This is me today in my world, a place where craftsmanship is alive and thriving.
I spent most of my toddler free day, working in my studio. I had to finish up a custom ordered bag, called Georgia. Georgia is made using a collection of vintage and unique fabric off-cuts, hemp canvas and reclaimed leather from a local saddlery. No two Georgia's are the same. She is unique to the wearer.
Home is where my heart is
My studio is out the back of my shop.
My shop is in a weird old juice factory on a large property made up of huge old (mostly unused), warehouse sheds.
The old juice factory is in The Summit, a tiny village 925 metres above sea level.
The Summit is in the Granite Belt, a mountainous region famous for good food and wine.
The Granite Belt is nestled down along the border in Queensland.
Queensland is in Australia.
This is where I make things for a living. This is where I feel most at home.
Stitching together a thousand stories
I work with reclaimed/recycled materials. I hoard up coffee sacks, flour bags, woven blankets, linen tea-towels, vintage material and fabric from by done eras in design. I turn these divine textiles, rich with history and nostalgia, into one of a kind bags, scarves and accessories. I also work with leather. I source off-cuts from a local saddlery in town and collect broken leather bags. Using the rawness of leather and dreamy textiles I create products that each tell a very unique story.
Meet Georgia
I work in very small batches. I am a believer in slow fashion. I craft durable pieces with practicality and longevity in mind. Honest craftsmanship with something real – a connection to the past and a provenance that will make you smile. This bag (called Georgia), that I made today is designed to be completely machine washable. The leather flap and strap are detachable. I use this awesome leather finishing called a chicago rivet. It can be removed and put back on using a simple flat head screw driver. Genius! Leather is beautiful to work with. I love how it develops a patina with use. Just like your favourite pair of Jeans, leather will evolve to reflect your life.
Surrounded by years of collected materials, with a bit of sunshine streaming through the back door, I finished up Georgia. She is now ready to go to her new owner tomorrow. Pieces of once used materials, re-invented for a modern woman, destined to live out many more adventures.
I hope you enjoyed meeting Georgia. I loved making her.
Until next time, I will leave you with the rest of your private tour of my studio.
xx Isabella
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you got my vote.
please check out my artwork for the steemitartchallenge if you have the time.I won't let you down.
Here you can support my entry #steemitartchallenge entrance
You got my upvote too! The colours in your art piece are beautiful. It would make for a lovely textile printed design :)
I see your steemit appreciation art piece in the first picture. Easter egg?
Eagle eyes @random potato. Yes it is waiting for a free bit of wall space so it can really shine! Well spotted :)
My eyes are good for spotting exactly two things. Easter eggs and potatoes!
gorgeous bag. you got my upvote
aww thanks @thegoldencookie. Georgia is a fairly new design, I have been road testing mine for a few months now.
excellent work. Congratulations!
Cheers - thanks for your kind words.
Hello Georgia... you are beautiful!
Wow. Your workshop/studio looks lovely. It is fascinating to see the work that goes into making even a bag by hand. Thanks for showing us how you do it.
You are most welcome @thecryptofiend. I wish my studio had a little more natural light, but it is a brilliant space. Considering for years I operated out of a camper van tent and then a tiny little annex to a laundry - this space is awesome. I still take a lot of work home with me, so our kitchen table dual functions as a workbench. That photo series was me making the lining for the bag, the front part of the bag had already been made last week. There is well over 100 different little steps to crafting Georgia. Thanks for taking the time to read my post. I really appreciate the love.
You're welcome. I always find this kind of thing fascinating. I've never been good at crafting things myself but there is something quite therapeutic, almost meditative about watching someone else do it.
I'm envious of your great big studio space! Your bag is a lovely way to upcycle/reuse materials.