16 Lessons I Learned from Traveling Abroad

Studio Kat Designs

So… The first overseas trip I ever took was in the year 2000, when I journeyed to the Brussels, Belgium area with my church orchestra. I remember spending the greater part of that trip in wide-eyed amazement looking at sights that up until then had never seemed real. I loved mingling with the locals and marveling at the rich history…

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PPC25: Celestial Magic

Studio Kat Designs

So… in our last post, the sample that I showed you was pretty much representative of what the final design will look like. I’m satisfied that we’ve solidified the features for this bag and now all that’s left is to name this design, make some more show samples and write the instructions… well that’s over…

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On Qualifications

Studio Kat Designs

People often ask me about what qualifications I have to be a pattern designer. They are interested in whether I had formal schooling in … business startups… fashion design… website design… photography… or any of the other hats I wear nowadays. OK, most people aren’t quite that blunt when they ask. They generally veil their…

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PPC25: Psycho Cats

Studio Kat Designs

So… in our last post, I showed you some pretty big changes I made to this new design, but after some careful consideration, it turns out that sometimes one BIG change calls for another! This section is now located on the front side of the bag (right behind the flapped pouch). This move makes it…

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PPC25: With a Flourish

Studio Kat Designs

So… in our last post I showed you the “gorilla sample” for what will eventually be our next pattern design. I generally make 5-7 samples of each design in order to truly evaluate a pattern and to also give ourselves a chance to make the PURR-fect sample for our cover! And speaking of which, let…

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June 2021 Eye Candy

Studio Kat Designs

So….. I totally LOVE seeing pictures of the bags our customers make from our patterns! There’s not too much I like better than opening up an email that includes a picture or two of a customer-made bag, and the pictures we received last month are truly extraordinary! ALL the bags pictured below were created using…

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On Puttering

Studio Kat Designs

So… I guess you could say that I’m a driven person. Too much to do, not enough time. I keep lists, I pack my schedule, I look for more efficient ways to organize myself- – and I can get an amazing amount of work done in a day! Heck, even my leisure time is planned…

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PPC25: Gorilla Time

A colorful sling bag by Studio Kat Designs

So… if you remember from our last post in this series, I was so happy with our 1st prototype that it was my intent that it would double as our “gorilla sample” as well! But then there was a structural failure that essentially trashed our prototype and totally derailed our intentions… which forced us to…

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Mountain Quiltfest 2021: the Review

Studio Kat Designs

So… its time to tell you all about the Mountain Quiltfest, which you might remember was our very first retail show since the MAQF was held in late Feb 2020. First of all, the LeConte Convention Center is a magnificent facility and the entire staff & volunteers were wonderful hosts! And now, it’s YOUR turn!…

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PPC25: Prototyping

Studio Kat Designs

So… in our last post in this new Purse Pattern Chronicles series I shared with you my inspiration for this new design as well as the original sketchwork & once again I went straight from the working sketch to the 1st prototype, and overall I was pretty happy with how this 1st sample came out.…

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