Lisa Spinella

In an attempt to conquer my fears of the allusive sewing machine I decided to teach myself to sew. I should know how to sew.. Its in my genes. Let me explain.. I grew up in an area in Massachusetts surrounded by textile mills. Seriously.. you throw a rock and whack! - you hit some place that makes, stores or is a purveyor of fabric. My father's side of the family had extensive experience - seamstresses and designers everywhere - its practically the family business. My Auntie Connie worked with the infamous Mr. Blackwell and was a designer in LA during the heyday of Hollywood! My Auntie Vincie made tennis wear that was considered for the Olympics and designed an infamous sweet sixteen dress for a recognized designer. My Auntie Annie had a successful dress making business and would make over a 1000 dresses a week! My mother was a fairly accomplished sewer, as well. I remember wearing clothes and costumes she created for me and a particularly favorite pilgrim outfit I wore on some "runway" somewhere ... My sister Suzanne is an award winning quilter and teacher living in Pennsylvania ( land of the quilt) and her skills are formidable. So why was it I couldn't fix a hem? So I decided to set time aside to learn more about how to sew and I decided making handbags is the perfect way to learn the skills necessary to learn to sew. I have been scouring the internet and buying books to read and study. I've downloaded patterns and have read tutorials. So I'm busy and covered in string lately..