We have another new online retail outlet selling and promoting our handbag sewing patterns. Please visit The Fold Line and click on patterns and then scroll down and click on bags to see! We are so pleased to be getting our sewing patterns ‘out there’. Thank you to all RTM followers who come back time and time again. We must be doing something right!
Snippets from this months Vogue magazine. Miniature florals are spot on trend!
We have just launched the ‘Annie’ bag. She is a compact satchel bag with a stylish front tassel tab. You might notice the latest catwalk looks from the likes of Chloe have dictated this fashion must have handbag.
The Annie is made out of a coat weight wool or we also think she would look great in a wool felt (a fabric we just love!).
A hidden magnetic clasp sits under the front flap and the shoulder strap can be made to suit your individual style …. Particularly if you like your shoulder bags slung on the hip!
Take a look and we would welcome your comments!
Habithat.co.uk are now stocking our paper sewing patterns!
As a special promotion Habithat are offering a 15% discount on each of our handbag sewing patterns.
Take a quick look as we are so excited by the launch and getting ‘Ready To Make Couture’ out there!
We get asked quite a lot if we can make up our handbags to customer requirements. I am please to say that we have just introduced RTM Atelier. RTM Atelier will be a bespoke atelier service that will work with our customers to make handmade and tailored handbags from any one of our patterns.
To celebrate the launch we have introduced The Lady ‘Anderson’ and The ‘Darling’ Dolly as made to order pieces from our RTM atelier range.
You can find the link here
It is so lovely to see what our customers are making with our patterns. Sheila has put a clever twist on the Lady ‘A’ with a cheeky flamingo print.
Thanks for sharing this with us Sheila!.
Following on from our earlier post about how best to protect the intellectual property and design rights when asked by makers if they can make up and sell handbags from our patterns. This is really a difficult question and we understand the argument from both sides? As a rule we say that our patterns are only to be used for personal use and not for commercial gain.
However, we have had to take the view, much like a recording artist or film maker, that the patterns we produce have an amount of intellectual property and copyright that we must look after and seek royalties via a license agreement should some one wish to make up bags from our patterns and sell them ( a bit like how music cd’s and dvd’s cannot be copied and sold without a license?).
Similar to many pattern makers, we are not a large business and our margins are tiny as I am sure most makers will understand?
We do hope our bags offer something different and come with a more high end fashion appeal which customers who buy the finished product will appreciate and certainly pay a little more for. So in the long run there may be enough margin for our makers to then build in enough to cover a license fee to sell the hand bags that they make up from our patterns and that both our businesses may grow from such a partnership.
We would be interested to hear from any one else who has faced this dilemma.
Here is a link to our ‘Makers Partnership Programme’:
We are eager to share our Annie Satchel Bag with you. The satchel is still hanging on in there as a catwalk classic but notably any satchel with sassy needs to offer a confident twist! Think Chanel or Versace as your starting point!
Our latest sewing pattern does just that! Taking its lead from the French couture houses, the Annie is made from a classic dogs tooth check in navy and white. She would also look great in a plain block navy and cream or even a contrast black and white. You chose as its your sewing pattern project!
The lining is a pure white waxed cotton from the Cloth Shop in Berwick Street, London.
We have added a neat little fringe to the front and back together with a fanciful front tassel bow. The Annie comes fully lined and with an invisible front magnetic clasp. The handle promises a versatile shoulder strap or can be carried as your hand held arm candy depending on your mood.
We now have 14 pattern pieces and are about to write up the simple to sew instructions.
Our next pattern is going to follow one of the hottest trends this season. Our mantra is to be sure that home made really can mean high fashion ! We have been playing around with the humble tassel to see how this can be hand fashioned as part of our next handbag sewing pattern. The pattern development is still in the early stages and we have yet to sample her up to see how she is going to look…but here is a quick look at where we are right now.
Ready to Make Couture ... at your fingertips ! 