Holiday Hop Guest Star: Renay Martin from Purse strings Patterns

During the Holiday Hop on Friday November 2nd from 10-12 you can see Renay Martin at Harper's Fabric and Quilt Co. Renay owns a company called Purse Strings Patterns.  After teaching for several years using different purse patterns, Renay realized that they were just too frustrating to use—let alone teach! They just didn't have clear enough instructions or details to make them easy and fun to use. 
 
So, after being challenged by a friend, Renay created a pattern using one of her own purse designs...and the "Annabelle" was born. Twenty-two purse patterns later, the design ideas keep coming. 

Renay has been sewing since she made her first Barbie doll dress on Good Friday in third grade. It was a huge (actually a small) success! 
 
She credits her mother, Mary Ann, for her passion for sewing. "Mother always encouraged us to create in the sewing room with only two rules: we had to get an "ok" from her before we used any fabric from the sewing room drawers and we had to clean up our projects afterward." 
 
As the years passed, her passion led to designing and sewing her own clothes... who knew that regular sized clothes were way easier to make than Barbie clothes? 
 
After marrying and having children, Renay opened a custom clothing business in her home. Too many prom and wedding dresses later, she needed a change. With the children tucked into college, she accepted a job offer from a good friend and now works and teaches in a great quilt shop called Harper's Fabric and Quilt Co. The creative opportunities there are endless. She is able to dabble in all forms of sewing, but soon discovered the intrigue of sewing purses.