The Perfect Handbag

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I won’t even apologize for not posting. But, hopefully after the move, when life settles a bit, we’ll get back to a state of sanity, and I can do all the updates I’ve had planned for months.

So, I decided, to lift my spirits, I’d get myself another handbag. I have a massive collection; I lost count around 98 bags; and I pride myself on collecting truly unique bags. I am NOT a designer girl, as if you had your doubts. I hate labels or paying for a name. I also adore most anything handmade, especially if it’s made in the US. I also refuse to pay scads for a handbag because not only do I not have that kind of cash, some of the more expensive members of my collection were simply not worth it. I also have a fundamental problem with a handbag costing the same (or more) than my car.

Over the last year, as my mobility has become limited and my pain has increased, I discovered much to my regret that much of my handbag collection is borderline unusable for me. I have a lot of cross-body bags that do horrors to my back and shoulder bags that wreak havoc on the arthritis in my shoulders, wrists, hands, and spine. What to do? I use a rolling bag for work, but I’m not about to saddle all my accoutrements in rolling luggage for a night on the town– like those happen. But, when they do, my options have become limited.

Last year, while struggling with my dad on hospice, I was at an event, NJ Paraunity,

promoting our book Tails from the Other Side: Pets and the Paranormal. 

In an effort to get my mind off things, I walked the con floor and on the far side of the gym (the event was in a local public school), I found what has to be the mecca of geekly handbags: Made by Pattie.

Just scroll through her Facebook gallery and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Go on. I’ll wait.

At the time, I was having mobility and arthritic issues– but I didn’t guess that some of the bags I was using might have been making the issues worse. So, I wasn’t shopping with a mind toward physical comfort and my physical limitations. If something caught my eye and was reasonably priced, it came home to roost in my collection. To be honest, I’ve never taken to any of the so-called ergonomic bags out there. They were either uncomfortable, brutally ugly, or just not convenient.

As I perused the cornucopia of prints and styles at Pattie’s booth, I was drawn to one particular style, the Bowler Bag. The dimensions are a roomy 14 inches wide (or long depending on how you’re looking at the bag), 10 inches high at the highest point (or deep if you’re looking inside). It’s zippered closed, with 2 internal pockets, 1 of which is also zippered. It’s fully lined and has a nice solid backing, which I often find is a problem with some of the handmade bags I’ve gotten over the years. Several of the Etsy purchases I’ve made look beautiful, but are a bit floppy because the outer material is directly on the inner lining without any support in-between. The Bowler Bag also has a heavy vinyl on the bottom, around the sides, and for the handles. It comfortably sits on your shoulder but can also be held by the handles. There are only 2 complaints– which aren’t really complaints. First, you have to make sure the zipper is completely closed, as Pattie warned me when I made the purchase. If it’s open even a little, gravity will pull that sucker open and your life will spill out. I said it’s roomy and you can fit a lot in it. Comfortably. Without losing anything. The second complaint? There isn’t a label inside with the maker’s information– and after I made the initial purchase I lost track of who made the bag.

Two days after I brought my bags home, my dad died and the last year has been a blur. In that time, if there was a label on the bags, I lost it. Around Christmas, I tried looking around online for information about the bag and found a manufacturer in California with a similar bag. I emailed them, but I never heard back and after a little digging, realized this company wasn’t the same one that I had made the purchase from at NJ Paraunity. Another several months passed before I realized that I have all but stopped using my other handbags. My go to bags are these two bowler bags. So, I HAD to find the maker and had to get bags with other colors. I LOVE my initial bags, but the palette was limited to black, white, and gray. I opted for 3 bags overall from the booth of wonderful handbags– two of the Bowler bags and another simple tote style. All of them were black, of course, but with prints. Recently a friend attended the latest NJ Paraunity and I realized what should have been common-sense: check the con’s site for a vendor list. Made by Pattie.

I found her online and on Facebook. Her line is called Twisted Little Halo, which has a Facebook group where she posts the latest on products, styles, and prints. I ordered 2 more Bowler bags for my collection: a Wonder Woman and a Star Wars, both with black vinyl. As with the original bags I purchased, the vinyl has a sparkle pattern. In some photos it looks like a plain, glossy black. But the sparkles are neat and remind me of a pair of shoes I had as a kid. Another plus. :p

Pattie was quick to email and apologize that the stock didn’t match the store and she sent me images of what she did have on hand. I went with Star Wars with purple vinyl and Wonder Woman with red vinyl, which in the images looked like colors. They arrived today via postal fairy and they’re gorgeous. My photos aren’t the best, but I used a flash to catch the sparkles.

I can say of all the bags I’ve bought over the years, bags Made by Pattie are the best. I’ve used them a lot and there is little to no wear on either of the bowler bags. The other bag, the tote, I don’t use as much, it’s softer sided and was open at the top, but it’s still a really well made bag. I just added a heavy duty snap to close it. I’ve gotten vegan leather and vinyl bags before, some smell weird, some started peeling, some just weren’t comfortable– the strap slipped or the bag itself had some odd feature that made it cumbersome. I found this especially the case with bags from Esty, bags with great Spoonflower prints. Pattie’s bags look great, are comfortable, and last.

But, don’t take my word for it. Check out Pattie’s line for yourself. 

Potato agrees. These are some pretty great handbags.