Farmers Market Tote

Hi!  Welcome to my shop.  So, you want to get to know a little bit about me?  My name is Diane.  I was born and raised in Colorado. I have lived in West Virginia, Nashville and currently North Carolina.

As a child growing up my mom was always doing something crafty, usually knitting, crocheting or sewing.  She encouraged her love of crafting with me in so many ways.  I can remember doing paint by numbers, the Tandy leather kits, making tissue paper flowers.  She taught me hand embroidery, cross stitch and how to crochet.  In junior high I took home economics class and started to learn to sew and again my mother taught me a few tips and tricks for sewing. I made myself a few clothing items and then life got crazy for many years, and I didn't sew again until later.

I met my 2nd husband in 1999 after being a single mom with 4 boys.  We moved from Colorado to West Virginia where he decided he wanted to make knives.  Long story short, we got involved in pre-1840 rendezvous where he could sell his handmade knives.  In order to do that he had to have clothing for the time period.  Well after not sewing for 15 years I started making clothing for the time period for the family so we could attend.  Then I started sewing the men’s clothing to sell at events that we went to which included waist coats and knee breeches.  We did that for 8 years and then our health got in the way where we could no longer do the rendezvous and our kids had grown up.  

I still wanted to sew but wasn't sure what I wanted to make. I decided I would make my own purse.  I was having a hard time finding one that I liked with the things I wanted it to have.  So, I created my own purse. I have found some patterns and tweaked them to my liking and started selling purses online about 12 years ago. I was formally Diane's Diversions (Di's Diversions) and that shop name came about because I was making all kinds of items.... tile coasters, crochet beanies and scarves as well as purses.  I have found I really enjoy making bags and am keeping my focus on what makes me happy.

I take pride in the purses and bags I create. Every item is an exciting new creation. My purses, bags and all sewn items are cut out one piece at time. It might only be 2 pieces or up to 20 pieces. I lay each pattern piece on the fabric until I find a layout that I feel will make the best looking purse before I ever start cutting. Yes, I may waste a lot of fabric this way, but I would rather have a good-looking purse rather than worrying about wasting fabric. Once I have cut out the outer portion of the purse, then it is time to cut out lining and interfacing. Sewing the items and watching them come together for the end result is always exciting!

I hope you enjoy my shop and thank you for shopping handmade items. Have a fantastic day!