Renowned for her captivating block prints and fearless use of color, Crista Jaeckel's work celebrates handcrafted artistry. We were so excited to collaborate with Crista to create three beautiful project bags.
The first step in our collaboration process was me taking a stab at design through CADs. The very first step in every collaboration is always different as you begin to learn how the other works. I like to extend myself as much as possible in the initial design process to create an openminded atmosphere. The above photo is just one of the idea sets of many. There is a lot that I do not know about block printing so part of it was understanding the possibilities.
Color and general shape ended up being my main contributions. Crista would come back after each time I sent some designs over with a better, more interesting, bolder take on the idea. For example in the above, she added the texture to the larger dot which I absolutely love and supplimented that shape with the bold blue dot. I liked the elements but felt like maybe the organization of the shapes in the grid was a bit too much visually. We ended up with the exploration on the right, the vertical lines of blue dots.
All of the bags feature waxed twill or canvas backs. I had envisioned with the spring launch, someone might be walking along hoping to knit outside and come upon a damp picnic table. The waxed surface allows for water resistance. Each bag has a laser cut and engraved zipper puller inch ruler. The lining is a sweet little dot pattern, and the front of course features the beautiful block prints that Crista is known for.
The bags are all designed to go together but look lovely alone. The largest, gusseted project bag is large enough for any 3 skein project. The gusset allows it to sit up on a surface. I like that you could set it on the floor and use it as a yarn bowl. The middle size is designed for any of your pointy or inky tools- tools you would want to keep safely away from your project. And the smallest bag is perfect for 6" DPNs, latch tools and pens. It's a pencil case size. The largest and smallest bags have loops so that they could be carabinered together. That would allow the smallest bag to dangle outside of the large one.
We hope that you love all of the care in designing all of the details as well as the handmade beauty of these bags.
Bags will be available on Friday March 29th at 2pm ET.
