Pigeon Stitch

I absolutely LOVE bags!! All bags, all colors, shapes and sizes. Pidgeon Stitch has some really nice overnight bags, smaller bags and purses! Love the colors!! :)

*Where are you from? Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am originally from Reading, England but have lived for over half of my life now in Brighton & Hove, UK. Brighton & Hove (two town now combined to make a city) is on the South Coast of the UK about an hour by train from London.

I was trained originally as an artist and studied 3-Dimensional Design at Brighton Art College, but have since also trained in Horticulture and Garden Design. Apart from that I have always sewn for pleasure since I was about 7! I used to make my doll's clothes but I don't remember ever being taught except for rudimentary use of the old hand powered Singer sewing machine that my mother had. Techniques have been picked up over the years from unpicking, copying or guesswork and reading patterns over the years.

*How did you decide on your shop name? Why did you start your business?
My shop name is PIDGEONSTITCH and this is simply because my surname is Pidgeon and I 'stitch'!

I started putting my produce on Etsy and the UK website Folksy in June 2009 so really that is when the business started properly. I also ran a stall a couple of times on Brighton seafront last summer and intend to continue the stalls alongside the websites - it's good to get out there and meet people to see what they really think!

*What’s your supply addiction; is there a specific color or type of supply you just can’t pass up?
Quite often it is a fabric or pattern on a fabric that will inspire me. I collect fabrics and have them colour-coded (well approximately!) in my cupboard on shelves. I love to combine fabrics and often will make something simply because it will enable me to put 2 fabrics together into a useful item. I can't resist fabric shops and cannot pass one by without checking out if there is anything new in there. Even if there isn't I will more often than not find something I really 'need' at that point in time!!

Recently I been enjoying making the larger bags and then adding matching items (using up the pieces of fabric left over). I most enjoy crafting something from, for example, an awkwardly shaped remnant and making the most of it. That's the satisfaction of using up everything and not wasting (having been brought up to be thrifty).