Woman details plans to make handbag out of skin taken from her amputated leg
![Joan’s original sketch for her human skin bag. [Photo: Sewport]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/VQhCGem4sQs__LPllB36ag--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02Nzc-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/homerun/feed_manager_auto_publish_494/e65b1eadc2f11616f84e2eb6f5762cc4)
A woman has revealed plans to make a handbag out of her own skin taken from her amputated leg.
Joan, 55, from Manchester, is expecting to have her lower leg amputated soon as a result of suffering from peripheral arterial disease.
Faced with the unsettling prospect of losing her leg, she has shared her unusual idea on Sewport, a platform which pairs designers with manufacturing partners in order to bring their ideas to life.
Joan – who wishes to keep her surname private – acknowledges her idea might seem “odd and gross”. However, she says her leg is “part of [her]” and she wants to keep it in some way.
The post comes complete with a rough sketch created by Joan, together with Sewport’s designs based on her vision.
![Joan’s original enquiry on the Sewport website. [Photo: Sewport]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/_5CFWuRCAe814ShUdlgOOw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE0MDY-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/homerun/feed_manager_auto_publish_494/5494fe29740cf2a0ade80a2c2896acdd)
The prospective design for the 27cm by 38cm bag features “skin panels” to make the best use of the material from the amputated leg.
Joan has budgeted £3,000 for the handbag, according to her post.
She adds that she cannot bear the idea of the amputated leg being left to “rot” somewhere.
![Sewport’s designs for Joan’s skin bag. [Photo: Sewport]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/fpQmAx_VAUfdfBTVpHTsJw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTQ0Mg--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/homerun/feed_manager_auto_publish_494/b999ef69579d8969fa49a9d1158562da)
The post has since been highlighted in a blog by Sewport founder Boris Hodakel, which explains the woman’s unusual request.
Hodakel calls the project “actually understandable and very personal”.
While this story may sound like fake news, a representative from Sewport has confirmed it is “100% true”.
It is believed Joan contacted Sewport after hearing of a project advertised on the platform last year where a woman sought a designer to make a wedding dress out of her deceased mother’s hair. Sewport also confirmed this woman was successful in making her wish a reality.
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