Tatiana’s hand-embroidered purses are a whimsical blend of high fashion, art, and literary homage. Her unique “book clutches” depict celebrated novels, from classics such as The Great Gatsby and Jane Eyre to the childhood favourites of The Wizard of Oz and Le Petit Prince. Tatiana has meticulously embroidered books from a variety of genres. From conceptualization to completion, each clutch takes her roughly 100 hours to create. Her attention to detail and painstaking approach to making wearable literary objects was stirred by the innovator of book clutches, Olympia Le-Tan. A lifelong reader and book lover, Tatiana was determined to create embroidered clutches of her own. And so her shop, Mrs. Chaplin, was born. 

Tatiana’s home-run Etsy store is based out of Moscow, Russia, but her customers are from around the world. As a one-woman operation, she values craft over output, and produces just two to four purses monthly. Like a writer who chooses words with precision, Tatiana is particular about selecting the tools of her craft. She uses silk thread manufactured by Au Ver A Soie, 100% wool felt, cotton canvas, and is especially particular about her scissors – a model called Solingen ZipZap 80213 – because of their unusual sharpness and precise cuts.

Tatiana’s book clutches are little masterworks of craft and literary devotion. And at a time when book sales are declining, they are a whimsical reminder of the beauty of a hand-held artifact and the tactile pleasures of the book. White Wall Review had the pleasure of speaking with Tatiana to learn more about her one-of-a-kind business literary creations.  

WWR: What was the first book clutch you made and how did you decide on the design? Did the book upon which it was based have sentimental value? 

T:  When I decided I wanted to make a clutch, I headed to my bookshelves and one of the first books I saw was a Moomin book (books by Finnish illustrator Tove Jansson). I loved the idea, but the cover was a bit too complicated for someone with no embroidery skills at all (i.e. me). So, I went online to look for a simpler Moomin design and came across that great book with a cutout door on the front cover. In the English edition, the title is The Book about Moomin, Mumble and Little My. For some reason, in the Russian edition, they added one more line to the title that read “What’s next?” I realized those words were a good description of my emotional state back then. I was at a crossroads considering leaving my job as a personal assistant and maybe starting a small restaurant business with a friend. I couldn’t decide what to do. And would I be able to manage it with a newborn at home? So, “what’s next?” it was.  

WWR: You said you were inspired by Olympia Le-Tan book clutches. After seeing hers, how long did you wait before attempting to make your own? 

T: I think I had that idea right away, but it seemed crazy at first because I didn’t know embroidery at all. The choice was simple: either to quit or to get myself some thread and needles. I think a reasonable person would’ve gone with the first option. I went with the second. At this point I had to figure out two parts of the task: learn embroidery and come up with a way to make a book clutch. I spent a couple of nights looking through a blog trying to learn the process. I experimented with materials. As it always is—not every experiment was successful. 

WWR: How long does it take to make a clutch? 

T: It depends on how complex and detailed a design is. Usually, I’m able to make two to four clutches a month. That is not many, but hand embroidery takes time, and I only have several hours a day for that because three little kids are running around who constantly remind me that I am supposed to take care of them. When I became a mother I realized that work (literally any work) is a relaxation, and having kids—that is the hardest job of all.

WWR: Which cover has been your favourite so far? 

 T: If I had to choose, there would be at least three. The first one is The Big Noddy Book, because it’s bright, childish, and cheerful. The second one would be a custom Matisse clutch I made for the art director of a big Russian TV channel featuring two of Matisse’s works – “Music and Dance”—one on each side. These paintings are really powerful, and the bold colours are a dream; I hope I managed to bring some of that energy into the clutch. The third one is Jane Eyre because she is a classic and…so very pretty.

WWR: Which difficult literary cover design would you like to try?

T: I never choose a cover because it is complicated or simple – when I see something I like I save it on my computer. I already have a big folder with “maybe” covers that I consider making some day. But right now I’m so booked up with orders (no pun intended) that I don’t have time to make a clutch with a cover I pick myself. But if I had, that would probably be The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights by Alexander Pushkin (the storyline is pretty much the same as in the Snow White, but the poetry is excellent). The pictures in the edition I want to make are by a very talented kid’s books’ illustrator, Tatiana Mavrina.

WWR: What has been the craziest design you have created so far? 

T: The first one was [the children’s book] Encyclopedia Brown. The illustration on the cover is of a million pencil strokes. I hadn’t completed even one half of it when I felt it was driving me crazy. I’m glad I didn’t give up. The best reward was to hear from the customer that when she first saw the image of the embroidered cover, she was confused because she thought I was sending her a photo of the book, not a picture of my work. 

WWR: You have a significant social media following on Instagram. Have you ever thought about sending your products to other social media influencers to create more attraction around your shop or are you happy with the following you currently have? 

T: I love Instagram, but I’m not very good at social media. I keep forgetting to post photos, and I never know what caption to write. I’m a perfectionist, and that is often a bad thing for me. I can go weeks without posting anything just because I don’t have the perfect photo. I need to get more organized, and when I finally have my Instagram account running smoothly, I think I would consider working with an influencer.

WWR: Why did you feel the need to share your clutches with the rest of the world? Why not just keep them for yourself? 

T: The space in my apartment is already quite limited so it wouldn’t be wise to stack clutches all around and not be selling them. To be serious, making these clutches and communicating with people from all around the world is probably the only thing that helps me stay sane in the whole craziness of being a mom to three preschoolers. I need it like air.

WWR: What were the reactions from your friends and family after telling them you wanted to sell your clutches online? 

T: My husband, my father, and my friends were super supportive and encouraging. My mother, on the other hand, is always very skeptical about everything I do, and this was not an exception. Luckily her attitude only made me want to succeed more. 

WWR: What is one lesson you have learned through your unique experience creating these clutches? 

T: I learned that being scared isn’t the same thing as listening to your gut. There were orders that I thought I shouldn’t take just because “I had a feeling.” In 99% of cases that feeling was fear. I was afraid I wasn’t good enough. And while overcoming this fear, I was proving to myself that I am capable of more than I could imagine—I was becoming a better crafter every time. As Maxim Gorky said, “A person becomes taller by reaching up.” 

You can view more of Tatiana’s work at her Etsy shop, MrsChaplinShop, or on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.