s/he: a short story

s/he: is a satchel with an element of cool, an element of refinement, finesse and 100% handmade by me.

s/he: came to be from a ‘pay it forward’ on facebook. a fabulous idea which circulated the pages of friends and friends of friends at the beginning of the year. the idea was to commit yourself to making a handmade something.. anything within a year for the first 5 friends who listed their names under your ‘pay it forward’ post.. the first 5 then have to post the same ‘pay it forward’ commitment on their walls and so it goes on.. friends.. friends of friends making something special x 5.

i spent the next weeks wondering what was i going to make. i didn’t want to send an m2matiz product.. i didn’t think it appropriate for some reason.

i finally decided to make bags and actually bought a pattern and patterned fabrics online [from the states].. but it all looked a little too frou frou, too girlie and ‘nice’. i had recently bought good quality denim with the intention of making a dress or skirt but wasn’t inspired. after staring at it for quite sometime, i decided to design a satchel/bag myself using said denim. i needed one for everyday with a neat little pocket for my phone, one that was light inside so i could see what was in there, one that could fit a 1/2 litre bottle of water without it looking too bulky, one that could hold a large wallet and notebook, one that looked neat and compact but i could actually fit quite a bit in there and i’d leave the kitchen sink at home. you know the one?

so that was that then… a satchel. we even had a roll of seatbelt webbing in the garage, so i made the first ‘pay it forward’ gift and was pretty pleased with how it turned out.

the receiver of my first ‘pay it forward’ gift lives here in melbourne and she loves it. after a few wears, she told me a couple of her friends had commented on it and asked if i’d make one for them. a shop keeper in the coolest of cool shops commented on it! i was feeling a little chuffed! it got me thinking.

so back to my short story [becoming longer by the second]. i was a little stuck with the one male friend i was to make for though. hubby took one look at the satchel i’d made and said ‘make a bag for him, it’s great and while you’re at it, can you make one for me too? but no ‘she’ on mine thanks. no words, just plain for me.’ so the second and third were made, both lined with an aboriginal style vintage tablecloth fabric… perfect for my friend in belgium! and he loves it too… ‘totally love the bag! it’s great to use on the bike too’.

i made another ‘pay it forward’ today… all wrapped ready to send to california tomorrow. i’m hoping to make the remaining two this week. i know where one is going and the other? i can’t remember.. so i’ll have to do a bit of investigating!

i’ve since made one for myself.. [pictured here] and after sourcing more seatbelt webbing i’ve decided to put it out there. i’ve yet to select a set of lining fabrics to choose from, so if you’re interested in purchasing one before the set has been finalised, please contact me to discuss your preference for lining, be it colour or style or maybe you’re up for a surprise?!

for more images and a detailed description click here.
s/he: is not available as a wholesale item.

hope you all had a wonderful weekend!
mx