Bag Tour: Inside my Kimball Satchel

Good day, fellow bag carriers. Today I would like to walk you around my Kimball Satchel.
The Kimball is such a great day bag. Perfect size with just the right amount of organization for a day running around. This weekend I had mine out to brunch, at the Farmer's Market, out shopping and enjoying the sun.

Lets have a look at the bones of the bag:

Like the Lucy, Kimball has the single clasp flap so you can get to those pockets without unfastening. The front pockets under the flap constantly rotate for me. My phone is always in one of them, but the other rotates around Altoids, my glasses, my card case and my keys. 

The back pocket is still my catch-all while running around. Receipts, cash, or my small notebook full of lists.

Inside there is a cell pocket for those of you who prefer to keep yours in the bag instead of on the front. Its also a good size for an iPod or an Altoid tin. While inside you'll find there is in addition a pen slip, a larger pocket and a zipper compartment.

Now, my mess:

I am able to fit my whole makeup bag in here as well as a notebook and glasses. If I'm going to be sitting on the train for a while I can even fit a paperback in there for the ride. You know what else slides nicely into the Kimball? An iPad - that's what.

I would like to mention the new straps we are using. I used to make the straps with canvas but they were rigid and I felt they could be a little more cushy and comfy. I finally found the right stuff and these straps are soft and easy to adjust. Not to mention hearty! These things can take a beating.

So that is all the mess I shove into my Kimball. Don't forget we are Etsy testing a new market tote, go get you one!

Get out and enjoy your day!

Get to Know and Fill Up That Lucy!

That's right, it says "CLURSE". The Lucy can be both a clutch AND a purse, so I made up a word for it. Or at least I think I did. Is "clurse" already a word? How about "clandbag"?

I digress, back to the important stuff! Let's take a Tour de Lucy, shall we? She has only a few differences from the 2011 version. The zipper pocket has been moved inside, she's a bit more compact and includes a removable/adjustable shoulder strap.

In the words of Bob Vila, "let's have a look."

"That's all fine and good, but what can I fit in there?" Is what may be crossing your mind right now. Or maybe it's tacos, I'm not a mind reader, but we'll stick with the first idea - fit.

To answer this question I thought I'd go fashion blogger on you and do a What's In My Bag for all ya'llz.

Have a look. In the front pockets are my quick grab things - phone and card case. I abandoned my wallet and went to a simple case. (Want one to match your bag? It can be done. Let's talk.) I designed these bags with the central clasp so that you could still access those pockets with out unlatching if you need to. And I do that a lot.

The back pocket is open and I use it to stash papers and things I need out of my hands quickly. It's also a good spot for your keys or a shopping list.

Inside I have only the necessities. Altoids (you're welcome!), a little make up, my glasses, and my weird assortment of pens. Why do I carry a variety? I never need more than one. But should I need an option of fine or extra fine in a pinch I'm ready!

And that there is Lucy. I love carrying this as my Saturday bag so that my arms are free to carry loads of produce from the farmers' market and/or tightly grasp the rails on the train. Its also great come Saturday night when I dress it up a bit for a drink because all I do is remove the strap and BOOM! Evening clutch. Don't need to change bags.

Another great Lucy use: I stuff one into my Margot or Randall when I'm carrying a laptop or books. That way if I need to, I can take my Lucy out of my giant bag if I need to run to the coffee shop and don't want to lug my big bag with me.

Versatility, that's what we're about.

I hope you enjoyed meeting Miss Lucy, I'll be back soon to tell you all about my Kimball!

The Shop is Back Up!

If anyone has been over to nikolettebags.com in the last few weeks you noticed it has been down while we were getting everything updated. The homepage facelift is still being worked on, but we do have the bags (with new pricing!!) all listed for sale.
The styles have pretty much the same looks, they just have been tweaked in small ways to make them faster to make. This means a new lower price!
Here are some comparisons for you (these are just some quick looks - I'll have more detailed posts soon to school you on the major differences):

2011 Lucy: sold as a clutch with optional wrist and shoulder straps. 

2012 Lucy: a bit smaller and removable shoulder strap is included.

2011 Kimball: came with removable strap

2012 Kimball: (looks the same, huh?) strap is not removable

2011 Margot

2012 Margot: pretty much the same on the exterior, but we rearranged the inside a little.

2011 Randall

2012 Randall: Hard to tell, but the pockets are all different under the flap!

And no fear, I'll do some walk throughs of each style just like I did the 2011 ones. Its a little hard to tell from just the outside how the bags have changed. We have a new canvas provider, which is evident in a few of the images. The new canvas is sturdy and dry to the touch. Last year we were using canvas that felt a little waxy and we wanted a dryer feel (as did our machines!).

So if you haven't been to the shop lately head on over!

And lastly, I have a new style just about ready to Etsy test - I'll keep you posted!

Our New (Temporary) Work Space

Things have been wild (to put it lightly) in the world of Nikolette this month. We are refreshing our color offerings, working on sprucing up the website, and on top of all that we moved! The move was less than a mile away, but it was still just as much work as moving across town. Especially when you have a 300 - 400 pound industrial sewing machine in tow! It took 3 of us to move it and even then it was quite difficult - and all three of us work out regularly!
The new work space is temporary, probably just for the summer. Then we will be moving on to a more permanent place.

The old work room was basement level and quite spacious.

The big white box? Its a light box for photographing bags.

That is one quadrant of the space. I had a sewing area, cutting area, and work bench area for hammering rivets. It wasn't glamorous, but it was roomy!
One major drawback though was that is was often FREEZING down there! I ended up cutting and sewing in a very contained area around my space heater all winter long.

The new space is working fine, though I don't have the space I used to.

As you can see it's a little tight, but everything is within reach. I am cutting and storing fabric in another room, so the trips back and forth are going to get old, but again - its not forever.

We have a goal to have the prettied up website live by 5/1/12 with most of the new colors. There may be a few stragglers. Until then... !

Updates on Everything

Those are some red fellas ready to go in the shop. Cell phone pics never do anything justice!
We've been working alot lately on streamlining production. You may have noticed a few lower prices in the shop and that is why.
Some helpful steps have been minimizing vendors. We now get all of our canvas from one supplier instead of several and all our hardware comes from one place etc. This minimizes delivery costs and allows bulk pricing, which in turn allows us to shave a little off the top of our prices!
I've also been playing around with how the bags are actually made. If I can make them faster then there is less labor to be factored in. I've found a few little tricks, but more on that once I really get it figured out.
We're working on a little fresher-upper on the website for you guys. New season... new look. Plus maybe a new style or two, exciting!
Until then, keep it classy!

Sneak Peeks!

Hopefully by now you've seen the new gray Kimball in the shop. Isn't she a beaut?

 

Well, I have a few other near finished newbies waiting in the wings and took some quick cell phone pictures as a teaser!

First off, the gray Randall:

 

Not the prettiest of pictures, but hopefully it gives you an idea. I'm excited about this one!

Next up, the black Lucy (or the Ninja Lucy, as Dan calls it):

Again, cell phones are not the best cameras! I hope to have these and a few other newbies ready to post up by the weekend. Fingers crossed!

A Little Peek!

 

I mentioned new designs a few times now, and there are a few prototypes in the Etsy shop! These are not the final deal, but a pretty good preview. So go on over and take a look.

And the new canvases and lining fabrics are here, so I may be a bit absent while I get the new colors made into bags, but I'll alert you to any new listings! Exciting!