Sunday Spotlight : Kirschbits

When I first joined Etsy one of the first people I "met" was Vanessa Kirsch. We struck up a rapport, and so I have the great pleasure of introducing her to you today! Vanessa is a trained graphic designer from Venezuela, married to German photographer Matthias Kirsch, and now living in the northern part of Germany with their son. Vanessa's shop Kirschbits was born from her curiosity and desire to try out new materials and developing ideas to actual products, combining creativity and sewing skills taught by her seamstress mother. After experimenting with knitting and painting, Vanessa found that she is most passionate about sewing, thereby following in her mother's footsteps!

autumn-inspired wristlet / Clutch

Vanessa says creating is like breathing for her -- even if she is super busy, not a day passes without finishing one of her many projects or starting on new ideas. There's a constant stream of ideas running through her mind and sooner or later she must realize them! She keeps motivated by learning new techniques and the challenge of sewing beautiful yet practical bags from a simple sketch. Vanessa continuously works on improving new found skills, and tends to create bags that are useful as well as beautifully handmade. As a designer she always feels the need to create things that have a purpose beyond just "looking nice". She creates all types of bags, from shoulder to crossbody, handbags, wristlets, messenger and zip pouches ~ bags are obviously Vanessa's forte.

reversible tote / wendbare Schultertasche

Vanessa's most memorable accomplishment was designing a custom bag to the specifications provided by a lovely customer. He loved the result so much, that he immediately ordered another bag to store his rollerblades! He was totally impressed by Vanessa's skills that he ordered yet another bag - a huge challenge, as he wanted to recreate a piece of art from a famous architect onto the fabric. Vanessa crafted a masterpiece of a bag and loved it so much it was difficult for her to give it over to her customer! We can all empathize with that :) Her efforts were rewarded when the customer sent her a photo carrying this amazing bag on his trip through Norway!

ruffled pouch in avocado green / gerüschtes Täschchen in Avocadogrün

The bag designer's biggest obstacle to grow her business is time ~ juggling her household, her duties as mother, dealing with day-to-day business issues as well as coming up with new ideas and implementing them is a constant challenge. One other obstacle is the lack of opportunities in her region to showcase her products at special events or craft markets. Vanessa's advice to crafters just getting on board: believe in yourself, your product and business! Try not to procrastinate. It's satisfying as well as motivating getting things done on time! Keep everything pertaining to your business in order: your work space, material and tools of your trade, bills, accounting;  To-Do lists help not only prioritize business issues but daily life too! This will save a lot of time and will help to find what you are looking for at the time you need it.

*

Heute ist es mir eine große Freude Etsy Germany Team Mitglied Vanessa Kirsch vorstellen zu dürfen. Die Venezolanerin, gelernte Grafik Designerin, verheiratet mit dem deutschen Fotografen Matthias Kirsch, lebt heute mit ihrem Sohn in Schleswig, im hohen Norden Deutschlands.

Vanessa sprudelt nur so vor Kreativität und liebt es zu stricken, zeichnen, malen, nähen und häkeln. Doch ihre größte Leidenschaft gilt dem Nähen von außergewöhnlichen Taschen. So tritt sie in die Fußstapfen ihrer Mutter, eine versierte Schneiderin, die ihr auch sämtliche Nähkenntnisse beigebracht hat. Vanessa experimentiert gerne mit neuen Materialien und Methoden. Für die Taschenspezialistin ist die Nützlichkeit des Produkts so wichtig wie die Formschönheit. In ihrem Shop Kirschbits bietet sie alles von Schultertaschen bis Messengerbags, sowie Clutches und praktische Zippertäschchen an, und ist auch für kundenspezifische Sonderanfertigungen offen. 

