Can You Really Resurrect a Dead Bag?

When she walked in with her box of wonky handbags for me to critique, I struggled for something nice to say about them. I’ve been on the other end of unmerciful critiques and did not want to break the lady’s spirit. It was clear that she desperately wanted help improving her handbags but just didn’t know what to do or where to turn. What I wanted to do was to inspire an aspiring handbag designer to take her product to the highest level. The eager lady standing in front of me had buckets of passion, a great attitude, and a desire to learn to excel in her craft. I decided that she needed to hear the truth if she was going to improve her handbags. Incidentally, the picture below is one of her first bags after taking my advice.

In her initial group class her instructor did not teach her how to make a pattern, nor was she introduced to quality materials. In the class, she was not taught how to install hardware properly, attach fabric professionally or sew straw to make a refined boutique-quality handbag. Quite like my start in purse making and fabric painting she had it all wrong. What I loved about her though was that she was willing to make it right; I had never seen someone so committed to learning purse making. It didn’t matter what it took, the young lady standing in front of me wanted to hear the truth so that she would be able to sell her bags.

Purses Not Selling

The complaint was that the purses were not selling; not even for $25.00, which was way below the norm for purses of that size. I urged her not to try to sell or gift what she had but to dismantle the bags to harvest the hardware (and upgrade the handles) so that it would be usable on other bags. To see those bags dangling from some unsuspecting buyer at a later date would have been a cringe-worthy encounter after she had learned the secret to making an awesome bag. Every critique given was warmly welcomed; she took it with the right attitude, unlike some newbies who felt they were above being taught.

Live Class Was Not An Option

I wasn’t sure I would see the lady again since doing a live class at the time was not in her budget. At the time I was selling purse patterns (sorry not anymore) so she invested in one until she was able to make her own. The critiques I gave her were applied and her bags were on the right track. Several months later she was in my live class getting one-on-one coaching. Since then, she has invested in my DVD tutorials for her library so that she could refresh her skills at her convenience. But you are quite blessed because you can now access my tutorials on this site free of charge.

Good News…They’re Selling!

You can’t imagine how great I felt when the bag which was on its way to me was sold on route. The eager your lady went from her bags not being able to gift away to selling before she put them out for sale; and finally, for a pretty penny. What a joy to work with such a pleasant, teachable student who willing to unlearn old habits to apply the new. The last time I saw her work she was on a fast track to sewing incredible handbags.