Who We Are

We hand cut and sew all of the canvas totes, bags, duffles and handbags that you see on this site.

Hand cut means that each bag ordered from this site is cut and sewn individually for the order - we don't have a machine that cuts through several layers of cloth, which would allow for stock piling and would affect the quality of the finished product. And if you visit our shop in Cedar Key, each of those bags has been produced individually, as well.

Julie inspecting canvas Julie
Julie is our cutter. The quality of your purse or duffle is very dependent on cutting the cloth on the straight of its grain. If the cut is not on the grain, it's difficult to stitch along the straight of the piece, and any embroidery or monogramming may go awry. Julie has been cutting canvas for three years and she is expert at seeing the grain in each yard of canvas. She also checks for any flaws or creases, and makes sure your pattern doesn't include them.
Cutting tapestry involves the art of seeing and using the repeat of the pattern. Each repeat has a central figure which needs to be the focal point in the construction of your purse. Some patterns are easy to see - our popular Horse and Domestic Cat, for example. Some are more difficult - the Spring pattern 'springs' to mind.

Sharon Sharon
Sharon is our chief stitcher. She has had years of experience and it shows in the strength of seams and straightness of her top stitiching. She is shown adding the binding to cover the side seams of our Explorer. Sharon comes in expressly to make our canvas line, but she also minds the shop on occasion, and takes orders over the phone.
The machine Sharon is using is an Adler, a heavy industrial model. Our machines are basic - they stitch forward and backward. Nothing fancy, so shortcuts are impossible (which is why our seams that would show get covered with binding).

Julie at the front desk Julie at the front desk
Julie also runs the shop weekdays, so if you call Monday through Friday 8:30 to 5:00 ET, you're likely to talk to her. She's on the phone here, and in the middle of packing an order. The bags in the background are silkscreened, and are not produced at the shop. In front of Julie you can see a basket full of coin purses. We have several like it scattered through the shop, and people send a lot of time sifting through, looking for that 'perfect' one for them.

Marcella at the machine Marcella at her machine
If you visit during the winter months, you'll find Marcella at the shop on weekends, tending the store and also sewing totes and bags.

Lia working at computer Lia working on the website code
Lia's major contribution is taking care of paperwork; doing the catalog and keeping up the customer maillist (which is ours alone - not bought or sold); and designing and coding this website. Her minor contributions include chatting on the benches in front of the store.

Building Prescott Building
The Prescott Building is one of the last remaining commercial buildings to survive the orginal town of Cedar Key and is on the National Historic Registry.
The blue truck is Lia's - known as the Beast. The red car belongs to Molly, who has the Yellow Door Coffee House - it's down the alley (under the yellow sign in the photo) between the shop and the Bookstore.

Back to CKCanvas

	Julie Julie is our cutter. The quality of your purse or duffle is very dependent on cutting the cloth on the straight of its grain. If the cut is not on the grain, it's difficult to stitch along the straight of the piece, and any embroidery or monogramming may go awry. Julie has been cutting canvas for three years and she is expert at seeing the grain in each yard of canvas. She also checks for any flaws or creases, and makes sure your pattern doesn't include them. Cutting tapestry involves the art of seeing and using the repeat of the pattern. Each repeat has a central figure which needs to be the focal point in the construction of your purse. Some patterns are easy to see - our popular Horse and Domestic Cat, for example. Some are more difficult - the Spring pattern 'springs' to mind.
	Sharon Sharon is our chief stitcher. She has had years of experience and it shows in the strength of seams and straightness of her top stitiching. She is shown adding the binding to cover the side seams of our Explorer. Sharon comes in expressly to make our canvas line, but she also minds the shop on occasion, and takes orders over the phone. The machine Sharon is using is an Adler, a heavy industrial model. Our machines are basic - they stitch forward and backward. Nothing fancy, so shortcuts are impossible (which is why our seams that would show get covered with binding).
	Julie at the front desk Julie also runs the shop weekdays, so if you call Monday through Friday 8:30 to 5:00 ET, you're likely to talk to her. She's on the phone here, and in the middle of packing an order. The bags in the background are silkscreened, and are not produced at the shop. In front of Julie you can see a basket full of coin purses. We have several like it scattered through the shop, and people send a lot of time sifting through, looking for that 'perfect' one for them.
	Marcella at her machine If you visit during the winter months, you'll find Marcella at the shop on weekends, tending the store and also sewing totes and bags.
	Lia working on the website code Lia's major contribution is taking care of paperwork; doing the catalog and keeping up the customer maillist (which is ours alone - not bought or sold); and designing and coding this website. Her minor contributions include chatting on the benches in front of the store.
	Prescott Building The Prescott Building is one of the last remaining commercial buildings to survive the orginal town of Cedar Key and is on the National Historic Registry. The blue truck is Lia's - known as the Beast. The red car belongs to Molly, who has the Yellow Door Coffee House - it's down the alley (under the yellow sign in the photo) between the shop and the Bookstore.