Sie erzählte mir, dass eines dieser Sonderanfertigungen nicht nur eine riesige Herausforderung war, sondern auch ihren größten Erfolg darstellte ~ ein Kunde, welcher von ihrer Fertigkeit begeistert war, hatte einen ganz besonderen Auftrag. Er wünschte sich die Kunst eines berühmten Architekten auf Stoff in der Form einer Tasche festzuhalten! Dies wurde Vanessa's Meisterstück, und es fiel ihr ziemlich schwer das fertige Stück dem Kunden zu überreichen. Das kann ich sehr gut nachempfinden :)

Als Kleinunternehmerin, kreativer Kopf, Mutter und Ehefrau fällt es ihr nicht leicht alles unter einen Hut zu bringen. Die begrenzte Zeit, die ihr zur Verfügung steht ihre vielfältigen Ideen umzusetzen sieht sie als großes Hindernis. Ebenso die Tatsache, dass ihre Region kaum Gelegenheit bietet ihre Produkte auf speziellen Events, z.B. Handarbeitsmärkten zu zeigen. Zum Schluß hat Vanessa noch ein paar praktische Tipps für Kleinunternehmer: Glaube an Dich selbst, Dein Produkt und Geschäft! Organisiere Dein Arbeitsplatz; ebenso Dein Material und die Buchhaltung. Schieb die Dinge, die zu erledigen sind nicht auf -- es ist ein gutes Gefühl wenn man nacheinander die Aufgaben von der To-Do Liste abhaken kann und motiviert weiterzumachen!

Thank you for the interview, Van. It was a lot of fun!          Vielen Dank für das Gespräch, Van!

Vanessa's Etsy Shop
Vanessa's Dawanda Shop
Vanessa's website /Webseite

Duni's Studio Bags

Remember the bags? Some of my loyal readers will remember that my sewing forte are the OOAK bags, and while I have closed down my online selling site for these, due to a deliberate shift in products not to mention time constraints, I will be offering exclusive one-of-a-kind pieces made from unique fabrics (plus the occasional Vintage bag) right here on my blog in future!

Da der deutsche Text auf meinem Blog relativ neu ist, wissen viele von euch bestimmt nicht, dass ich mal mit der Fertigung von Taschenunikaten angefangen habe. Ja, Taschen zu entwerfen und in reiner Handarbeit zu fertigen war meine Stärke :) Doch aus wirtschaftlichen und zeitlichen Gründen, habe ich meine Produktpalette verändert. Trotzdem gilt meine "erste Liebe" immer noch den Taschen und deshalb habe ich mich entschlossen meine Einzelstücke (und auch die ein oder andere Vintage Tasche) direkt hier auf meinem Blog anzubieten.

Here are the remaining bags that are still available...Diese Taschen sind noch zu haben

1. Travelbag and Purse Set / Reise-und Handtaschenset Cinnamon Spice

2. Designer vintage drawstring handbag, ca. 1980, excellent condition / Echtleder Vintage Beutel, ca. 1980 sehr guter Zustand

3. Shoulderbag / Schultertasche Jungle Queen

4. Travelbag / Reisetasche Rain Forest

Please contact me directly dunibagz (at) freenet (dot) de if you are interested in any of these. All, except the Vintage one are handmade by me from premium home decor weight designer cottons. Prices range from USD66,- to USD190,- (excl. shipping)

Bei Interesse einfach eMail schicken dunibagz (at) freenet (punkt) de. Alle, bis auf die Vintage Tasche sind von mir aus hochwertigen Designerstoffen handgefertigt. Preise von Euro 49,- bis Euro 140,- (zzgl. Porto)

My pièce de résistance...white wedding clutch made from recycled leather with crystal clasp and detachable chain ~

Mein Glanzstück...weiße Hochzeitsclutch aus recyceltem Leder mit Kristallverschluss und abnehmbarer Kette ~

Price upon request / Preis auf Anfrage

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I really appreciate it! Until next time!

Lieben Dank für's Vorbeischauen, und ich freue mich über jeden neuen Besucher! Bis bald mal wieder!

Have a great day! Habt mir einen schönen Tag!

