Dawn's Bag

In the homes, where little kids live, THINGS will often HAPPEN... And when they do Happen, nobody has any explanation when they happened, or why. Things just mysteriously appear, out of the blue.

Just like that little blue mark on the front of Dawn's new green bag!..

One day it appeared out of the blue, and, as usual, nobody knew when it appeared, or what it was doing there, on the front of Dawn's bag...

It seemed as though the mark was made by a pen. It looked like this:

Mysterious little blue mark...

Of course, Dawn wanted to wear her new green bag, but she did NOT want to wear it with that mark on it!
So she tried to wipe the mark out with a wet cloth. Then scrub it with some soap.

But the little blue mark was not really going away. It was still there, in the same spot, on the front of the bag! In fact, the wet cloth made a smudge around it. Now, not only the blue mark was there, but also, there was a faint blue and green spot surrounding it...

The blue and green spot...

Dawn wanted to do something to fix her new green bag.

Unfortunately, most people, who knew how to fix bags, could not help her. The little blue spot was right in the very front of the bag, and there was no other way to cover it up, than to find a piece of exactly the same green leather, the bag was made of... Then to sew the piece of the green leather on top of the mysterious blue mark and the blue - green spot, to hide them both!

But where could Dawn find a piece of the same green leather, her bag was made of? The people, who knew how to fix bags, did not have any. There was none of it in the store either.

Dawn hoped that the lady, who once made her new green bag still had some of that leather left, just enough to cover up the mark and the spot.

But the lady, who made Dawn's new green bag lived quite far away. Dawn sent her a message, telling her what happened, and asking if she still had any of the green leather left. And if she could fix Dawn's new green bag, so Dawn could wear it again...

The lady, who once made Dawn's bag read the message. She knew that in the homes, where little kids lived, THINGS do  HAPPEN... Not that Dawn was not careful with her new green bag....

The mysterious blue mark was an accident. And accidents HAPPEN.... And when they do Happen, nobody has any explanation when they happened, or why. They just mysteriously appear, out of the blue.

The lady, who made Dawn's bag wanted to help Dawn and fix the bag. So she went to her closet and took out a big box full of small pieces of leather of all different colours. She opened the lid and started looking... There were so many pieces of leather inside the box, so the lady, who made Dawn's bag, had to dig down to the bottom of it. She picked, sorted, folded and put back so many pieces of leather, hoping to find the green one, which she once made Dawn's bag of . 

Finally, there it was... Green, soft and very nice.... There was just enough of it to cut a small piece and then sew the piece over the mysterious blue mark and the blue and green spot, to hide them.

The lady, who made Dawn's bag, sent Dawn a message, saying, that she could help Dawn, if Dawn sent her the bag by mail...

Dawn was so happy to hear that her new green bag can be fixed, she mailed it immediately!

When the lady, who made Dawn's bag received it in the mail, she looked at the mysterious blue mark and the blue and green spot around it, and knew just what she needed to do.

She cut a long piece of the green leather, folded it and stitched it, then folded and stitched some more. Finally,  the mysterious blue mark and the blue and green spot on the very front of Dawn's bag were gone. And instead, a new flower, made of the perfectly matching green leather appeared where they once were...

A new flower, covering up the blue mark

Now Dawn's new green bag had four flowers, no blue mark, no blue and green spot, and Dawn was able to wear it again!
And she wore it happily ever after...

The End.


p.s. My kind and supporting Grandmother has always been encouraging me to write a children's story. This comes the closest to my first attempt..
The "story"covers a custom repair I worked on this week; the bag in pictures is Mustard Green Limited Edition Sarah, that was sent to me with the request to cover up the mark.

Accidents happen, and I am glad to be able to assist my customers with specialized repairs, such as this one, requiring specific leather or other detail.

All accidents welcome.

All fixed up and ready to go home...

Good things come in small packages (the Sarah bag)

Counting my chickens

When I completed the first ever Sarah bag prototype this past Spring, I thought I had a "Where Has This Bag Been All My Life?" moment...
The idea for Sarah came very naturally, yet I was surprised with the final outcome.

