Meet the Maker | Chrisabelle Purses

INTERVIEW DI VON ESSEN

What started as a way to pass the time and adapt to living in a new country has become a thriving business for Angel of Chrisabelle Purses. With a range of handmade, beautifully designed clasp purses and bags, Chrisabelle Purses is a regular at Wine Country's Handmade in the Hunter markets. This month we caught up with Angel to talk about her passion for design.

HVMAG: Can you please tell us a bit about what you do? How did you come up with the idea?

ANGEL: When my family emigrated to Australia, not only did I have to adapt to a new country, but also I no longer worked full-time as a teacher and became a stay-at-home mum. I had lots of free time, so I began making hair accessories with traditional Japanese fabric flowers. One day, I was given an exceptional piece of beautiful Japanese fabric and thought it would be a waste if I had to cut it into small pieces, so I went to a craft store to look for ideas of what I could make. There, I found a metal frame for clasp purses. It took me a while to learn how to make a full bag! After completing my first clasp purse, I couldn't stop thinking about making more. I started searching for metal frames of different sizes and shapes and started thinking about creating more modern styles of clasp purses.

HVMAG: What types of purses do you sell? What is your top-selling purse? How are your purses made/what materials do you use and why?

ANGEL: I sell clasp purses with firm metal frames that allow me to use heavierweight interfacing for a purse with good shape, structure and durability. My top-selling product is my big clasp purses with 20cm metal frames and chains. Ladies of all ages love these purses, particularly for their style and fabric patterns. Often, I have customers returning to add to their collection or gift my purses for friends and family because of their uniqueness.

My products are made with metal frames, fabric, interfacing and glue. I build my purses around my metal frames, as I have to design different patterns for each size and shape of metal frames. Using these patterns, I sew the fabric portion of the bag with interfacing and linings along with the Japanese fabric. I then glue this part into the metal frames, completing the bags. I choose my materials to be durable for the everyday use of my customers. I enjoy deciding what parts of the fabric I should cut out to make beautiful purses.

HVMAG: What do you like most about Handmade in the Hunter Markets?

ANGEL: I joined Handmade in the Hunter Markets in 2015. What I like most about the markets is that all of the products are locally made with love by the stallholders. The market is an excellent opportunity for us to showcase our talents and connect with our customers to talk about the stories behind and the creation of our products. We admire each other's talent, cheer for each other when we have a good day, and support and encourage each other when we have misfortunes. We not only sell our handmade products at Handmade in the Hunter Markets but make supportive friends. The markets are a nice getaway from other aspects of our busy lives.

For upcoming market dates, check out page 8 in this issue or visit the website at www.handmadehuntermarkets.com.au.