A little bit about good old me!
Im Becky Alexander-Frost, the Creator and Founder of R.j.A.f MAKES.
I started R.j.A.f MAKES nearly 3 years ago now. Its all down to my husband Michael, who came back from a charity shop with an enfants ice hockey top and said it wont fit the kids but do you want it. Well Michael thought I could make a cushion from it, YER RIGHT! I was thinking big, well big ish! At first I was saying I will make a simple shopping tote, but a week went by of me surfing the net watching every YouTube channel I could find on bag making and thats when I found a huge world of bag making. It was like my bag collection (YES I have a bag addiction) could grow even bigger by me making my own bags. So I started to look at SWOON patterns and this is where I meet the Maise Bowler, and this was my first ever bag out of a £4 kids ice hockey jersey and some Faux Leather.
My 1st ever Bag The Masie Bowler
Would I change anything now on this bag, YES I would, the Faux leather I used was of a cheap value and feels fake to me, compared to the Marine weight high qulity I use now. The Hardware is cheap and i've had to replace the lobster clasp hooks with the latest better qulity ones I use now. Also I didn't know anything about foam stablisers, so I used fleece and if im honest the bag goes floppy. But overall I still use this bag to take to ice hockey games and still use it for everyday when I need a light weight bag.
The Ice Hockey Bags haven't stopped there for me, after turning up to the 1st local game of that new season, fans were coming up to me asking me where I had got it from and that is when I got to say " I Made It!" there faces were priceless. Thats when my adventure actually started for me nearly 3 years ago. I had friends coming to me with there old jerseys and asking what bag I could come up with for them. It wasn't just the ladies it was men too, but I couldn't make a hangbag for them now could I!
So I went to the drawing boards and came up with a rucksack disign and drew up a pattern for a rucksack bag
See I had a fair few given to me to make into bags and these are pobably half of them.
Some of these are in my Etsy shop to buy.
After this I decided to go on facebook and look for groups in the bag making world, this is where I came across BBM ( British Bag Makers) Group. I've now joined loads more groups and have made friends in all of these groups. However BBM is where my bag making friendship journey started for me, and this is where I could ask about patterns and what I was doing wrong if I couldn't get the tabs to sit right for example. These bagineers helped me out loads and now I class them as friends.
Once I saw new patterns which these friends on BBM and other groups where making I needed to buy them and make them so here are some of bags I have made. Bear in mind I can't list them all as there is too many now but I will give you the links to my instagram and facebook page so you can see of them.
Like I said there is way to many to show
Its only in the last 5 months of my adventure has really taken a turn for the better. I put this down to the designers I have worked with, as a pettern testers. But what really shocked me was a British Pattern Designer asking me to join her team and start working for her on the soical media side of thing and thats Samantha Hussy AKA Sewing patterns by Mrs H
And this takes me to now. So whats in the picture for me!
well who knows I am looking at starting a new collection of high end but affordable bags but this is still in the early stages.
I will be posting every so often so please follow me and you can join me on my bag making journey.
Thanks and have a great day
Becky
x
Fascinating to read how you started in bagmaking, I started sewing at school with dressmaking classes in my era they still were on the curriculum. I was a ballroom dancer so used to make my own dresses and other clothes. I have made the odd bag but only from lighterweight fabrics and I have to say not stabilized properly. Look forward to this new journey I am also a member of British Bagmakers and love seeing the photos of your bag. Have you always sewn them on an industrial or did you start out using a domestic? Heather
ReplyDeleteHey there Heather.
DeleteWith regard to yout question first no I didn't start bag making on an industrial. I only have had my industrial for 6 months now. I actually started bag making on my Elna 240 home machine with a good walking foot. The reason I got an industrial with all the custom orders I was getting I could complete them fast enough on my home machine so I had to get a better machine. My intention wasn't of to get an industrial but it's actually the best machine I ever brought. I was on my home machine making only 2 bags a week I can complete at least 6 on my industrial per week. I used to actually make clothes for me and kids but I wasnt overly keen on what I was making so I fell in love with bag making because it goes with my addiction of collecting bags. Ballroom dresses take a lot of work so hats off to you. I'm really glad you have found BBM it's a awesome place to ask questions about bag making etc and meeting like minded people. Keep an eye on this blog for reviews and how to's.
Becky x
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI love this post. I too have a desire to make bags. However, I have a tendency to try and wing it way too often. On top of that, I am a self taught novice sewer with so very much to learn.
I currently have my first BoHo Bag 1/2 completed because I am a little confused about how to connect lining (winging it~no pattern).
Anyway, I wanted to thank you for your blog, and for your Instagram acct; which is where I found you. Your bags are beautiful, and are an inspiration.
I also want to thank you for talking about how you journey began. It helps me think about what I need to do. I always have good intentions of learning, then I hop on Instagram, and find myself caught up in admiring the lovely work of others.
I hope to someday find my nich in this beautiful bag community. Until then, I will continue to admire the work of all you talented bag makers.
I thank you again for sharing about your bag making journey. I look forward to seeing your new collection.
Much love from Oklahoma,
Shellie��
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