Handmade with love
Hey, My name is Alicia, welcome to Mary Ella Handmade.
I founded The Bag Lass in 2019, after making primarily bags for friends and family for a while. They would all tell me I should open a shop, so in October of 2019 I started to attend local craft markets and fairs, through falling in love with the process of making the bags, especially making custom orders to fit every customers individual needs, and making each bag unique. And falling in love with attending fairs and markets and engaging with other traders and customers, my wonderful business was born.
In 2020, when lockdown hit, the shop I worked at closed, so making up handbags for customer orders and my original designs, gave me comfort and purpose. I then also began using my knowledge of crochet to make up hats, earwarmers and scarfs. By January of 2021, not only the Handbags, but the crochet works I was making took off. I opened up an Etsy shop as well as continuing with custom orders via social media.
In 2022, not only my Handbag sales, but mostly my wool works where becoming very successful, I had some big ideas about the future, and all the different products I could create. So I Decided to rebrand, and "The Bag Lass" became Mary Ella Handmade. This name is very close to my heart, as it is the names of the two matriarchs of my family:
My Grandma Mary Potts, who is a massive inspiration, having her own businesses and always busy doing anything she can, even at 90 years old having more energy than me. She has always been a role model, and I am so proud to incorporate her name into my business.
And my beautiful Nan, Ella, who was a gorgeous, family woman, who could knit you up anything in the blink of an eye. my first exposure to anything wooly and crafty, I always think about her whenever I make anything. And hope I do her proud with this.
So with this new name, I felt more able to branch out and create more items, I created a range of crocheted items: Handbags, bottle bags, storage baskets, and even a cushion or two, all made from yarn that had been created with Recycled fabric; from T-shirt material to cotton, we can help keep the world a little cleaner by reusing what we no longer need.
I grew my range of crocheted items, began making reusable face wipes, baby clothing and booties as well as hats.
I love my business so much, I'm so proud of how far I've come on this journey, and can't wait to see where the future takes Mary Ella Handmade.