Travel Bag in Bermuda

Hi everybody and a big hello to my new followers :)

you might remember this bag in a pink/green colourway. After 'testing' this bag - yes, I always make sure the bags I create perform, that is they fulfill their purpose - and this travel bag/weekender with its whopping six pockets does the job perfectly! I was so pleased I made another one. I used the same designer fabric, a gorgeous cotton sateen (satin finish) in a pale blue/linden green colourway on a mellow toffee background. As usual the photo does not do justice to the colours on this bag.
As for pricing this bag...well, thinking about the amount of work that goes into making one of these, plus the fact that I use high-quality designer fabrics which I pre-wash and iron before cutting and the fact that it really is OOAK I feel justified charging what I do.
I was browsing the travel bag section on Dawanda to see what other handbag makers were charging and I came across a felted bag that was priced at Euro 1.500!!! The artist used white felt for her bag and it was lined with a cheap polyester. Not sure what it was doing in the travel bag section, but I feel quite comfortable with my price now :)
Did I mention that this bag has a removable bottom insert? Remove it and the bottom becomes roomier (is that a word?), therefore providing extra space for that last minute must-have souvenir...

Have a fabulous day!

Slimline Eye glass Case

I always follow up big projects with smaller ones - partly to avoid overstraining my eyes (being myopic and all) - and also because it's satisfying to see something completed in a relatively short time!
These slimline eye glass cases are made with mix-and-match designer fabrics and have an easy button flap closure. They are lightly padded and measure about 20 x 9 cm. These are suitable for regular eye or sunglasses, not the oversized ones. I will be listing them in my giftshop soon. They retail at Euro 10,-

The bag making Bible

I've had my eye on Lisa Lam's craft book ever since I read about it on her popular U-handblog, and no sooner was it published I had to buy it!
I leafed through it yesterday. There are only eight bag-projects in this book, and although the author purports her instructions to be clear and easy-to-follow, I feel that beginning sewists (the term used in this book) who have never, ever made a bag before will be rather overwhelmed by the sheer mass of information. Indeed, this is a tome on all manner of bag construction techniques - from inserting the dreaded zippers to various pocket solutions. Special topics cover attaching all sorts of hardware, types of interfacing/interlining to use, making bag handles and embellishing. There is a sweet foreword by bag-making queen Amy Butler, and many of the bags shown are made with Amy Butler home decor fabrics. They are gorgeous, of course. I recommend this book to people who have made a bag or two before and are familiar with the basic construction of a bag. This book will take you a level up in bag making, plus it provides detailed information on professional finishing. The photographer did a great job by showing the bags inside and out and Lisa has kept the tone of the book light by injecting her special brand of humor.
A nice addition to my collection of crafting books!

Marketing, PR and other stuff

Along with my new website I thought it was about time to have a set of professional looking business cards printed up. While I used to order them from Vistaprint, this time around I wanted something a little more stylish; cards that reflected my personality/image as well as tying in with my new site by picking up the main colours (pink and brown).
I researched both Dawanda and Etsy and finally decided to approach Etsy seller Jennifer of  Zoopri who offers really nice designs at competitive prices, plus I liked her upbeat attitude! Although the cards took about three weeks to arrive here in Germany, it was well worth the wait. The cards are high-quality, not flimsy at all, and they came nicely packaged. Along with the cards I ordered some cute Thank You stickers, which I will use to beautify my simple packaging, because although I would love to ship my products in chic boxes - 1. my budget doesn't allow for that and 2. there is the issue of the packaging ordinance which I wrote about here. So, stickers it is!
I am also currently brushing up on my PR skills :) I am initially on the shy side when meeting new people, but I do realize I can't hide behind my sewing machine forever! Speaking of sewing - my back is killing me. In the long run I will need to invest in one of those ergonomically designed chairs.

Until next time, take care!

OP ART Shoulder Bag

 note the edgy angle of the pic

As promised here is the finished bag! It's inspired by the black and white optical art popular in the 60's. The interesting thing about this bag is that the leather bag straps, which I cut by hand, are an integral part of the design.The leather is repurposed from a skirt/suit ensemble.

Here shown on my lovely 'Miss Audrey'. 

 The bag is fully lined with a black/white polka dot cotton and includes an interior zip pocket and mobile phone pocket. It has a magnetic snap closure underneath the flap.

Op Art Kitty ?

Thanks for stopping by and have a great Friday!

