Specialization in Artisanal Handbag Design and Creation

More than just accessories, handbags reflect identity, tradition, and innovation. Here, you’ll explore how craftsmanship and material choice shape not only functionality but personal expression. Discover how ancient practices blend with modern creativity, and why staying authentic is key in a competitive world. Let your hands tell stories through designs that are both timeless and uniquely yours.

One of the things that inspires me the most is mixing styles, so here I will tell you about some artists and designers who do it and they inspire me a lot.

In this lesson, I want to share my biggest influences with you. Where do I seek inspiration and what awakens my creativity.

Now I will tell you what inspires and helps me, both to create and to work. It is important to have references, although these may change as our project grows.

Like all creative people, I’m inspired by other people - mostly by those who choose to live a happy life caring about nature and simply being kind towards each other. I’m sure everyone who once was a pioneer of any craft was an amazing person. Crafts and hand-making build better communities, they give people a tool to be part of something.

In this lesson I review my favorite books dedicated to the world of basketry, whether traditional or contemporary.

To start, I'll show you the endless possibilities of materials and textures you can use for beaded bags.

During this lesson you will learn how to create samples with different types of beads and different levels of tension in ties so that you can get an idea of the rigidity you can obtain.

During this second part of the lesson, I will continue to show you the different fabrics that you can use to create unique designs on your bags. Also, this will help you determine the type of account you will use in your different projects.

To end this unit, I'll walk you through all the steps you need to know to understand the structure of your bag. You will see how to draw, draw lines and diagram!

I'll start by showing you how to develop, you're going to create a face of the bag with different colors so you can understand the structure of the bag.

In this second part, you will see how it looks finished on the face of the bag. It is important that you take the time to review this lesson as this is where you will learn how to prepare the gaps for seams.

It is time to get down to work. You will learn to bring your course project to life. I will show you how to start building the bag with the previously selected materials.

In this lesson you will see how to make the straps of the bag. In this first part you will learn how to make a long and simple strap.

Now I will show you how you can perform a short and complex strap. Remember that the choice of straps depends entirely on the style you want to give your bag.

Now you will see how to finish the bag. To do this, in this lesson I will teach you how to attach the straps to the bag and raise the sides.

In closing, I'll show you how to do the final details to fully put the bag together. Also, I'll show you what the finished bag looks like.

During this first lesson, I will explain how to add textures, charms and everything you can imagine to your bag.

I am going to tell you the step by step of the creation of a collection that we use in Santo Remedio and other important tips.

In this lesson, I will show you the materials that we are going to use to put together the content of our sample book.

In this lesson, I will explain how to develop our sample book with natural fibers. You will see how to weave a sample of the base and the body of a bag with each fiber.

In this second part of the lesson, I am going to finish the crochet piece and include it in our sample book. You will see it complete and organized with all the techniques that I explained to you in this elaboration stage.

In this lesson, I will teach you how to make accessories like tassels, pompoms, and long woven straps to decorate your bag.

In this lesson, I will teach you how to create a mood board. We will start by defining a clear idea of what we want to convey and at the same time it will be a method of inspiration for the design and creation of the piece.

In this lesson, we will land the design idea. To do this, we will select the material, shape, final patterns and colors with the help of our mood board and the sample card to obtain the final design of the bag.

In this lesson, you will see how to make an easy sketch and to serve as a guide when defining the design. It will be a simple drawing whose purpose is that we understand it ourselves, so make all the annotations that you think are appropriate. We will proceed to put this sketch on the technical sheets together with all the important information for the production of the bag.

As with most Macramé projects, I'll start the process by explaining how to make the handles. And since ours will be lined, in this lesson, I will teach you step by step.

Now that you know how to make the handles, we will start creating the bag. For that, we will take into account our final design and the different styles that exist to stay with the model that we like the most.

Now that we have the rhombuses at the top, I'm going to show you how to join each of them to a square or flat knot. Accompany me!

In this lesson, I will show you the different finishes that we can give to our bag.

In this lesson, you will learn which packaging is ideal to give away or to market your pieces without leaving the artisan / sustainable concept.

