Latest Stories
Email this article 
• Print this article 
One-of-a-kind handmade purses fit all seasons, personalities
By Liza N. Beale, Editor, lbeale@thealmanac.net
Katie Kasel and Kathy Troy didn’t know each other a few years ago and, at the time, neither knew how to knit.
Today, they’ve bridged both gaps and have funneled their love of knitting into a successful business.
Since it began in April 2006, PK Bags (short for Passion Knit) has sold “hundreds” of purses locally and across the country. Each is one-of-a-kind and all are completely handmade.
“We’ve sent bags everywhere,” said Katie, who lives on Ironwood Drive. “No one is the same.”
The women met through mutual friends at St. Louise de Marillac Church in Upper St. Clair and they became friends through their many shared creative interests. Soon they had put together a group of women who gathered at a Canonsburg shop for knitting classes. Both were surprised at the way the craft took hold of them.
“It became an obsession,” said Kathy, a Bethel Park resident. “I just wanted to keep doing and doing it.”
Katie said learning to knit was challenging, particularly when deciphering a project’s instruction sheet.
“It was like learning a new language,” she said. “But every time you make a mistake, you learn something.”
Before long, they were spending a lot of money on yarn and making all the usual knitted items, like scarves. They found they especially enjoyed making purses and began veering away from the pattern books to designing their own. The idea for a business which was centered around purses followed.
“Everyone loves purses,” Katie said.
“It was not about the purse,” Kathy said. “It was to find our passion. We were trying to bring out our talent. The creativity really got us.”
What the duo didn't want was something like looked like a knitted purse or something generally found at a craft fair. Instead they came up with distinctive and creative designs using a mixture of fabrics, including wool, mohair and felt, and a wide variety of colors.
“We’ve learned so much about purses,” Katie said. “Everyone has a different idea of what they like. We never know what someone is going to be attracted to.”
The women work months ahead planning bags for a season. They keep a close eye on upcoming fashion trends in determining colors or designs.
Designs for the purses are inspired from the materials used, like the Peruvian wool or locally spun and dyed yarn. Accents may include fringe, beads, fur, tassels or flowers.
Inside, a coordinated fabric lining features many pockets with a snap or zipper close. Some bags have shoulder straps and some just handles. Some are clutch purses.
The most popular is the doctor’s bag with its rectangle-like shape. There are vertical tube bags and long Hobo bags and even small purses shaped like corsets. For younger girls, they’ve created purses shaped like Easter baskets or flower bags for wedding. During the holidays, there are bags with Santa Claus, snowflakes or wreaths.
“Like you have a Christmas sweater, you have to have a Christmas bag,” Katie said.
The most limited edition sold was a needle felt purse with a nativity scene knitted into it. So much work went into the creation, only three were made.
“When you carry one of our bags, it always gets attention,” Katie said.
The women laugh when talking about the first purse they sold. Kathy made the gold-colored doctor’s bag and was not entirely pleased with the finished product.
“It probably was a horrible bag,” Katie laughed.
Kathy added, “I thought it was a mistake. You just don't know.”
Purses from PK Bags are made by a handful of talented local knitters. They are then turned over to Katie who shrinks and shapes the purse through a washing process. A seamstress in Monongahela attaches the liner, a handle and a zipper if needed.
The bags are durable and guaranteed for one year. The women said felt bags will last forever and can be re-lined or the handle replaced as needed. Shaving is recommended on a purse which may pile.
Some of handheld bags’ uniqueness comes from the handles which are made from wooden, ceramic or glass beads or even Hawaian kui-kui nuts. The beads are strung on a metal frame and then attached to the bag.
Katie said, although the handles may be the most difficult part of the process, it is also what adds the finishing touch. She once bought beautiful beads which won’t fit on the handles. For it to fit, her husband had to drill each bead by hand.
The purses, which can cost from $85 to $225, are sold in specialty stores in Squirrel Hill, Sewickley and the North Hills or from the women directly. The duo will also host private shows or conduct house parties. Many sales come through their website www.pkbags.com or through Etsy, a national independent crafters website.
Sales also stem from women who have seen others carrying a PK Bag. They notice the uniqueness of the purse and contact either Katie or Kathy in hopes of obtaining their own.
“We can make a similar bag but we can’t make the same bag,” Katie said.
Although they have an inventory of bags, special orders are also welcome and take approximately three weeks to complete.
The purchase of a PK Bag can be addicting. One client has 10 bags. All the women in their Bible study carry one. They’ve sent purses to actress Courtney Cox and her daughter and received a thank you note in return. They also had one delivered to singer Hillary Duff.
“Our customers have an artistic bend to them,” Katie said. “You just never know who you can reach with these bags.”
Husbands, when buying a purse for their spouse, will frequently seek the women’s advice. They will assist in choosing a color or style and will even gift wrap it and have it delivered to the gentleman's office. If it’s not to the recipient’s liking, it can be switched for another.
While PK Bags continues to be successful, it is still a growing business. The women are kept busy filling orders and haven't had much time to think of the future. They’d like to pursue more custom-designed purses and perhaps even publish a book of their own patterns.
“If we get an order for 500 bags it would be crazy but we could do it,” Katie said. “You only limit yourself.”
Kathy said, “I’m not sure where this is leading us but we‘re going with it. We‘ll just watch for the signs and follow them.”
For more, log on to www.pkbags.com.
Home
0 comments
All comments will be reviewed by administrators and posted to their respective articles within 24 hours. Comments deemed inappropriate will not be posted.