OhGosh! Handmade Bags

As you have no doubt gathered by now, I love handbags. Be it vintage or modern, mass produced or handmade, I can't resist a good bag. When you make your own though, quite often I look at bags and think I could make that myself, instead of buying it. That's actually what got me started in the first place, I had bought a few appliqued fabric bags and suddenly thought why buy them when I am more than capable of making my own?

Having said that, when I do make them, as much as I love them all, I do feel that I ought to sell them. If I kept them all I wouldn't have much of a business! It is quite a buzz when someone wants to buy an item you have spent time creating. It makes you realise that what you make maybe quite good after all.

I quite enjoy perusing the marketplace for handbags. I love scouring auctions for vintage, the High Street for mass produced lovelies which won't break the bank and of course, craft sites for one off handmade creations. It was on Etsy that I first came across Gosia Weber who is a fellow bag maker based in the UK. Her shop name is "OhGosh" and I couldn't resist buying a carpet bag from her back in January 2008, it was love at first sight!

The bag, entitled "Busy Street in the Lunchtime" is appliqued with Gosia's trademark elongated people which I love. I was not only drawn to the colours in the bag (I love turquoise) but also the quirky style and the brilliant title. Measuring 40cm x 13cm x 28cm and lined in bright red, the bag features a zipped top and two internal pockets, which makes it a really useful bag with plenty of room for all my clutter.

When the bag arrived, I was really impressed with the quality of her work. As a bag maker, trust me, I have a fairly critical eye. Especially where the competition is involved! I couldn't fault the bag, I just loved it too much and it has been well used since I bought it.

A few weeks ago, I decided to stop by Gosia's Etsy store again to see what she was making. Turned out to be a costly visit as I fell in love with another of her gorgeous bags. This one is called "Stroking the right way - not furry bag". The vibrant orange just grabbed my attention, together with the appliqued people.

Made of thick, orange corduroy, with chocolate faux suede handles and base, this bag measures 25cm x 30cm x 12cm and features a central internal pocket. Having fought with a bag frame myself lately when making a clutch bag, I have an even greater appreciation of this bag. Trying to attach bag frames is a really fiddly occupation. This frame is attache perfectly with no glue leakage to be seen.

The number of fans of Gosia's shop, plus the number of sales she has achieved are testament to the popularity of her work. As well as her Etsy store, you can also find her items listed on Folksy and Dawanda. I will certainly be dropping by again in the future and will no doubt end up with another bag for my collection, why don't you take a look too.