Now we will talk about the care you should give to your pieces.

In the last stage, I will give you some tips to improve your presence in networks and I will also teach you how to take easy photos with few materials.

In this lesson I am going to show you examples of iconic bags, drawstring bags and the importance of the relationship between design and functionality. It is essential to define the use that we are going to give to our creations and to know our material to perfection in order to create good products that are practical and last over time.

Next, I want to explain the importance of color to communicate your design. In addition, I will explain how to combine colors so that you make a coherent and balanced design.

Now we will see how is the material that we are going to use in our final project, the silk cord. We have different thicknesses, twists and finishes. According to our design, we will use one or the other. I am going to teach you how to manipulate the silk cord and how to create a fabric using the technique of weaving with two needles. We will see the stockinette stitch and the garter stitch and we will create a sample with the needles that we will use for our final project, these will have a thickness of 15 mm.

I am going to show you how to make three handles from the three cord thicknesses, with three different techniques: a four-strand braid, for the fine cord; twisted cord, for the medium cord, and a simple macrame knot, for the thick cord.

We are going to put together all the ideas and techniques that we find to create a mood board that guides us in our design process. We will combine our photos and samples that we will keep in a working filing cabinet, so we can use it whenever we need it.

Now is the time to design our bag based on the ideas that we have compiled in the mood board. Remember that our designs have to be original as well as comfortable and functional. Be consistent with the size of your design and the length of the handles depending on how you want to use it.

Now we are going to start working on our project. For this we will build with the technique of knitting with two needles, which we have practiced in Unit 2, the two outer parts that will form the body of our bag. Here I will teach you how to change the color so that you can create an original and fun design.

You have already learned how to make different drawstring handles, so you can use the one you like the most, but for my final project I am going to use the twisting technique to make the handles of our bag. We will also join the different pieces of the bag - outer caps and handles - to give shape to the project.

We continue to put together the different parts of our bag, paying attention to details.

The last part of the project is to make a lining for our bag. We will see how to make a simple pattern, different ways to sew it and how to attach it to the bag in such a way that it is fixed and supports the weight of what we carry inside.

After sewing the lining, it is time to join it to the body of the bag.

Now that you know how to make a silk drawstring bag by combining colors, why not customize it? I'm going to teach you some simple and very effective techniques to make your design even more unique.

Our designs must always be accompanied by a beautiful and practical packaging. The elements you choose will speak about you and your brand, so try to be consistent with the message you want to give.

I'm going to show you how I create simple and beautiful compositions to take professional photos of my products with my mobile.

Our course project will be a bag. A bag is something we all carry with us every day. It may be a backpack, a laptop bag, a suitcase, or a simple phone pocket. You use a bag for practical reasons, but you can also choose a design that fits with your personal style. And this bag you can make yourself. First, I will show you several variations of crochet bags I have made during my career as a designer. Some of these bags have been touring the world with me, some of them I have at my studio waiting to get to be used. To give your crochet bag a long life, choose your yarn wisely. Later on, we'll talk more about yarns. Next, I will show what you'll need when designing a bag with your own pattern - starting with the size, the pattern repeats, where and how to sew a zipper, whether the bag needs a lining, how to attach handles, where to sew buttons and how to use a reinforcing cotton ribbon. There are many ways to create your bag, and I will give you some tips that will help you in your design process. I guess you have questions about the bags I have just shown you. They all have different patterns! Where did I find the inspiration for these bags?

Yarns. Don’t we all love them! Visiting your favorite yarn shop after a long day of work just brightens up the day! It is so relaxing and inspiring to squeeze the fluffy soft rolls and plan your next project. My course yarns are from Lankava, a Finnish yarn house that has a long history of providing people with yarns and craft tools. We have been working together for ten years and I’m happy to soon have my own yarn collection made with Lankava. For the main work, the black and white backpack, I have used Liina yarn. Liina is made from one hundred percent cotton and fits any project that needs to be mighty strong, because the yarn is basically unbreakable. The soft rug is made of Frotee yarn, which is a famous weaving yarn from the early 1990s. Lankava has brought it back to production with new solid colors. The black and white shawl is made of Alpaca boucle, a soft and warm yarn nice to crochet with a big hook. The colorful pillow is made of wool with a three-color tapestry technique, same as the fluffy wall hanging.

