OT Getting serious about handbags/Missy update

So very glad to hear about Missy, Leslie.

There are two ways to think about bags and outfits. One is to think in terms of colours that would match most outfits. In that case, I think black and brown would be your basics, because black would go through the black, grey, blue and red ranges; and brown would go through the brown, beige, green, yellow, cream ranges. For these I would think that a gorgeous lining would be fine and lovely. I don't think a coloured accent on the outside would be good, because that might limit them again. However, accents in 'texture' or varying prints within the same colour could provide great appeal.

On the other hand, you could think that a 'one-bag-matches-all-and-none' could be made with many different colours of fabric. If you had smallish pieces of many colours, it wouldn't clash with any! (How about that from me!!!!) . In message , Leslie & The Furbabies in MO. writes

This probably a good place to ask for such a poll, Leslie, because there are just so many lifestyles here. That said, the very notion of using solid black, brown and navy just bores my socks off. I vote for making the handbags 'happy'. They don't have to match anything - they just need to make the owner pleased to use them in both how they function and how they look. Here in the Swamp, it would be just fine with everybody if I carried a plastic Wal-Mart produce bag. I'm very fond of lovely handbags and am even willing to swap to one for an event - but just for general life, the bag I use most is red. It hasn't matched anything yet but I do indeed enjoy it. Polly P.S. as to Missy and Prednisone - we kept our precious Sweet Pea alive and quite comfortable for 7 years on that stuff. Giving it to him was always quite a production and we knew it had side effects but it kept our kitty in good shape for lots of love.

"Leslie & The Furbabies in MO." Okay. I'm working on the design process and I think I have it all worked

Great questions, Leslie! I love, love, LOVE handbags..... and I have to admit, I purchase them rather compulsively. I carry whatever suits me, and I don't really give a rip if it "matches" what I happen to wearing. Odds are, most women will have the "basics" - black, brown, navy. I vote for the "fun" bags that you couldn't really find anywhere else, and that make them unique to the person that's carrying them. If I was shopping at a bazaar, etc, that's what I'd be drawn to. You can find a "basic" bag anywhere. Fun, little, "one-of-a-kind" bags are much more difficult to find, especially in a small town. Good luck!

Patti in Seattle

First of all, Leslie, I'm so glad to hear about Missy! It's such a relief to know that she's feeling a little better.

As for the purses, when you say that the people near you wear "casual" clothes, what colors are included in that? If they're wearing jeans/slacks and simple tops, almost anything in a purse will work well, and I'd be inclined to guess that something fun and/or wild would be a treat. I'm sort of conservative myself, so I go for plain bags for my own wardrobe, but I do enjoy having one or two in fun colors "just because".

To clarify- those who know me well know that I do NOT own one single piece of solid colored fabric- except for my Kona black- solids just are not 'me'. The solid black handbag, for example, might have a quilted feather motif in a bright variegated thread to spice it up a bit without saying 'this can only be worn with a xxxxx color outfit. I couldn't possibly make anything that was dull and boring! VBG

Leslie, Missy & The Furbabies in MO.

I agree with Polly. A local woman has turned bag making into quite an industry around here...well, nationally actually.

Everytime I see one of these bags, I just have to smile. They often don't match the owner's outfit of the day, but I've never been bothered by it. I have a fairly sedate one in brown, golds and black. If you click on the fabric in her "collection" you can see the different styles she's making at the moment. They change often. I think the ones for walkers are just brilliant. Why do we think our sassy, classy older women give up their style when they need assistance? They aren't inexpensive, but my point is they are rather wild yet very successful. And I'm also in the Midwest, medium sized town.I'm so glad Missy is doing a bit better. I hope her days are happy ones....yours too for that matter.

I agree with Polly that solid black would just be too boring & you can pick up a solid black bag anywhere. Plus, do you think people would be drawn to buy the black fabric bags? If you wanted to tone it down a bit, how about a tone on town black or a black background with lots of colors on the print, so it could go with "most" things. (Of course, brown seems to be the new black now, so maybe looking in the brown family you might come up with something fun.) Personally, if I'm purchasing a leather bag, I usually get something that will coordinate with most outfits & isn't too trendy. But, if I'm making or even purchasing a fun fabric bag, there are no limits to color or pattern for me.

I'm so glad Missy is responding to the prednisone. Good girl Missy. Sounds like she still has some loving to do:)

I'm thinking a basic neutral bag with basic neutral (thin) lining, plus a button-in lining with maybe zippers and pockets and such, made of exciting fabric. Then a customer could choose whatever combination pleased her. Buy a couple of different ones for different moods. And the lining could go into the laundry. Roberta in D

"Leslie & The Furbabies in MO." schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@mid.individual.net...

You've got a really good point there, Patti! (about having the basic, and being drawn to buy 'fun') . In message , Patti S writes

So glad to hear Missy is doing well.

