The Selfish Seamstress has a confession: she can’t accessorize for squat. Other than what I believe to be a decent eye for shoes and an occasional scarf, I have no aptitude whatsoever for accessories. In general this is not a problem- I have no desire to wear jewelry, so it doesn’t bother me that I don’t know how to pick it. I get by on basic belts and plain hosiery and am not interested in stepping that up. On a related note, I own one eyeliner, one lipstick, and no blush. Basically, there’s no space in my brain for anything other than sartorial basics. This does, however, get to be a problem when it comes to bags. I have a small set of nice purses that were gifted to me by my mother or sister, but in general I carry everything around in a set of sloppy totes or spacious and decidedly casual messenger bags, incongruous with my usual sheath-dress-and-heels uniform. I don’t know what the root of the problem is- decent bags are expensive and I simply have no interest in shopping for them or developing a sense of “bag fashion.”

Until now. Don of Weekend Designer, the wonderful drafting and design blog that shuttered several months ago, is back with a new blog called Bag’n’telle and it’s so exciting that even the bag-averse Selfish Seamstress is giddy over it. In this blog, he is going to teach us how to design and create bags. And not just any bags, but bags using designer methods and techniques adapted for the DIY crowd. And wouldn’t you know it, when you tell the Selfish Seamstress that she might actually be able to make bags, suddenly she cares about bags! The initial posts on Bag’n’telle look extremely promising- Don definitely knows what he’s talking about and is great at communicating his knowledge. His musings on creativity and design considerations are wonderful inspiration.

Now I know that a lot of hobby seamstresses make their own bags, and there are some very cute patterns out there for them which have been made with lovely results. At the same time, sweet printed fabric purses, crafty totes, and adorable satchels of the Amy Butler, Etsy, or Vera Bradley variety aren’t what I need in my wardrobe and aren’t what fit my personal style, pretty as they may be. My bags need to have hardware, look tailored, and not involve pretty printed canvas. And I’m not keen on carrying a bag that gives off slightest whiff of “made it myself.”  So I’m delightedly anticipating what comes up on Bag’n’telle and hoping that the look and construction of a “tailored” handbag can really be reproduced at home. Can’t wait.

There’s already quite a bit of fascinating expert information on the site  about design, construction, tools, and materials, so head over there and start dreaming!