Designing and creating handbags never came second nature to me.
It’s a process I am still discovering,
tweaking,
and attempting to master.
In fact, I’ve never thought I was creative.
I always ran away from ANY jobs that involved using a thread and needle.
A button fell off? Have your father fix it.
A hole in your sock? Time for new socks.
A name tag label on your school uniform? Well, you can do it!
After fifth grade home and careers classes - my kids did it themselves.
It really all began with a head full of ideas
but not being able to implement them myself.
Ya’ know when you have an idea
but you can’t explain it for someone to understand and recreate it for you?
In fact, sometimes I wasn’t sure what I was doing,
how a bag would come together,
how it would look,
how it would feel.
I wasn’t using any patterns, no pdf downloads
or buying any ready-made kits.
It was all original.
This is when I knew it wasn’t going to work unless I made the bags myself.
So I set out to learn how to make and design our ShimaShima Bags.
I got a lot of help along the way and am indebted to those who contributed.
It’s a process I am still discovering,
tweaking,
and attempting to master.
In fact, I’ve never thought I was creative.
I always ran away from ANY jobs that involved using a thread and needle.
A button fell off? Have your father fix it.
A hole in your sock? Time for new socks.
A name tag label on your school uniform? Well, you can do it!
After fifth grade home and careers classes - my kids did it themselves.
It really all began with a head full of ideas
but not being able to implement them myself.
Ya’ know when you have an idea
but you can’t explain it for someone to understand and recreate it for you?
In fact, sometimes I wasn’t sure what I was doing,
how a bag would come together,
how it would look,
how it would feel.
I wasn’t using any patterns, no pdf downloads
or buying any ready-made kits.
It was all original.
This is when I knew it wasn’t going to work unless I made the bags myself.
So I set out to learn how to make and design our ShimaShima Bags.
I got a lot of help along the way and am indebted to those who contributed.
Also in ShimaShima Bags Blog
Blog #8 - Reaching Out to Local Experts
"Yes, I am that clueless, I have no idea who to turn to - this is a whole new world to me."
Blog #5 Tatami Mat Borders Repurposed - Our Dream in a Nutshell
Creating sustainable bags with Super High Quality and Drability. Using colors that express the individuality and diversity of the world with the attention of detail from Japan.
This is our dream in a nutshell.