isn't this handbag similar to a bamboo basket?"
"Jinse, go and see if there are any cowhides left in the storeroom. If there are, take them out; if not, see if there are any other suitable hides, and make sure to choose those without any hair on the surface." After saying this, Su Nuannuan thought for a moment, seemingly still a little uneasy, and then changed her mind, saying, "Never mind, I'll go with you." Before she finished speaking, she had already stepped towards the door.
Upon seeing this, Jinse, who was following closely behind, hurriedly asked, "Does Your Highness intend to use these leathers to make that handbag?"
Su Nuannuan responded softly, "Yes. It would be best to find cowhide if possible, but if not, sheepskin can be used as a substitute. However, it is unclear whether there is any stock in this warehouse."
Jinse quickly reassured her, "Your Majesty, do not worry. All the items in this storeroom are meticulously registered. Once we arrive, we can simply look through the records to find out the details."
Previously, the storeroom had been managed by Jinse. However, after the arrival of Granny Song, who was highly experienced, capable, and had once served as a nanny to the Empress Dowager, Granny Song became the new head nanny. Jinse then naturally handed over the power of the storeroom to her.
If it were someone else, Jinse might still have doubts and worries, but when facing Granny Song, she trusted and felt completely at ease.
Afterwards, Granny Song gave Jinse a storeroom key and solemnly instructed her, "Jinse, if Her Highness needs anything, just take this key to the storeroom and take it yourself. But remember, you must make sure to keep a proper record of the items taken out. Once everything is settled, just let me know."
After receiving the key, Jinse nodded slightly to indicate that she understood.
Before long, the two arrived at the storeroom door. Jinse calmly took out the storeroom key from her sleeve and carefully inserted it into the lock. With a crisp "click," the previously tightly closed lock opened instantly.
Then, Jinse reached out and slowly pushed open the heavy storeroom door, and then considerately stepped aside to let Su Nuannuan go in first. She herself followed closely behind Su Nuannuan and stepped into the large storeroom.
Upon entering the warehouse, Jinse went straight to a cabinet placed near the entrance. She skillfully opened the cabinet door, took out a thick leather register, and then turned and handed it to Su Nuannuan.
Su Nuannuan took the register with both hands, gently opened the cover, and began to carefully examine the contents. Because she was quite familiar with these items, it didn't take her long to find the relevant records for cowhide.
"Jinse, let's go take a look at the third shelf over in the leather section." Su Nuannuan closed the register, looked up at Jinse, and gave the order.
"Yes, Your Highness," Jinse replied quickly. Then, she stepped forward and took the leather register from Su Nuannuan's hands.
After carefully placing the thick leather register back in its original position, he didn't dare to delay for a moment and quickly followed Su Nuannuan's footsteps, heading straight for the third shelf in the leather section.
Before long, the two arrived at the third shelf in the leather section. Their eyes swept over it, and they saw stacks of leather on the shelf, the most eye-catching being rolls of cowhide of various colors and textures. Although the quantity of cowhide wasn't large, it was clearly divided into different grades. Some looked rough and thick, while others appeared delicate and smooth.
Su Nuannuan stood in front of the shelf, carefully examining the cowhides. She gently touched each roll of leather with her fingers, feeling their texture and elasticity. After careful selection, her gaze finally settled on a roll of soft yellow cowhide. This roll of cowhide had a warm, lustrous color and an excellent feel, as if it possessed a life of its own. Su Nuannuan was secretly delighted, feeling that it was perfect for making the main material for the handbag she envisioned.
Having chosen their preferred leather, Jinse quickly picked up a pen and diligently completed the necessary registration. Once everything was ready, Jinse carefully picked up the roll of cowhide and returned to the house with Su Nuannuan.
Back inside, Su Nuannuan didn't even have time to rest before throwing herself into making the handbag.
The first thing to do was to decide on the specific style of the handbag. She sat at the table, deep in thought, her mind filled with various fashionable and novel design inspirations. After careful consideration and comparison, she finally chose a delicate and elegant seashell handbag.
Next, Su Nuannuan took out a sheet of snow-white Xuan paper and laid it flat on the table. Then, she picked up a pencil and gently sketched the general outline of a handbag on it. As the pencil moved, a beautiful and flowing seashell shape gradually emerged…
After drawing the blueprints, Su Nuannuan began to work on the pattern making on the cowhide. However, this was no easy task; the entire process was quite tedious.
The rolled-up cowhide was extremely uneven due to its long-term curled state. To successfully complete the subsequent work, the first problem to solve was flattening the cowhide.
In a modern era, with advanced machinery and equipment, this could be easily accomplished in just a few minutes. Unfortunately, this place is ancient times with relatively low productivity. Faced with this situation, Su Nuannuan had no choice but to resort to the most primitive and clumsy method.
She had four kang tables brought in, carefully placing them flat-side down on the spread-out cowhide. Then, she instructed people to place several stones inside each table to increase the weight. With everything prepared, the long wait began. A whole day and night passed…
The next morning, sunlight streamed into the room through the window. Su Nuannuan eagerly went to the kang table and slowly took out the cowhide, which had become smooth after a day and a night of heavy pressure. Then, she picked up a chalk pen and focused intently on drawing the lines needed for making the clapperboard on the cowhide.
After all the patterns were made and confirmed to be correct, it was finally time to cut them. At this moment, Su Nuannuan held a large pair of scissors and carefully cut along the lines drawn on the patterns.
Unfortunately, Su Nuannuan didn't have a suitable carving knife at the moment. If she had one, cutting the tough cowhide would be much easier and more efficient than using scissors. Jinse, who was standing nearby, also picked up a pair of scissors and joined Su Nuannuan. The two of them worked hard together, huffing and puffing as they cut the cowhide.