zippy bag

Friday, May 18, 2007 @ 9:45 pm
Filed under bags I have made, sewing

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I finished the prototype bag for a new friend’s new business that I mentioned the other day. It was essentially just another tote but it had a few features that were new to me, such as a zipper closure and Iron-on Vinyl on all fabric pieces.

We were pretty happy with it - though being a prototype we did of course identify some changes and improvements. It’s a really interesting process though, working on a very specific design, nutting out all the details and working out just exactly what is required.

Working on something with a new business partner, from the very beginning, right through all the stages and taking it to completion is proving to be a very valuable exercise, as I usually work alone. I have been quite organised, keeping track of my time and of the costs so far - I will need to charge for consultancy, design and labour at least. What about meetings and phone calls, time spent researching online etc?

Once a few more decisions have been made, I will make another prototype and once it is all finalised, then I’ll be selling it wholesale exclusively to this new business. I have to keep a few details quiet for now, but will tell all once it is ready for her to launch.

Working with the Iron-on Vinyl was interesting - I had always meant to try it out for myself actually. It gives quite a good effect but seems to be prone to marks and little scratches which mar the surface. For this reason, the next prototype may not use this product after all. We are working on another idea.

Another new thing to me was to insert a zipper and placket into the top of the tote. It was quite successful, though I will need to perfect the technique and tweak it a little. I like the zipper closure so it may well appear in some of my future bag designs.