summer.totes.2

ARMY MARKET collection / summer 2010 is here!!!!
The past few days have been all about getting the new collection ready for release.
It's the first time I've put out a seasonal collection of handbags and no wonder, it's a ton of work. There was, of course, the initial design phase and then production and finally the website, marketing and online shop. I'm very proud of this line of bags and am so excited to share it with you.

The concept for this collection came from my fascination with unexpected combinations. I started with 100% Linen which, to me, is the quintessential summer feminine fabric, but I chose colors that are earthy and on the masculine side: Deep gray/green, red cross red and silver/gray. This color palate seemed beautiful and durable at the same time.
This is where the contradictions started to play into the design.
I then began working on the stencils, out came my love of numbers and letter. As I experimented I began to see a military/army vibe, so I ran with it.
ARMY MARKET is about exactly that, a bag inspired by military garb, but designed for the exact opposite...a trip to the market. MILITARY INSPIRED, FARMER'S MARKET BOUND.
Next step, the photo shoot!

I asked my friend Kennan for help (that's her above). She's a talented photographer/architect/artist...and sometimes model. I chose Allandale Farm as the site for our shoot. It's the last working farm in the Boston area, so what better place to drop a couple of girls wearing city clothes? 

Yep, that's a cow, chickens and Kennan and I in our city girl uniforms.

mom.help!

It's incredible how the clutches have taken off...and now totes! Oh my.
I was in a little over my head. Who better to save the day than my mom!
I learned to sew from my mother, but even more than how to sew I learned how to have a critical eye and the notion that anything that you can imagine you can probably create yourself.
I remember as a young teenage girl wanting to have a dress for a formal at school and thinking, "I don't want to look like everyone else."
Luckily, I had a mother who could create beautiful three dimensional, wearable things from flat pieces of lifeless fabric. It was amazing to me how she did it. We would start with a pattern, but by the end the pattern had been modified and customized to fit not only our imagination, but my petite 5'2" frame perfectly.
So this past week I called my mom for help. I needed to get handbags made fast, but no detail could be overlooked. I knew she would be amazing as she has always been.
In one day we produced 4 totes, each unique, and each perfectly, expertly sewn by my mom!
Thanks mom. You are still the head seamstress in this operation and the greatest inspiration in my life.

My mom's expert hands sewing totes all day. I love that great way she guides the fabric through the machine both hands working together to keep it all straight and perfect.

The fruit of our labor! Check the website soon to see the results of the photo shoot at Alladale Farm and to buy...so exciting!

summer.totes

Unknowingly, I had an urge to try a new shape and style of bag. It's been there in the back of my creative file for a while, but had never materialized. I kept putting it off mostly because the clutches have taken off lately and I was so busy making those there was no time to develop a new design of bag.
But sometime last week I just had to do it. I didn't set out that day to make a tote, but in one afternoon I had it! The Provence Market Tote, perfect for the market or any place really.
It's all in the details. One of my favorite things about this bag are the handles. They are made from the little leather bag that Aniversario Rum comes in! (a lovely dark rum from Venezuela)

It was going so well, I decided to make another, and then another the day after that.  I made some slight modifications to the size. A larger, boxier shape felt more modern, and a softer, less structured approach felt more updated.

Above it the Swiss Army Tote. It's about 18"x19" and has leather handles and closure detail made from a repurposed leather handbag I had for years and never used.

This is a detail shot of the Ink Blot Tote. Haven't gotten a good overall shot of this one because it's the least structured of the three and won't stand on it's own.

Planning a photo shoot soon to really show off these great new bags! Already thinking about the next one I'm going to make.

summer.handbags

As you may know by now, MAKE.GOOD studio has a line of handbag MALA. This past week has been all about the summer collection. The colors I picked for this season are bright and vibrant oranges, greens and blues with hints of subdued natural tones. I got my hands on a gorgeous orange linen that I am absolutely in love with right now. (in center of photo below) I want to make everything out of it. But not everyone loves orange as much as I do, so you'll also find some beautiful natural burlap and white and silver linen in the mix.

film.crew

Last week a film crew was at my apartment doing a shoot. No famous actors or anything like that, but it was a fun filled day watching the action taking place in my very own living room.

Here's a little peak into some of what was going on...

class.final

The semester has come to an end. It's a bittersweet time for me. There is the joy that comes from seeing my students grow and succeed and the sadness that these budding relationships must be severed just as they are beginning.
But with the end of the spring semester comes the anticipation of summer. It is one of the joys of teaching, being part of a cycle that accompanies the seasons and the marking of these changes. I'm sure you remember it too, when school ended and you began to anticipate the coming of the warm months, endless days outdoors, trips to the beach and long evenings. I always feel lucky to still participate in that ritual cycle.
Thank you, class, for a great semester. Enjoy your summer!