Hi!
My name is Rikka J. Some clever friend or relative came upon the nickname Ricochet when I was very young and it has been been part of me ever since. Besides some short stints at summer camps, and an elementary school gym teacher, no one has actually called me Ricochet. However, I have always enjoyed the name/word. When I started playing around with the idea of crafting things to sell, Ricochet as an informal brand name was born. So, now you know!
I have aways been interested in all forms of visual art. From independent films to black and white photography, non-objectional modern art to folk art, card-making to paper mache, there isn't much I haven't dabbled in.
Where does sewing come into the picture? Well, I watched my mom sew everything from dresses to curtains to dresses while growing up. While she didn't teach me how to sew, I learned the art of "making do" with the materials on hand and taking the time to make things pretty. Mom would take the thick plastic we used to seal up our drafty windows during the winter and sew raincoats for all the kids. She is very creative, rarely using patterns and always taking the time to add precious details. I wasn't until 2003, shortly after I married, that I began sewing for myself. I brought some fabric to my MIL and asked her to help me make curtains. I came home with her old sewing machine. From there I made curtains, shams, duvets, and pillows for a few years. It wasn't until the spring of 2010 that I bought my first pattern and tried making some tops for myself and a few things for my daughter. I was never really happy with anything I made. I was terrible at choosing patterns for my body type and never wanted to spend the money to get quality fabrics. I ended up with several ill-fitting tops in ugly colors. Plus, I had to bribe my daughter to wear the dresses I made for her. It was sad, very sad.
In spite of all that, I LOVED sewing. I loved how the mathematics of patterns combined with the organic qualities of the fabrics. I loved cruising the Internet for free pattern downloads. Especially, I loved searching the blogs for sewing tutorials. When I stumbled upon my first free purse pattern, I knew I finally found my "thing". Purses and totes use very little fabric, so I could spurge on the good stuff without feeling so guilty. The patterns are one-size-fits-all, so my body-type never really came into the picture. Also, purses are just crying out to be embellished! I love to make fabric flowers and add buttons and wacky welted pockets. Purse-making was right up my alley.
So here I am, writing a blog all about my love for making handbags. I'm so pleased to bring this to you and hope you enjoy reading this blog.
Best,
Rikka J.
ricochethandbags(at)hotmail(dot)com
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