The Great Tips You Will Love To Get!
Want to make your own bags? Already making bags and want tip? You should really read this! It's a little long, but I promise it will be great for you.
Want to make your own bags? Already making bags and want tip? You should really read this! It's a little long, but I promise it will be great for you.
Now, I'll admit, I'm a perfectionist. I want to be the best, I'm competitive in my nature. Doesn't mean I don't want you to be. So I'm gonna share my thoughts, ideas, methods with you so you can also create the best. It's important to add here that this is my perspective, my opinion, so you can disagree. But I'm gonna tell you what I've learned from my bag making.
First, I think the best thing for starter is to find your own style. I only make bags that I like. But I still remember that if I want to sell the bags I have to go with the flow, find what's in and what's out. Then I find a way to combine the two. Don't compromise on your style! You have to find the thing that will make your bags stand out, because there is big competition out there. You can also find a gimmick (which by the way I have some ideas for that that
I don't think I'm gonna use, so if you want a gimmick for free, contact me). This would also make you stand out and make your bags rememberable among all others. If you want to learn a little more about gimmick, ask me to and I will expend on that later.Ask for feedback. Ask which bags/style people like and what is the problem in the ones they don't like as much. Ask what their needs are. If they need a pocket to put the cellphone, for example. Go to bags stores or even the market and see what goes and get an inspiration. Never steal ideas though. You want to be unique and people to be impressed by your ideas. You should be known for that. You can combine styles, combine materials. Great idea, IMO, is to combine the old fashion and the new fashion, and the "in" and the "out". This will not only make your bags special, but will also fit more people's style. You always need to think, when making a bag, what is going to fit as many people – your clients - as possible. I know, that sounds obvious, but it's true.
If you want to succeed, you will also need imagination. Now, the inspiration doesn't have to come from the bag world (if there is such thing). You can look at clothes, nature, people, etc. What do I mean? For example, you can look at a particular tree that its leaves are "spilling" downwards in an interesting way. That might give you an idea for a flip over of a bag, maybe fringes that look like a tree's leaves. That's just off top of my head. But I hope you understand what I mean. Point is, you can find inspiration everywhere. Just get out to the streets and look around. And not just designing-wise. You can watch people. If, for example, you see a young woman who walks a little bendy, you might wanna design a bag for her kind of people. Maybe the strap should be different. Maybe that young woman is having trouble finding her keys. So you design something that would help for that kind of people. See what I'm doing here? The ideas are infinity. In the next paragraph I will expend on that more.
You want to make a different, unique, never made before bag design. So you just combine design ideas. What do I mean again? I have a system. And you can do this too. I'll try to give you some examples. My system includes a list. A list of elements, categories which each one has a sub-category. Let's start with an easy one. Straps. You might think there are about 2 ideas for straps: Long one on the sides, and 2 short ones in the middle of the bag on each side. Of course you can play with the length, which is another way to go. But you can also play with the idea some more. You can add rings (there are a few kinds, so that's another thing to consider). Or a whole other design is to make 2 or three rings on each strap. Or just one ring wherever. There are also many colors of rings: nickel, gold, brass, antique kind of shade, etc. Another idea for straps is (which, I've used myself) to make them come out not from the top area of the bag, but from the bo
ttom, or coming out from a front pocket. You can do both. The ideas are endless, just find your own.Other elements are: pockets – different shapes, maybe not straight or even ones, weird places to put them, inside the bag or out of the bag, or the side of the bag, etc. The flip over – can come in different shapes, there are many of them, it doesn't have to be square, you can have something coming out of it (strap with a ring is what I like to do-that's my style). It doesn't have to be straighten or in the middle. You can do a bag in a special shape, add attachments, add something for key ring or something, buttons. That's only the beginning. You just need to play with the elements and create something that hasn't been made before, because you combine different things, many unique things. Every time use different elements, Mix and match. Make a list and just pick your design! I'm sure you can come up with many ideas.
Let's not forget the fabrics! From my experience, a good combination of fabrics makes as big as the world difference. It can make the bag or ruin it. Personally I can't stand a bad combination, whether is the colors combination or the patterns that won't get along. So you have to learn how to do that right. Try putting fabrics side by side and see if it works. That can also give you an idea for a design if you haven't found it yet. Good combination doesn't have to mean two colors that fit together. You'll be surprised how well two opposite colors can match as long as they complete each other. And if you have a fabric with a solid boring color, you can add a fabric (for lining or whatever) that will bring the bag to life. That is also a way to create something that will make people notice the bag. Another thing that's good to remember is find the most impressing fabrics, and original fabrics. I know there are fabric designers who make beautiful fabrics, but try to buy fabrics that are not very common, that you don't see a lot or anywhere. You don't have to have the most popular fabrics; don't use fabrics that you've seen in many bags around. Find the special ones, the original ones. Don't be afraid to try bold fabrics, pick fabrics that will stand out and show your style. Don't let peer pressure set the style of the fabrics for you.
Moving forward. And I don't just mean myself. My tip here is to upgrade yourself and your bags with each new bag. If you make a bag, always make a step forward. Add more professional esque. Me, I buy new things all the time, learning how to do new things. It can be adding bias tape, rivets, new ways for closure (learn how to add zippers for example), and more. Thes
e are things that will more you forward. I'm still learning. Always learning, never stop learning and upgrading. Don't be afraid to try or learn new things, dare, challenge yourself. I have the idea of entering bag making contests. This would challenge you even more, the need to prove that you're original, the best. It would make you better because you want to win, and you wouldn't even notice it. Also, take people's requests to challenge yourself. I might be getting into psychological-philosophical area here, oopsie. But making bags can be psychological-philosophical, because it all comes from your head and heart. The combination will get you to the place you want to be bags-wise. Point is, I'm asking you to invent the wheel over and over again, without being afraid to do so.I don't use ready patterns, almost never. I figure things out, I find solutions. I don't depend on others. Although you might wanna do it if you're a beginner, you might want to find a guide. You will learn from experience, not just the How-to, but also methods and how to invent your own thing. I think it's important not just for beginners. You might need to try again and again and make experiments and do mistakes. But that's okay. Because in the end, it's worth it. Don't know about you, but I myself cannot make a bag twice. I need fresh start, fresh idea. But if you want to that's cool. Of course it's hard for me to come up with new ideas every time. But then again, I have a system ((:
Okay, I know it was long, but I hope I've helped you some. I'm sure there is more to share with you, but I can do a part 2 one. So please, ask me questions or give me comments, and I will answer everything you want next time.
Good luck!
Posts