Let's now talk about how to design a grid-based crochet pattern. The nature of a crocheted texture is grid-based, and in most cases, you can design your pattern on grid paper, the same paper you used during your maths exam. But why grid paper? Why not sketch paper? If you have been crocheting before, you know that the stitches are all stacked on top of each other forming a grid-based pattern. Imagine if the stitches were Legos. We would use the square and the rectangular ones to create a crochet pattern by building a surface where you only have certain moves to make. These moves represent the stitches you will crochet, in our case, single crochet stitches (square lego) and double crochet stitches (rectangular lego). So when we design the crochet pattern, we use the grid base as a map for the stitches. You can go wild as well, skip the grid paper, and crochet on: This would be called free-form crochet. But with a grid-based crochet design, you can explore the limits of the grid and see how complicated a pattern you are able to create. I have a few of my pattern design memos to show you, they are all grid-based. There are three types of grid in the memo: a square, a rectangular, and a honeycomb shape. The latter is for designing patterns for tube-shaped single crochet surfaces. We will use the rectangular grid. Next, we learn how to read the grid-based color charts and the universal crochet symbols, which often look like some weird alien language. What about the pattern repeat? Let’s see how that works.

Patterns are everywhere! I believe the patterns we surround ourselves with have a big impact on our mindset. Needless to say, this is my favorite part of my job: designing the pattern aka pattern spotting. You might always be on the creative lookout like me, but as humans, we don’t always register the beauty of the moment - it's our subconsciousness that does this. It collects and packs the visual information we see, the sounds we hear, the emotions we feel. It then stirs it all up and ... There you have it: your designer identity. The majority of my works are in black and white, this is how people see my designer identity. This is a fun part of the course: Keep your senses open and your camera close, maybe carry a sketchbook in your pocket as well before going out to spot patterns. We will focus on the details of nature, observe architecture, breathe in the colors we see, and smile at people when walking around. Observe what you see and feel when reading a book, when watching a movie, when visiting a new restaurant, when talking to your grandma. The idea is to collect inspiration and get creative for the next lesson in which you will focus on drawing the pattern.

Let's start drawing! Grab your pencils and paper, let’s get creative. Just remember, you don’t need to be an artist to create your crochet patterns, just use your imagination and choose colors that make you feel inspired.

First, let’s have a look at the most common crochet stitches. In most of my works, I’m using a double crochet stitch, a tall stitch that goes well with accessories and home decorations. The other stitch I prefer is a single crochet stitch. This one is smaller and stronger than a double crochet stitch, making it perfect for any work that needs a strong texture. I use this stitch in small wallets and purses, sometimes in small rugs as well. There are many variations of these two common stitches, but with just these two you can make amazing patterns. For joining the rounds and finishing the edges we use a slip stitch, and to start each crocheted piece we use a chain stitch. Let’s now make some stitch samples.

You have now learned to make stitches with one yarn. Let’s mix it up a bit and add more yarns. This is called tapestry crochet.

You have done a wonderful job of learning the idea behind the crochet technique, drawing your pattern, and even doing the first stitches! Now let’s start the course project. Grab your yarns, two or more colors, and here we go! Start with 95 chain sts with white yarn: This is called the foundation chain. Then, grab the black yarn and carry it inside the stitches. Work 2 dc in 4th st from the hook leaving the black yarn inside the sts. Check out the tapestry lesson if you forgot how to carry the yarn in your work. With white yarn, work altogether 14 dc counting in the chains. Change to black yarn and work 4 dc, change to white yarn. Continue the work by following the pattern chart.

Now we are at the end of the foundation chain. To work a closed bottom, you have to work on both sides of the chain. First work 6 dc in the last chain, then continue working on the other side of the chain. Follow the pattern chart. If you want to leave the bottom open, work a longer foundation chain and close it with a slip stitch. If you want to work a back and forth pattern, turn here at the end of the foundation chain, leaving the yarn one st from the end and jumping to the new row with 2-3 chain sts.

