Last week I received a surprise in the mail--three Ashland Sky bags!
These are the new travel project bags that Leigh Designs distributes. They just came on the market last spring and no one in my area carries them yet. So Leigh Richardson kindly sent some for me to see and describe to you. First, check out the Leigh Designs website to see the colors and sizes. My set is red but they come in seven other colors. You can choose your favorite color, color match a set of bags so you know Project A's stuff is in the black and Project B's stuff is in the purple so you grab the right set when you are rushing to the car, or match colors to your luggage. Or today's hair color. LOL
The shoulder handle bags are huge. I included a blue ruler in the photo to give you a sense of scale, but I was astounded to see when I checked the Leigh website that the bag with the handle in the photo above is the smaller size of handled bag! Mine is 20x20 inches but the larger bag is 18x24, so it is longer but less tall than the one in the photograph. Most any project will fit in the handled shoulder bags. I certainly don't have any projects waiting in the wings that won't fit in my 20x20 inch shoulder bag.
The two bags without handles are called the Project Pouch (9x12 inches) and the Gadget Sack (5x6 inches). These bags are meant for travel and temporary storage of projects. I rarely travel but I will certainly keep my current canvas on its stretcher bars in my shoulder handle bag. I'll use the Project Pouch for all the threads I pulled for the project and the Gadget Sack for the threads I'm currently using. I'll be able to zip up everything safely, and put the smaller sacks inside the large one on the coffee table shelf next to my stitching chair where the dogs and the cat can't get at it and where everything is together when I have a few minutes to stitch.
These are meant for travel, however. Each bag has a zipper that runs all across the top. There won't be any problem getting a canvas on stretcher bars inside a large bag whose zipper is a lot smaller than the width of the bag, in other words. The back of all the solid color bags is a heavy rip-proof nylon. The front is a heavy frosted see-through vinyl that won't be easily torn. ( I think the pink/clear and black/clear versions have the frosted vinyl on the front and back and the colored nylon just at the top where the zipper is.) Carrying these onto a plane or packing them in a suitcase means airline security can see things without having to open the bag.
The handle on my shoulder bag looks very sturdy. I don't think it will pull off easily when I'm carrying a lot of stash in it. And you know we all need to take lots with us to places like the upcoming ANG and EGA Seminars!
I discovered when playing with the sturdy zipper that these bags are air-tight. I had to "burp" air out of the bag before zipping it totally shut. This means I can zip my current project inside and not worry about spilling coffee on it one morning, but on the other hand, that means I will trap moisture inside the bag. I wouldn't use the Ashland Sky bags for long term storage in my humid climate, especially this time of year. In the winter it wouldn't matter but as I plan to be constantly taking things out of or putting them into my bags, this isn't a consideration for me even this week when the humidity is 100% the entire week and I wake up to morning fog and afternoon downpours. However, these are probably not be the best long-term storage solution for projects. I think an old pillowcase is still the best container for projects I won't touch for 6 months or more. I'd keep something inside an Ashland Sky bag untouched for a while with the zipper partly open, but not long term. If you live in a very dry climate, these are probably safe storage bags for a longer time than I'd feel comfortable using them, however.
Leigh Designs says the price is reasonable for the quality but since they only sell wholesale, the cost will depend on your shop's pricing. I Googled a bit and found that knit shops sell these from $7-21 plus tax depending on the size. I can't find them in stock online in any needlepoint shops yet but they are pretty new. The company that makes the bags is based in Oregon. Some of the sales price is donated to breast cancer research according to their website. It sounds like a socially responsible company and travel bags that aren't awfully expensive, even if you want all four sizes. After all, these bags will last a long time and will be easy to clean.
It's a great product in my opinion, as long as you use the bags for travel or short term storage. I wouldn't keep anything in them for a long uninterrupted period but these bags will have daily use in Chilly Hollow.
Many thanks to Leigh and Robert Richardson for sharing samples with me for review and evaluation.
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow
