Lexie Barnes Lady B

Petite Purls Blog » Renaissance Mom: Lexie Barnes

Today I bring you an interview with designer Lexie Barnes . We are so happy to have her join our circle of Renaissance Moms.

Hi Lexie, thanks for joining us. Why don’t you start by telling us how you starting crafting.

I was working on a line of women’s lifestyle bags and a friend suggested I do a knitting bag. At first, I wasn’t going to do it,  but then decided to design knitting bags because although knitting was uber popular, I found that most knitters I saw were still carrying their work around in plain totes or plastic grocery bags. The few bags made for specifically for knitters were still rather uninspired, which seemed to conflict with the creative spirit of the knitters who carried them. I wanted to bridge that gap and came up with my Lady B bag (named after Barbara Neulinger, the friend who gave me the idea in the first place, who is a terrific painter:  www.barbaraneulinger.com ). It’s been a top seller for us since its introduction in 2005.

Because of my knitting bags, I was introduced to many professional crafters and that’s how I ended up writing a sewing book, Sew What! Bags, for Storey Publishing.  The focus of the book isn’t sewing, per se. It’s about how to come up with your own snappy bag designs and bring them to life without patterns or jargon or rules to “hem you in,” so to speak. I’m a huge fan of doing things your own way, so the pattern-free concept was really appealing to me. My second book, Sew Up A Home Makeover, also from Storey, applies the same pattern-free concept to home makeover projects.  That book is available for preorder now and comes out in August.

I took the crafty plunge once more in 2008 when I created Twist, a funky craft and art show in Northampton, MA.  Again, I saw a gap — this time between the growing number of crafters out there and the shoppers who had no idea where to find them. We brought them together in a lively festival environment and the show has been going strong ever since.  We’re currently working on our 7th show which will be in November.  It’s so exciting to watch the vendors and shoppers connect.  Everyone has such a good time –  and when the artists are making money and the customers are satisifed — well, that’s even better.

You are a designer and author, among other hats you wear. How did your brand “Lexie Barnes” come about?