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Awesome week has been Awesome. Here’s why:

1) Kiva Zip launched their Oregon program today at a community event with current Oregon borrowers presenting their projects to potential lenders. It was a fantastic event, invigorating and reaffirming. I feel I am improving how I explain Little Bright Studio’s mission without resorting to numerous “umms” and “soo” and “ILOVEKITTIES”. So tough.

2) In preparation for the Kiva event, I drew these sketches of bags currently in proto-type. Love them!

3) My Kiva Zip loan is 55% funded! Huzzah!

4) As part of my Tuka CAD class at the Portland Apparel Development Center, I finally got to learn how to use the electronic cutting table. OHMIGOSH. It cuts your pattern from fabric in just a matter of seconds! I was far too amazed by this machinery to capture its process on video, but I promise to do so next time. IT’S SO AWESOME.

5) I had a killah flour-less brownie at Blue Bird Bakers on NW Thurman & NW 24th.

6) Made these fun, neon bags with fabric purchased at Modern Domestic!

Here’s to a new great week,

Amy

Hello friends! Oh my. AWESOME NEWS OF AWESOMENESS. The Portland chapter of the Young Woman Social Entrepreneurs is endorsing me for a Kiva Zip loan to fund my first collection of Bags For Science! HUZZAH!

This is both exciting and terrifying. SHIZ JUST GOT REAL. By campaigning for this $5000 loan by July 31st, I will be able to purchase bolts of fabrics and other materials needed to create my new bags. My favorite part is that you can be involved in my success. Kiva Zip loans work as a person-to-person lending platform, any person can contribute toward the success of an entrepreneur in need. Think of it as crowd-funding (like Kickstarter) but I am receiving a loan (that I must repay, of course).

My full profile has all the details, including a personal story that fuels my passion and a breakdown on how the funds will be spent.

Last week, I attended the Elevating Impact Summit organized by the PSU Impact Entrepreneurs. It was an invigorating experience to be surrounded by people just like me who want nothing more than to make some sort of difference in the world around us (as cliche as that sounds). It was during lunch time, when my loan went live with the help of Stasi Baranoff, who is overseeing the launch of the Kiva Zip Oregon Initiative. I squeeled and may have cried a bit. Okay, a lot. I shared the news with Andrea Bailey who originally plucked me from obscurity (not really, we’re both in the same Facebook group for the World Domination Summit) and ushered along the endorsement from YWSE! Needless to say, it was a very overwhelming, but fulfilling day! At some point throughout the day, I knew for certain this is my calling. EEEEeeeeeeeee!

I am forever grateful if you are able to share my story with your friends. You may copy the graphic above to your blog, share some graphics from my Facebook Page or you can directly tweet these messages:

Help @littlebrightpdx reach her goal of making science happen with a @kiva loan by July 31st! http://bit.ly/12cSkfC – Tweet this! –

If you love loaning to @kiva entrepreneurs, check this one out: Bags For Science by @littlebrightpdx http://bit.ly/12cSkfC  –Tweet This!–

Do you like microloaning, locally-made bags, science (& perhaps cats)? Then help @littlebrightpdx fund her @kiva loan! http://bit.ly/12cSkfC –Tweet This!–

Of course, I will forever be indebted to you (ha see what I did there) if you contribute monetarily. Remember this magic link doubles your loan amount, which will allow me to reach my goal faster.

Yours in fist-pumping and pant-soiling,

Amy

This is a muslin fabric proto-type of the everyday shoulder bag. It must fit my Camelbak bottle, which by the way, YOU MUST CLEAN EVERY DAY OR ELSE YUCKY STUFF WILL STICK TO THE VALVE. ugh.

I will never be able to get over how amazing it is to be a maker in Portland, Oregon. It is a city that nourishes its talent, helps it grow and distributes its fruit. Sometime in late 2012, while researching weather-resistant fabrics, I stumbled upon Rose City Textiles‘ website. Besides selling a wide variety of active-lifestyle fabrics (gore-tex! waxed canvas! breathable waterproof!), they also harbor the Portland Apparel Development Center, a studio full of industrial machinery fit for apparel and/or bag production. With hourly fees, you can use their sergers, industrial sewing machines, embroidery machines, t-shirt printer AND MY FAVORITE…the electronic cutting table! OHHHHHHH BABY. A machine that cuts your patterns electronically at a speed of a thousand times faster than your feeble human hands? HEAVEN.

Then I deconstruct the bag and rework on the pattern. This part is oddly gratifying.

I am currently taking their CAD (computer aided design) class to digitize my bag patterns so I can use the cutting table. These images show MY process of producing a prototype before digitizing it into the TUKACAD software. Next Tuesday, I will finally get to see how the cutting table works. Rest assured, I will also share the magic with you. INDUSTRIAL MAGIC.

Numbers! Figures! Measurements! OCDness!

Can’t lie- cutting fabric is my least favorite part of producing bags. It is often inaccurate and annoyingly time consuming. As I’m often worried about my limited time, this service will be SUCH a game-changer in how I produce my collections. Can I repeat how much I freakin’ hate cutting fabrics??? HATE IT.

Match the half-points, corners and curves with the cross-hairs on the TUKA mouse. It will trace the shape of the pattern unto the computer. WILD.

Seriously, Portland, you are pretty darn amazing.

Uber-excited,

Amy