You have now come to the end of your first round. We should now work a slip stitch to close the round. Take a close look at your work and the 3 chains you have left standing at the beginning of the round. To work the sl st, insert your hook through the topmost chain, work a sl st into it. Leave the carry-on yarn out of the sl st, it will stay at the backside of the work leaving a loop. Next, we jump to round 2. Work a standing double stitch with white yarn, this will be your first dc of each round from this on. Grab the black yarn in the work and continue working dc sts with white yarn.

We have been slowly crocheting on the second round, carrying the other yarn inside the stitches all the time. Let’s stop for a second and take a look at the backside of the work. The carry-on yarn should be hiding inside the stitches, but what if it forms loops? If there are loops between the stitches, you have to have a tighter grip on the carry-on yarn. Hold both yarns in your hand while working, but make sure not to pull the carry-on yarn too tight. What is your favorite thing to do while crocheting? Do you watch movies, listen to music, or chat with friends? Working round after round can be tiring and sometimes monotonous, but the result is always worth the work. We have now finished the first full pattern repeat, 20 rounds. This bag pattern has three horizontal pattern repeats and 2,5 vertical pattern repeats.

You made it! Now let’s work the last round of the bag together. Usually, I work the last round in single crochet stitches because it will reinforce the edge.

Did you notice that the crochet piece you just made has a multifunctional shape? It can be a tote bag with two long handles, a pouch with a zipper and a lining, or a backpack with a belt fastening. Let’s see what we can make!

Let's now sew the leather belt into the final piece. This way, you'll be able to close your handmade bag and take it wherever you want. Looks nice, doesn't it?

One of the coolest things about making crochet patterns is their multiple uses! You can use the same pattern in so many ways and it will look different in each work. The colors and thickness of yarn already change the pattern a lot, but what happens when you work the tube-shaped pattern in back and forth? Let's have a look!

Do you have a favorite designer brand? Or a brand that you keep on seeing everywhere? Take a moment and think about what makes that specific brand recognizable. Is it the color palette, the repeating shapes, the materials, the patterns and prints? If you want to stand out and let people know about your brand, start by creating a recognizable style. Since the start of my design career, my patterns have had the same significant style: geometrical and, most of the time, black and white. They are easy to spot from afar! Apart from the cool surfaces and timeless structure, the purpose of my patterns and works is to be practical and simple, easy to make. I make patterns for people.

After hours of crocheting, how do you feel? Your shoulders may be a bit tired, but you did some stretching in the meantime? I often find myself sitting still for hours and crocheting, and when I get up, my knees are macaroni. To avoid this, have breaks, get up from your chair, stretch your shoulders and legs, crack your knucklebones and get back to work. The mental health factor of hand-making has been in the media a lot lately. Research has proven that sitting and crocheting has many positive health benefits, as does any other repetitive craft. Your stress levels go down and your mind cleanses up while you work on the stitches and hold soft yarns in your hands. We may know this already, being crocheters for a lifetime, but I’m happy it has scientific support as well.

In this lesson what I intend is to give a broad view of the world of vegetable fibers so that you are able to recognize a bit the different types of vegetable fibers that can be applied and used in basket weaving.

In this lesson we will see the materials and tools that are very basic that we will use for the course project.

In this lesson I am going to tell you how we are going to prepare the material for our project and the precautions that we have to have.

In this lesson I explain the first steps we have to take to develop the basis of our bag.

In this lesson I explain how to finish our base to proceed to lift the bag.

In this lesson, we applied a different material to the one we were doing to add decorative details.

Now we continue with the next phase of the bag, once we have woven with the tire the desired size we will start with the auction. In this lesson I explain how to do it.

In this lesson I am going to explain to you how to place twisted handles with the roten medulla of number 2 that we have also used for the fabric of the bag.

In this personalization lesson, I am going to give you different ideas and suggestions on how you can modify the fabric weft of the bag.

In this lesson I am going to tell you a series of recommendations and practical advice when working in basket weaving.