I had previously spent several days tweaking the sketch, picking a suitable leather and making some final decisions to the design... I wanted a compact original shoulder bag for the upcoming Pre-Fall collection, and I hoped to re-use the trusted Western Rounded sack structure for it.

I decided to add space to the traditional Country style by darting the bottom for expansion; I also wanted an innovative strap, which would be practical, and add décor to the bag at the same time.


I came off with a double loop bridle strap, tied to the hardware with knots for length adjustment. I loved the lyrical twist, my interconnecting loops brought to the design. And then came the asymmetric ruffles…

The Sarah bag is a mix of both, feminine and industrial; a combination of Country tradition and modernization.



  The very first Sarah prototype was cut in Ivory 2.5 oz garment weight leather; followed by other colours and leather types. I could not wait to launch my new, back then still nameless, style at art shows. I hoped it may catch on as a lightweight option for both moms and daughters; day or night; casual or special occasion.

Ivory coloured Prototype

I did think of it as the “nice little bag”, but back then in no way could I predict the audience’s response to it….

Sarah launched at the Portobello West market in March, alongside the rest of Jola V. Designs family. That’s where it eventually got its name too – a fabulous local shopper, who picked up the LAST of the bags on the first market day, was named Sarah…




My “nice little bag” had a few surprises in store for me. Since the minute I set up my booth at Portobello West, and subsequently, other shows, it started flying off the table to its new homes; eventually causing actual buyer line-ups at the stall. I had received avid admiration for the bag, leading to sell-outs, custom orders and requests; and the pace continued into the retail as well.

Sarah is responsible for one of my biggest eye-opening moments; when I realized that fashion driven people actually respond to…. my original design. I have had a few “hits” prior to this one, but it was the interest in Sarah, that boosted my confidence as an accessories designer.

With its merely 10” length, roomy interior, long strap and flirty ruffles, Sarah undoubtedly became the little hurricane to stir up all my production plans, sweep my lack of confidence aside, and help me focus on doing what I love, listening and responding to the demand. It also increased interest in many of my other styles and sent some returned customers my way....

Since then I came up with a Limited Edition of the Sarah bag, applying floral décor, for a change to the famous ruffles; and a high end Limited Finish Sarah for the Coming Of Age FAST mini-collection.

Limited Edition Sarah

We will be returning to this winter`s markets with many new – and tried and tested colours for Sarah; some of the new shades have popped up in Retail in late September….

My ``Nice little bag`` has taught me to trust my instincts, when it comes to creating. It also has once again proved, that the strongest ideas come from the heart. I would like to dedicate the Sarah bag story to all creators amongst us, who are on the way of finding themselves;

Trust what you do – and do what you love. The love will be returned.



Fall and Spring colours







New colours for Sarah bag

Ruffles is one of my favourite details for any season. They're feminine, graceful and light, and many associate them with the return of brighter weather, romanticizm and light.  With spring upon us, we'll be seeing more and more of ruffled everything - in shops, and, subsequently in our wardrobes and interior.

Sarah is a playful bag that is tastefully covered in ruffles! After finding leather in some truly great summery colours, I decided to introduce Sarah earlier than the rest of my next collection. This bag is so appropriate for the warmer time of the year, and so far the responce to it has been incredible! I have sold all my Sarahs out at the Portobello West market in March, and now have a new batch of.. 5, most of which will be dispersed through my retail locations, and thereafter on-line and art markets to follow!

Here are the new colours:

Teal/ Silver hardware - the teal leather piece was small, just enough for this one bag, making teal to be one-of-a-kind colour. Contact me about this one, otherwise it is available through my Etsy shop.

Dusty Rose/ Silver hardware

Light Grey/ Silver hardware -with barely there metallic sheen 

Plum/ Silver hardware - This is a limited availability colour... I will be able to use it for one more round, but if you have your eye set on this one, grab it fast.

Mustard Green/ Copper Hardware - lovely un-finished high wax leather. 

Have a ruffled spring....