Ideas and inspiration….
With other projects well under way in preparation for opening my shop I started to make handbags. I was already sourcing fabric and it was a natural progression to use some for bags.
I toyed with the idea of buying patterns but found that I could make my own successfully. And I certainly did not want to slavishly copy other designs just use them for inspiration.
Originally the bag size and style was dictated by the fabric to hand. When I started acquiring heavier upholstery and curtain fabrics I branched out into combining different fabrics in the same bag. Acquisitions of larger pieces of fabric enabled me to make bigger bags.
I never make two bags the same. I have a huge stock of fabric and really enjoy using my creativity to place colours and designs together. I then moved on to making my own fabric. I have several bags made from a technique called “chenilling” which is very attractive. I am now experimenting with making fabric from scraps as I throw nothing away! I have also made scraps into patchwork fabric.
