New and Improved Etsy

I am in the process of posting my lovely, hand-made purses. Please, come visit my site at http://www.theurbanfabric.etsy.com/ to see my new purses.

Vogue!

"Vogue!" is what my friend A.S. said when I asked her to model my purses. (Thanks A.S.) In the brisk spring wind we took pictures at the lovely Washington Park. This is my latest purse. Check my etsy site (http://www.theurbanfabric.etsy.com/ ) next week for purse listings. I can't wait for music in Washington Park this summer; a blanket, picnic basket, my boys and some music.

Goals

So far the goal of sewing one purse a day is working. Here's "Lavender" in Amy Butler fabrics. The inside is hand batiked blue with a pocket and place to hang keys. Hopefully, I'll sew another purse today.

Three Cuties

Spring is finally here (officailly) in WI. Today it is sunny, but who knows what tomorrow will bring. Small shoots of green are popping through the brown earth. My goal is to sew one purse a day, and I have been drawn into sewing my Cream City Clutches. Here are the three I have made so far. I have been looking at a piece of irridecent silk for the next clutch; stay tuned for a picture when it is finished.

Read All About It!

Just a little bragging...Alex, my husband, just won the Exceptional Achievement Award from the City of Milwaukee! Way to go Honey!

Cream City Clutch

Here is the newest, sleekest, smallest of my purses. It is a clutch that measures 9 inches wide at the top, 10 inches wide at the bottom and is about 7 inches tall. Is is made from upholstery weight fabric and lined with the Asian parasol fabric. This sweet clutch has an interior pocket and a magnetic snap closure. There is plenty of room for night-on-the-town essentials. Check out my etsy site ( http://www.theurbanfabric.etsy.com/ ) soon for the listing.

Poetry

Normally poetry is a mystery to me but this struck me this morning. It is from "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers on March 22nd. I hope you enjoy it, too.

We cannot kindle when we will
The fire which in the heart
resides,
The spirit bloweth and is still,
In mystery our soul
abides;
But tasks in hours of insight willed
Can be through hours of gloom
fulfilled.

Space and Growing

Living in an urban setting, space can be limited. Thankfully space in our bungalow is not. We have four bedrooms and switch the rooms in our house frequently. The room that has had the most visitors is the "back room." It has been a junk room, our bedroom, Grandma Lucy's room, guest room and now my beautiful, wonderful sewing room where I create and sew my purses. My excellent husband has given me free reign over the sewing sanctuary. It also doubles as the playroom for our son. This way, I can sew and keep an eye on him. As you can see in the picture, our cat, Owl, likes it too. She has a great view of the squirrels running up and down the maple trees in our backyard. I enjoy the view, too. Soon I will be able to look out the window and see new life in our vegetable garden. I am looking forward to planting the seeds that are already sprouting in the basement. We have space to grow.

Welcome!

You've found the urban fabric -- a high-quality, hand-crafted alternative to your run-of-the-mill, mass-produced, "name brand" purses. Here, every purse and clutch is a unique labor of love, especially designed by me, Jessie Runner, out of my own Milwaukee bungalow.

I've lived in the historic Sherman Park neighborhood for about five years, with my husband, toddler son and an assortment of pets. (Including one recently-rescued stray cat that my son named "Owl.") People move from all over the world to reside in Sherman Park, a racially and economically diverse community with historically well-designed homes, for the same reasons that I think you'll love the urban fabric. Just like every individual, family and neighborhood is unique, I take time and effort to make every purse (or clutch) uniquely attractive and useful.

This site is a place for you to get to know me and my products -- as well as my life here in the "Cream City," (Milwaukee) and the Sherman Park neighborhood. If you're tired of buying impersonal purses every year, just to see them fall apart annually at the seams, then why not purchase a reliable (and gorgeous, if I do say so myself) product from the urban fabric? You can find all my hand-crafted offerings right here: theurbanfabric.etsy.com

I only sell purses that I would want to carry myself (I'm an on-the-go mom and registered nurse) and I only allow my best creations to bear the name the urban fabric. These are not only beautiful purses, they're also practical. I started the urban fabric, because I enjoy sewing and wanted to offer something unique: plenty of easy-to-reach pockets for keys, wallets, diapers, etc. -- but also a fun, smart outer design that doesn't have "frumpy mom" written all over it.

So feel free to peruse the urban fabric site to your heart's desire. And you are more than welcome to drop me a line with a comment, question or request. A great purse might not rank as high as living in a good neighborhood, but it can still make a difference in your quality of life.