Hello designers, fellow craftsmen/women, and those of you who happen to drop by After 12 ? years of blogging on-and-off in my free time while working in the Industry, I finally decided to take it a step further and try to get a bit more involved with my followers. I decided to relaunch and rebrand my website and incorporate my two blogs into one site on a platform where I have more control over the content. So my design blogs will merge and open up under the brand and domain “weekend-designer.com” in a few weeks. I’m working very hard on it but it’s so exciting! One of the tools that will b ..read more

Proportionate pattern-making is another way to create cutting patterns for  various fashion bag designs using their geometric shapes as the basis of the styling. While each pattern template is a different shape, they all share a common measurement or dimension, which more often than not, is its depth or gusset side length. Other times, one can use a known increment of measure from a given detail or embellishment used in the overall styling of the bag. This comes in handy to know if you only have access to limited bag supplies, as you always want to work with what is available to you. Of ..read more

Fashion purses and bags come in all sorts of sizes and shapes. The permutations are endless, but they have one thing in common. They begin in the form of a simple geometric shape, usually a derivative of a rectangle, square, circle, or cylinder. When you manipulate this shape by slashing and spreading, then adding gussets and darts, the magic begins. There are no reasons why anyone cannot draft their own patterns to make uniquely custom bag designs. You only need to understand the various bag shapes, know how a bag is put together, and have the proper pattern-making tools and supplies on hand ..read more

Photo:Pantone Here is colour/branding authority, PANTOME’s take on this coming year’s colour trend forecast in global design and marketing. It’s a dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade. Here’s what they had to say… ULTRA VIOLET IN FASHION ¨On the runway or the streets, Ultra Violet is an enchanting purple that provides a theatrical linkage for both men’s and women’s styles. True to the coupled nature of Ultra Violet, created by combining red and blue, Ultra Violet lends itself to unique colour combinations in fashion and is easier to pair with all colours on the spectrum than o ..read more

As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving surrounded by family and friends, the countdown has begun for the biggest holiday shopping weekend of the year. Why not give the gift of making? We, as designers, each have unique skills and talents. Offering someone your time and expertise can be a truly thoughtful gift to give or receive, as much as it is to create something uniquely yours. At this time of year, everyone is flocking to shopping malls and madly scrambling to get everyone on their ¨naughty-or-nice¨ list something… anything. Material items often breakdown or requires batteries, or soon b ..read more

Something a little different from the design studio today. Instead of talking about designing our own fashion bags I have a quick and easy tutorial about creating your own holiday gift bags. My sister and I used striped ticking and stencilled some crashcloth from her quilting classes to make our gift bags this past weekend but you can use almost anything fabric you want. Think holly jolly and ’tis the season. It was only an after-thought that I think we should have lined them as well. Live and learn, I say!  My sister and I were reminiscing about how Mom would have all us kids on holiday ..read more

photo courtesy of Craftsy Why Craftsy Unlimited? Endless Inspiration 3,000+ hours of premium video tutorials in more than 16 different crafts, including exclusive content only available to members. Plus, bonus recipes, guides, patterns, and more (including new videos released every week!). Expert Guidance 24/7 access to 600+ of the world’s leading experts. Ask questions and get personalized answers as you go. Creative Connection Join 13 million other makers for inspiration and support, plus ideas, tips and feedback for every creative journey. * * * * Today I want to tell you about the ne ..read more

Top-stitching is exactly as it sounds – a line of stitches, often decorative yet functional, that are visible on the face surface of your bag design. Technically you can use any stitch and thread to topstitch a bag exterior, but if you want professional results and a polished finish, it’s best to learn to topstitch like the pros. The addition of top-stitching to any bag will make it decorative while adding body to the bag structure and firm up the shape to the bag without adding any interfacing. Do keep in mind to keep the stitch-type and its length, consistent and uniform for a harmonious pr ..read more

Here we are again, September is National Sewing Month, and we’re ready to salute the art of sewing all month long! Want to join in on the fun? Here are a few ways to ignite your creativity for a September full of new sewing projects. 1. GIVE A HANDMADE GIFT You don’t need a special occasion to make something meaningful for someone you love. Whether it’s a simple zippered bag or a customized totebag, a personalized gift means the most when it comes from you. 2. PLAN A CHARITY SEWING PROJECT Share your sewing with those in need this month. Need a few ideas? Consider local charitable organ ..read more

  Hey, everyone… Craftsy is having All-You-Can-Watch Day. You may have heard by now…coming up on September 4th, they’ll give students a chance to wet their creative pallets by test-driving all Craftsy content for free (but only during that time period) and you can get a preview peek at MAKING LEATHER BAGS with Don Morin. That’s right, you’ll have the ability to watch bag-making design content for free from 12am ET – 12PM PT. I won’t be available to answer your questions in class, nor will the course material be available but you will be able to preview my class and any other Cra ..read more