It was summer break after my first year teaching.  I was 25, pregnant, and had just been gifted a sewing machine for my birthday.  Warmed by memories of my grandmother sewing for me, I was determined to teach myself. I soon discovered that the slippery fabric and “easy” sewing pattern I bought were anything but and I had to throw my project in the corner and take a break for a while.  After a few months I found the courage to revisit my machine armed with sturdy quilting cottons and straight stitching lines and fresh inspiration from the piles of craft books I had checked out from the library. I gradually built up my confidence and soon became obsessed with learning everything that I could about sewing; an unapologetic textile addict.

 After years of making curtains, cushion covers, quilts, clothes, and stuffed animals I turned to bags.  I couldn’t stop making new styles for every purpose - small pouches, toiletries, shopping bags, wallets, and big travel duffels. I got a kick out of canvas fabrics from Japan featuring cats wearing glasses, sloths in trees, and woodland animals having tea.  My bags became a chance to express my love of whimsical things and I delighted in pairing the fabrics with sophisticated vegan leather, Portuguese cork, and shiny brass hardware.

People would regularly stop me to ask where I got my bags and I soon realized that I could turn my passion for sewing into a career.  Each bag I create is not just an accessory or place to keep your things but a wearable work of art, a joyful expression of individuality.