Happy Friday!

Happy Friday lovely readers! I hope you have had a good week and are looking forward to the weekend. This week I have made a crossbody bag for myself using gorgeous fabric given to me by my neighbour Mako. This leads me on to a subject which is very dear to my heart.

My Own Crossbody Handbag

Made from fabric from my lovely neighbour Mako….the strap is a belt from a pair of trousers

September is all about ethics and the environment as it is Secondhand September and also Organic September. Claire & I love to reuse fabric & haberdashery given to us by friends who have no further use for them. We turn it into makes such as rag wreaths and fabric art pictures. We also love to make patchwork fabric which we then turn into bags and homeware. This means zero waste and no landfill plus all the items are unique. Some of our makes are below….

Secondhand September began as a campaign by Oxfam as a way of getting people to donate, reuse or rewear their clothing. A frightening statistic from The Ethical Consumer is that around 360,000 tonnes of clothes are thrown away every year. The Ethical Consumer does say that over the last few years this figure has been improving with more people (of all ages) stating they are buying more secondhand clothes or supporting small businesses and buying handmade.

Organic September is the UK’s largest campaign for the organic market. This year celebrates the 50th anniversary of the organic certification in the UK. In Wales there are more and more companies encompassing the organic ethos. In Swansea we have the amazing FarmCo who celebrate both organic food & drink and local businesses. Check out their website as they showcase different farmers and growers every week.

This week they are highlighting grass fed beef produced by the Douglas family in Penmaen, Gower, Swansea

Have a look at their website (link above) for opening hours and even recipes

Thank you for reading and I will see you next Friday. This will also be the day our second newsletter goes out. We have had lovely feedback from our subscribers. For October we will be looking at sustainability and also starting a series looking at the history of the handbag x Suzanne

Hello Friday!

Hello and happy Friday. I hope you’ve had a good week. Claire & I were at The Vintage & Makers Market in the National Waterfront Museum Swansea last weekend. It is run by the lovely Kevin & John of Cow & Ghost Vintage. As usual it was a busy weekend. We met lots of new people as well as some of our regular customers.

I’ve been away for a few days this week staying in Llangennith. It has been fab waking up to the sound of the sea and being able to see it through our window. Even though it’s only half an hour drive from home I feel like I’m a million miles away. I love walking barefoot on the beach and watching the waves. It blows away the cobwebs and clears my mind.

We’ve got a busy few weeks ahead preparing for some new markets. October 7th we have a guest spot at Kidwelly Market. This is a lovely market with lots of interesting vendors. We are then at The National Wool Museum in Drefach Felindre on October 28th. This is a Vintage and Makes Market hosted by Cow & Ghost Vintage. We are excited to be part of these markets. It’s always great to meet new people…vendors and customers alike.

Have a great week and see you next Friday x Suzanne

Hello Friday!

New crossbody handbag

Loving this new style

It has a detachable adjustable strap and a zipper closure with an outer zipped pocket and inner slip pocket

Well hello everyone on this gorgeous sunny Friday. How has your week been? We’ve been busy at Sister Makes. We were at The Heart of the Valley Show in Pontardawe last Saturday. It was a really lovely show. There was something for all the family plus the weather was great. It was a lovely start to September. We debuted our integrity scarves which were well received. Everyone loved the different colours.

This week we have been busy sewing for The Vintage and Makers Market at the Swansea Maritime Museum. We are there for the Saturday and Sunday. It is always a great weekend with many stalls full of antiques, vintage items and different crafts. Support your small local businesses. They have beautiful and unique gift ideas. There is a lot going on outside with a food festival in the museum square for the weekend and the Marina Outdoor Market on the Sunday.

We look forward to seeing you

It is free to get in

We have lots of bags including some new handbags as well as our signature rice and knot bags. They are all individual and quirky. Claire & I do love a bit of colour. We are showcasing our new handbags at the market this weekend but they are also on our website Sister Makes. Let us know what you think of them.

I know the children have gone back to school but hopefully you will get a chance to get out this weekend and in the evenings and enjoy the fabulous weather. Even a short walk in the evening is good for the soul. Have a lovely week and see you next Friday x Suzanne

Crossbody Handbags

Again these are great everyday bags which will get loads of use. The main body closes with a magnetic clasp on the flap and has a zipped outside pocket and an inside slip pocket.

The Joy of a Crossbody Bag!

Our crossbody handbag…

This is a great size. It may only be small but it is great for your everyday needs. Just ask Claire! This is her’s and she uses it all the time. We can make them in all colours and to suit you.

What’s your perfect everyday bag? Claire & I love a crossbody bag! These bags go across your torso keeping all your belongings safe, close and easy to hand. They are great for your everyday life but are really useful for all sorts of adventures. Crossbody bags come in all shapes and sizes - from handbag to messenger bag. At Sister Makes we love to make our favourite bags but especially the crossbody style.

This is an example of our messenger bags…

This was made for a lovely lady who wanted a bag to take on her travels to Australia. It needed to hold her iPad, phone and all her documentation safely. I used five different fabrics to make the flap and pockets in patchwork. It has a patch pocket under the flap, a zip pocket in the back, a patch pocket inside and another zipped pocket inside making it an ideal bag for travel or work.

We love to make our bags using beautiful Japanese fabrics but we also love patchwork and quilting. The world is your oyster! We can make a bag in your colour and style. For more ideas have a look at our gallery on our website www.sistermakes.co.uk. You can also follow us on Instagram and Facebook. If you haven’t already please sign up for our newsletter. We will be starting the newsletters from August and there will be 10% off crossbody bags for newsletter subscribers.