pistolstitched's Profile

Bio

My mother taught me to sew when I was eleven. One 4H award-winning sailor outfit later, I decided that sewing bored me and moved on. After watching a college friend create clothes and costumes with the same set of skills my mother had given me so many years before, I bought my first sewing machine and got to work.

A dozen years and two machines later, I make handbags. I design the handles, which are cut from sheets of wood chosen for their warmth and color; I then sand and finish each piece with an oil/ varnish mixture. The fabrics I choose for the body of the bags are vintage when I can find them, or otherwise scavenged ends of drapery and upholstery bolts. I cut the pieces for each bag following patterns I draft using traditional techniques, and I do all the sewing myself, finishing select pieces with vintage buttons.

I have always been fascinated and inspired by vintage fashion. My designs are rooted in that fascination, then modernized. The result is clean lines and softly geometric details with a decidedly feminine form. The combination of vintage or vintage-inspired fabrics and my original handle designs create uniquely beautiful handbags.

Female, Born on December 20

Favorite Materials

fabric, wood