Messenger bag for men

Well, actually it's unisex. I designed this bag for my men's line as mentioned in a previous post. It's made from soft-touch canvas in dark grey with black trims and is fully lined. Measuring about 14 x 12 inches it is spacious without appearing too bulky. A4 size notebooks fit in easily with lots of room to spare. There's a large interior compartment as well as a couple of pen-holders - also handy as a 'hook' for sunglasses. The front panel has a stylish zip pocket and there's an exterior pocket on one of the side panels for keeping a mobile phone, packet of tissues etc. The strap is adjustable. I was aiming for simple yet functional and stylish - what do you think?

p.s. Thanks to hubby for taking time out to model this bag :) And please ignore the moss-covered fence. See, that's what happens when in rains non-stop. Definitely need to scrub that down asap!

Simple Market Day Tote

A friend requested a simple market tote with short but wide handles and some sort of pocket for the bus ticket and loose change.
I came up with this. The fun cotton fabric is decorator weight, there's a zip pocket inside and she can stick it in the washing machine once it gets grubby, as the reinforced bottom is removable. It measures approx. 14 x 12 x 5.5 inches.

 
handy interior zip pocket:

On a side note: it's best to pre-wash all decorator-weight fabrics to remove some of the stiffness and get rid of the excess dye (usually the case for this type of fabric).

Beautiful handmade textile and fiber art

There are two enormously successful European designer-artists that I really admire. Today I'd like to share their work with you. Perhaps you have not come across them before.
Danish self-taught handbag designer Hanne Sund creates whimsical, richly embroidered bags with lots of fun little details that catch the eye. Crystals and semi-precious gemstones are often incorporated in the bag handles. Her bags have a magical quality that I haven't seen elsewhere before. Here's an example:

The other woman I admire is German fiber artist Ulrike Ay. Also self-taught, she creates incredibly life-like felted flowers, decoration and accessories from high-grade wool and silks. Her work speaks for itself.

It's really nice to see people in the handmade business make it to the top and stay there.  I find this inspiring and it keeps me motivated!

New fabrics

In the coming weeks I hope to be able to sew a few new tote bags with the new fabrics I bought. These fabrics are all decorator-weight cottons or cotton blends, and are printed with bold patterns. Also, watch this space for my new purse giveaway...

We're going on vacation soon!

Well, my doc gave me the green light yesterday. As long as I feel the way I do now, on the meds I'm taking, everything should be fine. He even mentioned reducing the dosage when I get back. So, I have one more week of work and getting everything in order - then we're gone for two weeks! This'll be the longest vacation since our last one eight years ago. I can't wait. I'll be taking along this new shopping tote. It's nice and roomy for all the souvenirs I might pick up here and there :) There was some fabric left, which I used to make a detachable flower brooch. Here it's pinned to the bag... ...or you can make a fashion statement by attaching it to your shirt or jacket lapel! I hope you all have a great weekend!

Handy little zip pouch

Here's a variation on my standard zip pouch. These are fun to make, and the square shape is perfect for embellishments. I like the mint/pink/black colour-combination. The main fabric features tiny stars and dots, and I appliquéd a felt flower badge on the front. It measures approx. 18 cm (7 inches) square, with the bottom corners boxed in to make it stand upright on it's own.

My Market Bag

Hello there! Well here it is...my finished market bag from the Sandi Henderson Bag pattern, except mine is altered slightly. Also, I noticed the straps are a little long for me (at 5 foot 2). I should have shortened the straps by about 3 inches. I guess I will stick to my own designs :) My husband had to snap this picture really quickly, so that I could get back inside and put my cardigan on. It's a cool and rainy Sunday today... take care, everybody till next time!

