Additional Discounts!

Two blog posts in one day?! Lucky you!

Just a quick line about the additional mark downs on all current stock at nikolettebags.com. We are putting on our sandwich boards and hitting the streets! So head on over to the online shop, or to the Etsy shop if you prefer and grab one up while the gettin's good!

Something as Simple as a Zipper...

I know I've done something right when I can't take my eyes off of it. Luckily for me, I caught myself gazing happily upon the back side of one of the new Lucy bags. This is lucky because this is the back side that has had my mind in a twist since I made the very first one a long, long time ago.
This first version was just a plain ol' backside. Nothing ventured, nothing dared.

Back side of the first Lucy (left)

Then I noticed that was a big chunk of real estate on a little bag, I could fit something there! So I added a simple slip pocket.

This pocket was super cute, and was great for things like small papers or mints. However, I still wasn't 100% on it because I couldn't put my phone back there if I carried it as a wristlet. I was too worried it would fall out!
So my next move was to make a flap top pocket to hold larger items securely.

Flap top pocket version 1

Flap top pocket version 2

Again, super cute, and yes, more functional...  but it wasn't smooth and easy and effortless to get things in and out of the pocket. Maybe I was thinking TOO securely.
Then it came time to standardize and rework these patterns because I was spinning in circles with custom orders and troubles with keeping the shop full etc. So I sat down with my graph paper and started the new patterns.
Several glasses of wine and garbage pales of crumpled paper later it came to me: a zipper! It was so simple, so perfect, so... why didn't I think of this in the first place?!
So I drafted the pattern and it was beautiful on paper. I couldn't wait to get one made out of all the beautiful new waxed fabrics I was now within reach of and happily stocking.

Back side of new Lucy bag. (click to enlarge) Isn't that brown  gorgeous?!

We chose these molded tooth zippers because they are plastic. I wanted to make bags that were water resistant, and I was afraid of metal zippers rusting. I chose white because I love the way it pops brightly off of all the colors.
Now, when carried as a wristlet, I feel carefree about throwing my phone or keys or favorite new lipstick right into that zipper pocket for quick access.
The Lucy bags are all sewn up and ready for photography. The Kimballs too. Photography day will be a big day and I am in a constant state of self soothing about it. "It will be worth it, and afterward you can eat ice cream to celebrate." It's the ice cream part that keeps me going.
October is just a few days away and that's the month I vowed to have everything up and running. So, fingers crossed and good vibes everywhere... !

Another Day's Work & Ready for the Weekend!

Yesterday's To-Do list was fortunately tackled 100%.
Here is a Randall off to its new home:

And here is the stack of fabric that will soon become Lucies and Kimballs:

Tonight is date night, dinner followed by a stand up show (!), so no To-Do list for tonight. Tomorrow we are off to our waxed cotton supplier for a re-up then that stack of fabric up there becomes bags.
That will complete the Lucies and Kimballs, and the Margots are next. I have one done the way we will be offering them online and it is a beaut! I made the base a little deeper and recessed the D rings for the adjustable strap. That way when you are carrying it with no strap those are hidden.
I'll try to put more previews up as we snap some pictures, but I don't want to ruin the surprise for the big launch, so you'll have to be patient! More later...

Launching a New Line - The Process

I have been sewing bags since about 2007 (you can read the whole back story here) and it has always been a system of, "I have an idea for a bag, these are the materials I have sitting around, so lets make it and see what happens." It was 100% a hobby.
I then saw that if I sold them online I could not only get them out of my kitchen, I could make a little extra money! I then became obsessed with the whole engineering side of making a bag and how to get which piece to serve what function and how to do it with a sewing machine and not with magic, that was the hard part.
That lead to a little Etsy shop where I would experiment and sell here and there things. It wasn't until my friend had a baby and needed a diaper bag that the whole "business" thing came to mind. I made the bag for her, took pictures, then decided to list it online and see if anyone else would like one.
This was the first bag that sold multiple times, and I thought "hey, maybe I got something here!".

The diaper bag that ultimately became the Margot.
The stitching was just awful on this and the design wasn't quite there,
but hey, you gotta start somewhere!

So then the challenge became designing a few bags that all had a similar style, a "line" if you will, that I could make over and over again. After alot of playing around I landed on four basic designs. Here is the first round:

This was thrilling for me. I sent the bags off for professional photographing with models so that we could launch Nikolettebags.com, and that we did. However, there was still the problem of sourcing materials and tweaking the designs because they still weren't quite right. I was also spending ALOT of time photographing each bag, editing the photos, then getting them listed on both Etsy and nikolettebags.com. I needed materials that I could buy over and over again, so that I could list a bag once and be done with it. No more photo days!
Then we were saved by several companies, most of them local to Portland, that we searched hard for day and night. I wish I could write a song about my suppliers as a thank you and make a music video, that's how excited I am.
The perfecting of the bag designs occurs mostly when I'm laying in bed at night and it is quiet except for the sound of the turtle tank in the living room. For some reason my brain goes into engineer mode and I can suddenly piece a bag start to finish in my mind's eye. It took several weeks of nights like this and trial and error, but I think we got it.
Now the challenge is getting everything made so we can list the new line complete in the coming weeks. Then add to it as new ideas come along.
Today my To Do List looks like this:

I have a giant chart on the wall in the studio of everything that needs to be made and gradually things are getting checked off. The patterns for the Lucy, Kimball and Margot are finally pieced and ready for production. That just leaves the Randall... that big beast. I have made a few prototypes and am very close. The old Randall was too small for a big laptop like the one I use, so my goal is to make the new one a bit bigger for people who wanted to use it as such. I am also working in front cell phone size pockets (you can see what I'm talking about here on this first prototype I made.) and an interior pocket for the power supply.
I am also working on a few side project bags for friends which helps serve as a distraction from the pressures of a deadline.
So that's the status report as of today. My goal is to have most everything done some time in October, hopefully not October 31st, but we'll see how fast I can work. We'll keep you posted, until then enjoy all the sale items at nikolettebags.com!

Preview Listings

As you know by now, Nikolette will be updating all the current lines in the coming weeks. Tweaking current patterns and working with new materials means alot of prototype bags and bags that won't be exactly what we plan to offer. This is all part of the making betterer that Nikolette is currently undergoing. The question then becomes, what to do with all the perfectly good bags that won't be part of the new Fall release? Gift them? Include them in a giveaway? Keep them in my stock pile of rotating personal bags? We decided we would include them in the current cleaning house sale, and we have two listed currently:

The Randall in a stunning brown and tan color combo:

And the Margot in tan and rust red:

These are a fun little teaser for the new styles, if you were curious. I have an indigo Randall that you may be seeing soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that one!
In the meantime, don't forget that everything at nikolettebags.com is on sale until the new launch, so take a look. And remember... the holidays are nearly upon us! Shriek!