Tote2Go!

Meet local designer, Marlo M. of Tote2Go!, our featured designer for June. What kind of products do you create and where can people find them? Tote2Go! began with sets of two reusable grocery totes that fold together into their own pocket. The Tote2Go! “Double Shoppers” are made exclusively with repurposed and reclaimed fabrics in 2007. Since then, the collection has expanded to include new designs such as Jumbo Laundry Bags and yoga mat totes made out of repurposed shower curtains as well as zippy pouches, “Scrapkins” (reusable napkins) and wallets made with scrap fabrics. A new line of purses and laptop bags is also in the works. Tote2Go! Double shoppers and Scrapkins can also be found at Eat Local in Upper Queen Anne.

What inspired you to start doing what you do? One of my first reusable shopping bags was a fully lined tote created using scraps of brightly colored curtains from a friend’s house. When I found that I normally needed two bags when I went grocery shopping, I designed the original Tote2Go! Double Shoppers. I needed them to be foldable and portable, so once I figured out how to create my unique pocket / pouch design, I couldn’t wait to show it to everyone I knew! The rest, as they say - is history.
 
What's your background and have you always been creative? Are there other artistic endeavors you're involved in? I was always encouraged to be creative from a very young age. My mother used to make and sell dolls at local craft shows and consignment shops and father had his own auto repair shop and is very handy, so when those influences took hold, it eventually resulted in my current “day job” – designing and hand-fabricating my own line of sterling silver jewelry and accessories: Marlo M. Jewelry Design (MarloM.com) which I started in 1993. My designs are sold to boutiques and galleries across the country.

I also teach beginning jewelry fabrication in my studio, coach emerging artists to help them start their own businesses and organize EtsyRAIN – a local collective of artists who have shops on Etsy.com.

Where do you get your ideas for your designs? Since I only use fabrics that I find in thrift stores or remnant bins, most of my designs depend on the type of fabric I find. Heavier “home decorator” weight fabrics usually become wallets and lined bags while lighter weight cotton sheeting and duvet covers become tote bags. The shower curtain to laundry bag idea was really fun to bring to life! I can’t wait to show them off at craft shows this year!

What type of equipment do you use? Do you make all of your pieces yourself? I use a Singer serger and a Juki TL98Q straight stitch machine for most of my sewing. The Juki is a semi-industrial machine and is a sewer’s dream! It has doubled my production because it is SO much faster than standard sewing machines.

I do make all the pieces myself for the most part. I will sometimes ask for help just before the holidays though! (I have the best friends in the world who have helped me out in my hours of need!)

How do you see expanding your line in the near future? Now that I’m perfecting my new wallets and other accessories, I am really looking forward to creating the line of purses and handbags I’ve been sketching. If I plan it right, the first prototypes may be ready by the Summer Urban Craft Uprising show (August 2 & 3, 2009)!

Whose work do you admire? Lately I’ve wanted to start quilting using my (copious) scrap fabrics, so I’ve really been inspired by the work of people who can quilt and put colors together in surprising ways. Designers like Denise Schmidt and Amy Butler are awesome as are bloggers like Oh! Fransson - who is a part of the Block Party Quilting Bee - which I am loving right now.

What advice would you offer new designers entering the market?  My best advice is to do your research and don’t quit your day job until you are certain you are comfortable with the ups and downs of owing your own business. Try out a few smaller craft shows before you decide to go full-time and really listen to all of the comments from your customers. My Tote2Go! Double Shoppers have improved drastically based on critiques from my customers!
 
What is your vision for your business and where would you like to be in five years? I would love to continue to make stuff but at the same time I want to own and operate a boutique shop that not only sells the work of local craft artists but is a place for emerging artists to learn how to grow their businesses. I love helping people – especially since I have received so much help when I needed it! I’m sure in the next five years that dream will become a reality.

Any other area of fashion you'd like to delve into? I often think of creating a line of plus-sized women’s wear. I’m a big gal myself, so I know how hard it is to find cute “indie craft” styled things to wear. The whole garment construction thing is intimidating though. Who knows? Maybe that will happen too!

What current trend would you like to see go away? I don’t know if it qualifies as “trend” but in all honesty, the way the “current economic climate” is used as an excuse to not go out and try new things has got to stop. I’d really rather we all focus on supporting one another in real ways – like making purchases at local boutiques – that would make the current “crisis” go away faster than all the bellyaching I’ve heard.

If you could have one item, new or vintage, what would it be? I recently acquired a vintage dream of mine: a Singer Featherweight 221 sewing machine from Craigslist! So, I suppose my next dream is to own a brand new serger that can create a coverstitch. I don’t ask for much, right? Haha!

What item did you wear to shreds growing up? I don’t remember clothing so much as I remember my security blanket(s). I used to carry those things around with me everywhere I went. Simple quilt tops with a soft flannel backing. Oh how I loved those things. Actually, I still have some of them – they are worn to bits and it comforts me to know they’re still around.

Archive of Past Featured Designers: