Sallyann’s Handmade Bags are created in a small sewing room overlooking Doo Lough and the Atlantic Ocean in West Clare, Ireland, by their creator, Sallyann Marron.
Each bag is an individual creation, each lined with recycled jeans, making every bag unique. Some of the bags are reversible, allowing the owner to turn the bag inside out, making the bags ideal for shopping, picnics, trips to the beach, gym, or swimming.
I start with a walk up the road with my dog, Poppy. We go the same route everyday, and I never get bored of taking photographs of the wildflowers that I see on my walk. They are the basis of my fabric designs and often make up my social media posts too.
After my walk its time for a coffee and admin: emails, processing orders, working out the day’s priorities.
Then it might be cutting denim (all my bags are lined with recycled jeans), cutting the outer fabrics, making straps, or ideally, making the bags themselves.
I take Poppy out for another walk late afternoon, and depending on workload I will often sew for another hour or so before finishing up for the day.
You need to really love what you do, and be prepared to do it over and over again! And it's important to be open to opportunities and new ideas and to take feedback from customers really seriously.
Sallyann Marron
Definitely the sewing. I get huge satisfaction out of taking an unloved pair of jeans, adding in some of my flowery fabric and making a handbag out of them! It’s like magic. It doesn’t grow old.
I have a beautiful lampshade I found in a craft shop in Kilkenny. It has a fox and a magpie on it. The colours of the shade are really rich. We have both foxes and magpies visiting our garden, so it is very appropriate in our household!
What other maker in your discipline do you most look up to?
I find I’m more inspired by the other craftspeople I have got to know through the markets I have attended, particularly locally. Clare Beck of Orinoco Fused Glass, Lorna Langenkamp of Wild Atlantic Silver and Kevin Lynch of Airmid Soap have all inspired and helped and provided valued sounding boards throughout the development of my business.
When we sit down for our dinner in the evening.
How do you switch off?
My family would say I’m not very good at switching off – it’s the hard part of being self employed and having an online business.
I enjoy gardening and love to spend time in the poly tunnel, fettling my tomatoes.
I truly switch off when I go away for a few days – preferably to somewhere hot and exotic with amazing food.
What’s the first thing you do when you leave studio?
