Jerry's Fabric Arts

Original art lap quilts, tote bags, and wall hangings made to order. I can use T-shirts from rock concerts, memorable vacations, favorite sports teams (or, NASCAR driver), or use photo transfer of grandchildren, loved ones, favorite pet, or anything you can think up. (Note: Your photos are not damaged.) I routinely use leather, cotton, velvet, denim, vintage, themed, and will be happy to incorporate a scrap of your grandmother's wedding dress or anything else you have.

How in the Heck Did I Get in the Bag Making Business?

In 1993 I was in San Diego; on a whim I signed up for an auto/furniture upholstery class at San Diego City College. Under the tutalege of Ernie Romero, and the patience and guidance of Hoa Guiterrez, I found the love of sewing I had seen in my mother. My mom had sewn since her teen years and I recall watching her lay out patterns, cut the fabric into pieces, and put the pieces together to make wonderful garments. I returned to Virginia Beach in 1997, and spent five wonderful years with her until she was taken by lymphoma in 2002. In 2005 I purchased my 4th Mustang, a Roush convertible, became involved with the Southeastern Virginia Mustang Club and began attending car shows that fall. I began collecting car show T-shirts, planning to incorporate them into a quilt, but I now had too many, and the thought of lap quilts developed, but there were other things consuming time. Each year, my car club "adopts" a family from the community that has a particular need for Christmas, and in 2007 it was a little girl named Sky, who was diagonised with a brain tumor on her 4th birthday. I decided I was going to make a quilt for her and selected the fabric, designed the quilt and began cutting the pieces. When I began sewing the pieces together it was my mother's fingers I saw running the pieces through the machine. I even saw my mom's rings, and knew she was guiding me, and that the path I had started on pleased her. As an afterthought, I assembled a shoulder bag to go with the quilt for Sky.

My next project was to make a tote bag for Susan Rodriguez, a friend in the car club, and that was all it took. I was hooked and have not looked back. I was happy to be able donate a bag for the Susan G. Koman Breast Cancer Foundation fundraiser, sponsored by The Hague Plastic Surgery Center this past spring. I have also made bags to donate to the September 20, 2008 Poker Run to benefit the American Cancer Society, being promoted by Hair-by-the-C salon, and to the Ride For Pink Bike Run for breast cancer, October 5, promoted by Phyllis Wall, sponsored by Knucklehead's Road House, Virginia Beach. Donations to cancer have raised $ 540.00 this year. This fall a "Healing Quilt"(as his Mother calls it) was made for Logan, a delightful child who enjoys baseball, scouting and Tae Kwan Do.

My bags are in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and New York as well as Virginia Beach, and are made to suit the personality, hobbies, and tastes of the individual. I look forward to making a bag, lap quilt, or hanging wall art for you. Oh, Sky is doing much better, and she and her parents are going to Myrtle Beach for a little celebration holiday, she has taken swimming lessons and is also taking dance.

How to Have a Custom Bag, Quilt, or Wall Hanging Made.......

The fabrics used in the manufacture of a custom bag, lap quilt or wall art are selected to reflect the users tastes, hobbies, vocation, and interests. The design incorporates these fabrics into the face which is then sewn over batting to a muslin foundation. The face is then quilted usually using a different style on each piece of fabric. This is where artistic license dictates the final design. The linings are bonded to a woven stabilizer for strength and durability and attached to the faces. Bags are made as open tote, zippered, with a flap, or we will engineer and create to your specifications. Custom bags start at $150.00 for the open tote(plus Virginia tax, if you are a resident, and the actual cost of Express Mail..(for example East Coast insured shipping is $ 8.85, and no handling charges are added), and the bags are approximately 13"x14"x4" Quilts are priced depending on the size, and average $ 18.00 per square foot, are constructed the same as the bags, and can be machine washed. A 2 x 3 quilt such as the black and white with red trim pictured is $ 100.00, and all come with a dowel sleeve for easy hanging. I will be happy to quote a price on just about anything made with fabric. At present I am working on designing a messenger-type bag and I have several other ideas I'm working on.

Please send me an email to jerrycallender@cox.net and I'll get back to you promptly.

Thanks for taking the time to look.