Technical thoughts on Monday

What have I done lately? Well, for those who have been reading along will know that I'm trying to set up my own website. I have been researching the internet and checked out some books on the subject, and have narrowed down the options available to me. Of course, hiring a company to do it was out of the question from the start! They cost from Euro 1.000 upwards and it's not guaranteed that you will be able to manage the content. Some companies charge extra for that. Another option would be to ask a friend of a friend of a friend who is a techie to set it up for much less than that, however I would have to make do with a basic design lacking any sort of originality. But you know me...just like this blog I have my heart set on a unique template that is totally me. At least I have done two important things on my 'to do' list. I have registered my domain name and I have secured web space. There are a few online sources that provide a complete package - template plus installing a programme that lets you have complete content management - for about 200 US$. You will need to learn how to use and optimize the programme by yourself via a handbook, which you can download for free. The programme most commonly used is Joomla, and I found out that they have a German version since beginning of this year - which is useful since I happen to live here and would mainly be targeting the German-speaking market. Hubby, who is much more adept at all things technical installed Joomla and a couple of other technical applications which are necessary for this programme to run. My next job will be to study the handbook and see if I can, in fact, create my own template. That's the challenging but also exciting part. The programme lets you do a 'test-run' before you actually transfer the data to your web space. So, I will be fiddling with that in the coming weeks, learning by trial and error as usual :) I will blog about my progress every now and then, and let you know what works and what doesn't. Hopefully, I will keep my sanity while I embark on this endeavour! Have a good week!

I ♥ Cupcakes

Beginning of this year I swore I would cut down on my fabric purchases, except for custom orders. I promised myself I was going to use up what I have, even re-and up-cycle a couple of fabrics - not easy for someone who admits to being a fabric junkie ☺

Last week I went into the city for an appointment, and of course I couldn't pass up the chance to visit the largest fabric store there! It was hard, but I actually managed to leave the store without the usual huge bag full of assorted fabrics! I only bought a few supplies, i.e. boring zippers, which doesn't count, right? ☺ 

Back home I have used up a fair amount of my fabric stash for gifts and such, plus I made some pencil cases with appliquéd motifs (great way to use up scraps), one of which is my cupcake pencil case you see here:

I will be making a few of these with other motifs. All my motifs are drawn freehand on heat-and-bond paper, which I then proceed to cut out and iron onto the the main fabric. I don't use a template, so even if I repeated a motif, they wouldn't look exactly alike.

Happy Tuesday!

* YOU'RE A STAR* wristlet

I made this wristlet from pre-washed dark blue denim. Denim is a sturdy fabric, so I made sure to use a thicker needle - standard ones will break when sewing the layered end parts of the detachable strap! I have used a contrasting orange coloured thread typically used for jeans. The bag is fully lined with a green-beige cotton print and the front panel is embellished with sparkly stars. When I made it I had all those hard-working highschool graduates in mind who are in the middle of their finals right now! This star-spangled bag would make a fab little gift.

Rosy Wristlet

Anyone who has been to my Dawanda shop will know that I love fabrics with rose prints! This romantic wristlet is made from two toning fabrics - a soft rose linen and a bold pink rose print. It is fully lined with a fine pale pink cotton. The strap is embellished with a sweet flower trim. The size is perfect to carry the bare essentials - house keys, credit card, compact and cell phone. Alternatively it can be used as a make-up bag. Use the strap to hang on a hook, if you haven't got much space in your bathroom! Hope you all had a pleasant Easter. Now it's back to work for most of us! Until next time ☺

Some computer issues...

Well, the three days of sun were GREAT while they lasted. Today is back to being cool and drizzly. I've had some issues with my computer lately - it seems I can only open certain blogs with Mozilla, while the rest are fine on Opera. I use Opera for my work all the time, so now I have to switch back and forth between browsers just to be able to read my favourite blogs! Entrecard has introduced the ad network in its beta version today, which might explain why the ads I've placed (the regular ones, not paid) have gotten zero clicks! Strange. On to more pleasant news. Dawanda has introduced a new hot trend in their 'trends & themes' category: polka dots. Well, as most of you know, I love polka dots and use them frequently for my bags. I was (pleasantly) surprised when I saw they picked one of my minibags with the birdie appliqué...although I had this minibag tagged as tartan. Funny that. Okay, the birdie is made up of polka dot fabrics, so fair enough :) You can see my bag in the first image of the middle row. It's the tartan one, just in case anyone mixes up plaids with polka dots. hehehe. That's it from me. Better get the house cleaning started and the grocery shopping done, so that I can get down to some serious sewing! Have a terrific weekend.

New in...

I received a fabric delivery at the weekend, among them this whimsical print: I've been doing a few rough sketches working out bag shapes! You should see my sketchbook: it's full of scribbles and basically indecipherable. My ideas keep changing until I wake up one morning knowing exactly what to do. Watch this space for the finished product...