On the bag front. I too say don't worry about making them easy to match. Many women around here have bags that don't match there outfits. Personally I don't care one bit if my purse matches my outfit on an everyday basis. I like how it looks and it functions well for me and that is all I care aoubt. When I'm dressed up (which I do very rarely), I don't usually have a purse, so it doesn't matter then either. If you make them brown, navy and black you may sell less of them because they can find those easy enough at Wal-Mart, etc. Pretty, fun etc. colors and fabrics would make them more unique and maybe even 'call' to them, thus more women may be more tempted to purchase them.

JM2C

OMG! I wonder if I can make the bags REVERSIBLE??? One 'sedate' side and one side rather 'wild'??? What do ya thunk on that idea???

Leslie, Missy & The Furbabies in MO.

On Sun, 7 Oct 2007 10:24:14 -0500, Polly Esther wrote (in article ):

I'm with Polly. What's more important to me is that I like the bag and think its "fun" (well that and that it's big enough to haul all my stuff and sometimes some of David's too), no matter what the color. I don't try to match it to what I'm wearing.

Maureen

I'm thinking like you are Leslie, that the more practical the outside is the more you might sell. You could splurge on the lining fabric and maybe have a bit peeking out, ir a small pocket made of it or something, just to show off the fancy fabric without enough to make it clash. Reversible sounds even better! And if you can stand one more group to read, I have my own Yahoo bagmaking group, Bagmakers Anonymous. It's not terribly active but there are some good people and good ideas.

just in case anyone wants to check it out and say hi!So glad Missy is feeling better! Debi

Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.

Leslie, I don't color coordinate my handbag/purse with my outfits. I like color, one reason I make my own bags, and I don't really care if they match things or not. Neutral is okay, but you can buy black/brown/navy bags at any shop. Make yours fun as well as practical. Then they will stand out in a crowd and not be likely to be confused with others.

Just my > Okay. I'm working on the design process and I think I have it all worked

Are you making organizers that will probably be put into a handbag or are you making bags you haul around that make chiropractors wince because of the weight yanking your shoulder and spine out of alignment? I'm confused but then I usually am, have been for years, so it really doesn't bother me and I've learned to just obliviously work with it.

If you are making something sort of like "that organizer thing never to be mentioned again on RCTQ" it will most likely be dropped into a bag or carried alone by the very few who actually have their chit together or used both ways by some. It's nice to be versatile :)

I made tote bags, sort of like the canvas grocery bags, but a bit smaller with a snap in the middle to close it......very easy, very quick....for the Bell Choir fundraiser table at our church Christmas bazaar ~mumble~ years ago. I chose themed fabric prints for the majority of them. Bingo, cards, hats, shoes, flamingoes on roller skates (a big hit BTW, and this was in Montana!), various Betty Boop prints, kitties, puppies, paw prints and then culled all the hunks of my stash large enough to make one or two of a kind. The Betty Boop, flamingo and Bingo prints were the first to fly off the table. The only two Betty Boop on Harleys totes were snatched up by *our* pair of giggling 80 year old sisters who had been in charge of the morning coffee table since before Juan Valdez was old enough to pick beans on the mountain.......the few that were left by the close of the day were the practical, sedate (boring), dark solids. Go figure. Red Hat is hot now, that's just something else to consider. I bought two king sized 300 count poly/cotton sheets on sale at Pamida for $5 each, one blue, one beige, and used those for the lining, worked great.

I *personally* wouldn't bother with a reversible anything. I've had reversible clothing and reversible tote bags and they seldom, if ever, got 'reversed' more than once, if at all. How many of you would bother to empty a bag, reverse it and then load it up again? I think it always sounds like a good idea but the actual process is more trouble than it's worth. That is just *MY* opinion however, YMMV.

I say go for the gusto and make them fun......life is short and the world has closets full of brown and black bags. Besides, if you are making organizers that will probably, eventually be dumped into a larger, carries everything but the kitchen sink purse, the fun prints will be easier to spot in the rubble.

Val

without overthinking myself as i've a tendency to do ad naseum....

i understand what you mean about black but plain black is boring, find some neat Tone on tone blacks to use first, if you really gotta use black, lol....and then.... there are some amazing tone on tones in gold, the shiney gold i mean. that with black or any colour would look pretty cool. dresses up a plain black a bit depending on how much you add. a strip of it or small bit here or there might be enough. edge a pocket maybe, centre'd down the strap perhaps.

then there is also the TOT in about any colour that also has some gold highlights that could be used with the black for that bit of ooomph. still sticking with that black that everyone might want as a basic bag. i just love those fabrics with the gold highlights, they give that spark without overpowering. just makes it special somehow. the varigated thread on the black would still work with a bit of what i just said. geez, sorry, brain is not in gear yet today.

oh and d> To clarify- those who know me well know that I do NOT own one single piece

"reversible" ....... the bottom of my purses seem to get all kinds of "schmutz" in them and I'd have to wash the purse before I could use it reversed. Not sure it's worth the trouble Leslie.