FAQs: more on making bags, or confessions of a fabric junkie

Another frequently asked question is: where do you get your fabrics? The fabrics I choose, and how I combine them, are key to the distinctive style of Red Delicious bags, so obviously this is extremely important.

Most sewers are fabric junkies who love the excitement of finding an awesome piece of fabric and fashioning it into something, and I'm no exception. Choosing and acquiring fabric is, far and away, the most fun I have in all my varied work with Red Delicious.

When I started making bags I would hunt through the remnant bins and tables at retail stores like Pacific Fabrics and Joann's. Or I would comb the racks at Goodwill and other thrift stores, which proved to be a great source of vintage fabrics and brand new lengths of interesting cloth. I still frequently check out the Pacific Fabrics outlet store on Fourth Avenue South in Seattle, which offers an ever-changing selection of amazing and inspiring fabrics of all kinds.

However the quantity of bags I produce these days means I need a more consistent, and less time-consuming, source of fabrics. So I mostly buy at wholesale warehouses, open only to businsesses buying in quantity, taking trips about three times a year to stock up.

Each time I get to spend a couple of days hunting through endless racks of fabric for just the right ones for Red Delicious bags. I shop for the outer embellishment fabrics - the polka dots, stripes, swirls and patterns that my customers know and love. But equally important to me is finding lovely lining fabrics that compliment the outside of the bags. And I also stock up on some of the basics: the canvas and interfacing.

The process is both exhausting and exhilarating. I make notes and often track back to check out the same fabrics over and over again while I figure out the right balance of colors and patterns that meet my production needs and fit my budget. Often one glance tells me a fabric is right for Red Delicious bags. Sometimes I need to think about it a bit more - I like it but will my customers? But these 'gamble' fabrics, as I think of them, often turn out to be the most popular and successful.

My next buying trip will be in early September, for my fall and early winter bags. I have a clear vision of the kind of fabrics I'll be seeking, and I'm already picking up lengths of cloth that fit my design ideas when I see them... because as all fabric junkies know I can never resist checking out what's available when I'm near a store.

A sneak peak: I'll be moving in a slightly new direction this fall. The design sensibilities will be classic Red Delicious - fun, color, pattern, distinctive, contemporary. But the type of fabric will be a bit different. I'll reveal more details soon.