Nothing Fancy Here

I don't know about you, but I tend to do my best crafting while sitting on the floor. I don't know what I would do if I actually had to sit at a table. That's not to say that my sewing machine is on the floor. That would be ridiculous! I DO sit in a chair to sew. I somehow just can't creatively function unless I am sitting in the middle of the floor with my supplies spread out aaaaall around me. It doesn't matter if I'm cutting out handbag bodies, making notecards, scrapbooking, crocheting appliques, painting out on location or attempting to make jewelry. After any prolonged period of floor crafting my back is screaming at me, but I do it all again tomorrow.

As I sat down the other day to start a new handbag, I looked at the state of my pattern. I created this pattern for our Signature Bag Monday, June 12, 2006. I made the first one for a coworker and friend who was dreading the anniversary of her mother's death. She loved it! Not knowing that this particular pattern would become our Signature Bag I didn't even take a picture of it. This was before we started selling bags. Up to this point every bag we made truly was one of a kind, and not really very good. I made a few more Signature Bags as gifts, and of course, some for us. Almost a year later we started putting labels in our bags, developing new styles, and selling online. Our technique and fabrication has improved over the years, thankfully.

So as I sat on the floor reflecting on how far we had come, I looked at my pitiful homemade pattern. It's been put back together with masking and packaging tape, but it's still the same one I made that original bag with. I am no longer friends with the girl I made the first bag for, but that's okay because I know she came into my life long enough to inspire me to create the Sylvia-Louise Signature Bag.


P.S. 
For those of you who might think it is totally gross to do any crafting on the floor, just know that I am about the biggest germaphobe on the planet and I wouldn't put anything down on a dirty floor to sell or give anyone. We don't even wear our shoes in the house.