Caledonia Argus

Handbag designs become works of art

Posted: 7/30/02

By Shannon McKinney
Argus News Reporter

Itís hard to not fall in love with one of Angela Blairís handmade purses; especially the ones with brilliant, oriental patchwork silk sewn together with gold thread and topped with glittering antique glass brooches and hand-dyed ribbons.

At her home studio, the Caledonia High School art teacher looks like a kid in a candy store as she explains how she began designing purses and handbags a year-and-a-half ago.

Blair taught at Caledonia Elementary school for several years before transferring to the high school last year to become an art teacher. While at the elementary school, she became sick with sinus infections that were aggravated by the mold problems at the elementary school.

Being sick was a bleak period for Blair, who said she was convinced she was dying. As an experienced seamstress, she turned to a quilting book to look for something to do while she was, as she says, ëwaiting to die.í

She came across a pattern for a tote bag and decided she could improve on it. She took the design and added pockets that were flannel lined to protect eye wear, and colors and details that she liked.

She had so much fun making it that she decided to turn it into a business in January of 2001. Fortunately, Blair and her husband, George, used to make and sell pottery for a living many years ago, so she knew what she needed to do to get the business started.

She created a name for her business ìYellow Bird Designs,î after a canary that she used to own. The insignia labels are sewn into the purses and identify her as the designer. Blair laughs when she recalls the pride she felt the first time she sewed the labels into her purses.

Handbags are a labor of love

Making a handbag may take several hours, but she enjoys every minute of it. ìI have fun when I come up here, that kid kind of delight,î she explained.

She begins by drafting pattern pieces, making the gusset, or bottom piece and then figuring out how to make it all go together. ìSome times the first is really bad,î she said.

Blair shows some cut-out pieces that she has been working on for the ìDragonflyî line.

Blair will cut out detailes from other fabrics such as oriental cats and people, dragonflies and flowers and place them on top of the fabric cut-out. This is called fabric collage. She admits that she loves oriental fabrics and colors. She often cuts out the collage pieces while she and her husband are watching television. She then machine sews on the collages with gold metallic thread.

Blair also uses commercial and hand carved stamps to stamp on fabric paints. She machine sews around the paints and will also sew her own patterns in the purse. On one seven-hour purse project, it took Blair three hours just to sew on the gold thread. She says itís a lot of work, but the extra glimmer and sparkle make the finished product worth it.

The handles of the bags can be bamboo, antique and hand-beaded. She may attach beaded lace to the top of the purses and add antique buttons and hand-dyed ribbons.

She developed what sheís called the ìSilk Road Evening Purseî that contains patchwork silk imported from the Orient.

As beautiful as her totes and purses look on the outside, Blair takes the advice of her mother and makes them look just as exceptional on the inside. ìWhen someone looks inside, there will be the element of surprise,î she said.

Materials are expensive but fun

Purchasing materials for the purses has turned into and expensive but fun venture. Blair finds her fabrics everywhere she goes on the internet and in different shops where she travels.

Her husbandís attitude has changed from when she first started buying fabrics. She recalls him saying, ëWhat do you need all that fabric for?í, and her answering, ëAn artist has to have a lot of paints, and these are my paints,íî she said.

Now her husband gets exited too when she picks up more fabric. ìWhen we first started, he was so supportive and encouraging,î she said.

The space that Blair converted into a studio had originally been planned as a bedroom.

With all the hours and money that she puts into her work, some of the purses can seem quite expensive.

At first she found herself apologizing to people when she told them the price, but to her surprise she found that it was her most expensive purses that sold first. ìPeople recognize quality when they see it,î she explained.

Her purses and totes are currently sold at Clover Gallery in Harmony and Lakeview Gallery in Ellison Bay in Door County, Wisconsin.

But understanding that she also needed to make a lower-end model, Blair has constructed totes that arenít as expensive and intricate. Sheís even created tote kits that a person can put together themselves.

In the last 18 months, Blair estimates that she has made about 50 totes, handbags and purses.

Blair realizes that the first three years, her business will be operating at a loss. In the meantime, she is being proactive about promoting her purses. She participated in the Bluff Country Art tour this spring. She will also be making her second appearance on the Northeast Iowa Artistsí Studio Tour in October.

She has started to apply for art fairs. ìThe good art fairs are difficult to get into,î she explained, ìYou have to send in high quality slides of your work and a board votes on whether you can be in the fair or not.î

High quality art fairs can yield good sales and give exposure to new artists.

Blair is also working on a web site. The site, www.YellowBird-Gallery.com, which she shares with her daughter, a jewelry artist, will be ready by the end of August.

Creating purses is a priority in her life even when teaching art class at Caledonia High School. She reserves a few nights a week where she only allows time for working on handbags. She also hired a housekeeper to clean on Saturdays so that she can spend that day working as well.

Because teaching is such an intense occupation, says Blair, making time for her work allows her a break from the stress and time to nourish her own artistic needs. ìIt happens to a whole lot of art teachers that teaching consumes them and they donít get to do art. I need to stay in touch so that what I bring is real,î she said.

Business shows students that art is viable occupation

Blair has learned a lot about high school students after the first year of teaching high school art class. She jokes, ìJolly Ranchers donít mean anything as far as class room discipline.î

Sheís learned that high school students have two questions, ìDo you really know what youíre teaching me?í and ëAre you going to follow through with your rules?íî

Blair has found that following through with the rules provides for a better learning environment in class.

And for her thatís important because an education is how she was able to achieve a better life. Blair grew up in a blue collar family and remembers sewing in seams at a factory. Education gave her more options. ìI donít know if kids understand that you canít do that in other countries,î she said.

Therefore, Blair is all business in class. ìIím there to provide an education and not easy street,î she explained.

She also uses her business to show students that art can provide a living. ìFor a graphics program, I put up overhead transparencies (of her handbag work in progress) and explain how I worked through the issue. I show them how the principle of good design works,î she said.

Business has no set hours

Anyone interested in seeing Blairís work may make an appointment by calling her at 563-544-4938 or visiting the gallery in Harmony.

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