About Sew Sweet Bags

About the Bags
Each and every Sew Sweet Bag in my collection is a handcrafted gem! Far from being mass-produced, I design and sew each bag, one at a time. Quantities are limited, and once I am out of stock of a particular fabric, it is often the case that I'm unable to find it again. So, if you spot a Sew Sweet Bag that you love, don't wait too long to order it--you may never see it again!

The photos included here on my website are representative of the various bags I make. An individual bag may vary slightly from the photo shown here. For instance, a bag may turn out slightly different due to the "repeat" of the fabric design (this is especially true in toile fabrics, which usually incorporate several different scenes, only one or two of which will be seen in a single bag). Occasionally I need to substitute buttons, zippers, or handles that are slightly different from the ones shown in the photo. However, most of these changes are hardly noticeable and don't affect the overall look or appeal of the bag.

About Emily and How Sew Sweet Bags Got Started
I have been sewing since I was in 7th grade home economics class. My grandma was an accomplished seamstress and made my sister and me countless sets of Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls as well as flannel nightgowns and jammies while we were growing up. My mom used to make some of our clothes (I particularly remember a favorite shirt she made from some "Great American Lunch" fabric featuring hamburgers and hot dogs and lemonade; at age 5, I thought it was the coolest thing on Earth!) and my aunt used to quilt (I cherish a beautiful appliqued and quilted bedspread I received as a wedding gift). So I guess sewing is in my blood. And at some point along the way, I told everyone that I wanted to be a home ec. teacher when I grew up!

I ended up scrapping that idea and went on to get a degree in mathematics instead. But I love to sew and continued to do as much as I could whenever I could, teaching myself new techniques and expanding my horizons along the way. I made my first bag, a tote bag, over 12 years ago. Pretty soon I found myself making more because I never seemed to have enough on hand. I'd make a bag and use it for something, and pretty soon it became dedicated to a specific purpose (like a meeting bag, or library bag, or church bag, or travel bag, etc.). Then the next time I needed a bag for something, they were all already being used for something, so I'd have to make a new one! Then I realized what great gifts bags are, so I started making bags to give to family and friends. It wasn't until later that I found that I could adapt what I'd been doing with making totes to make purses for myself, too.

In the meantime I was collecting all kinds of beautiful fabrics. I wasn't always sure what I was going to use them for, but I had to have them. When my second child was born, I had to clean out our spare room to make room for our growing family, and that's when I first realized just how much fabric I had! It was time to do something constructive with all of it. I was also at a point in my life when I needed a new challenge and a creative outlet. I'd always wondered if I could make something that someone else would want to buy, so I started making tote bags and handbags to sell--and that's how Sew Sweet Bags got started.

So now Sew Sweet Bags is a full-fledged one-woman enterprise with eight different product lines. I design and sew each Sew Sweet Bag all myself, from cutting the fabric at the beginning to making the hangtag to attach at the end. I make my own patterns. With my husband's help, I designed my own website. Now I maintain the website, do my own bookkeeping, and . . . you get the idea. Like most entrepreneurs, I wear a lot of hats (well, all of the hats). I juggle my bags business with my work as a mom and a freelance editor of math textbooks. It's a lot of work, but it's challenging, rewarding, and fun.

Anyway, thank you for your interest in my handmade bags and how I got my start. If you have any questions about anything, you can email me at

You can also send an email to this address if you'd like to be placed on my mailing list. I'd be happy to keep you updated on changes on the Sew Sweet Bags website: new items, bag options, promotions, and more!

        Thanks for visiting!

        Emily Keaton
        Owner, Sew Sweet Bags