Where did it start?

The Julia Cunningham label was launched back in 2006 while I was at home looking after my two small children in a small rural village in the heart of the Scottish Borders. I think my love of fabrics and sewing came from my mum and my grandmother. I remember my mum sewing me dresses and telling me stories about her mum dressmaking and mending my grandfathers shirts during the war. I wonder how many of us have complained and wriggled about as we stood on a table as our mothers pinned up a hem and told us to stand still.

I loved collecting things as a child and this continues today as I collect fabrics,beads and buttons to use in my collections. I don’t know about you but I miss the treasures you could find in the haberdasheries that used to be on every high street. I still have my first learn to sew books and my first hedgehog pin Cushion made from felt. A time when all households contained darning needles and a healthy sewing box!

As a young adult I made a lot of my own clothing and enjoyed making things that were different in the fabrics I loved. So nothing has really changed I still collect fabric I love, so that I have a rich supply of beautiful cloths that I can dip into when i make a bag for you. I use the traditional skills that have been passed down to me to create these handcrafted products and the design skills i have studied for and picked up along the way.

In and around the Borders we have a rich tradition of weaving beautiful cloth, tweeds and tartans. They are are full of such colour and texture and are used by designers throughout the world. So forging links with these businesses i am able to source small quantities of traditional and contemporary fabrics for my bags and other collections.

So when you buy a bag, accessory or gift from me you hopefully get something that’s a little bit different, that was designed and made by hand in my garden studio. A handbag or scarf that suits you and your style something just a little bit different. That reminds you of the past but fits in with the present.

Its the little things...

You probably know I have been making keyrings over the past couple of weeks and I have been having my eyes tested too. My eyes are fine but I am treating myself to new glasses. I wear them everyday and I am not always the most careful with them!! Oh and I am getting two pairs so i can look different when I go out and about. Well thats what I am telling myself when in fact the reason might be that it will be easier to find the first pair I have lost, when I wear the second pair. My glasses are just one of those things i put down and loose from time to time and it can be a great impromptu family treasure hunt.

This brings me to the keyrings which I make to use up all my small bits of fabric along with up-cycled leather from www.aeroleatherclothing.com . These are just small things but have a huge job of keeping track of our precious keys. We never really give our keys that much thought until we cant find them, its only then we appreciate just how important they are to us as they do unlock our worlds. They also lock and keep those worlds safe. Not sure about you, but again another small item that I can easily loose track off.

Feels like a whole New Start

Well it feels like a whole new chapter for my business Julia Cunningham, Ju-C with a new website. Amazing how a deadline can spur you into action, my Tictail shop was to close at the end of March so in the course of a month I have made hundreds of decisions about how I present my business to you all and worked my way through many videos and online tutorials. The hardest part is knowing when to stop and get it published. It is quite addictive.

So here it is, my new website which I have built not quite on my own but with a big help from friends and family. Their help has been invaluable so a big thank you to you all.

The website has links to pages where you can purchase my products directly from me . It also has product information pages where you can find out a bit more about each style of handbag and my accessories. You should also find links to all my terms and conditions and a little more information about me, just in case you wanted to know about my small business and who made your products. Everything on the website has been designed, made and packaged by me.

Coming up in the next few months you will hopefully see a few changes to my branding, and more bags and accessories in store. I might even manage a few newsletters, so don’t forget to sign up. It is my aim to continue to blog, to let you know a bit more about me, what inspires me and my products.

Hopefully you will enjoy my new site and I will try to keep it fresh and interesting for you. Thanks for taking the time to pop over and have a look.

Julia