Saturday, April 12, 2008 5:12 PM CDT
In the bag: Neoga purse business is a family endeavor from design to names
By NATHANIEL WEST, Staff Writer
nwest@jg-tc.com
A good sense of humor only goes so far. To really keep someone in stitches, you’ve got to have skills…with a sewing machine, that is.
So Amy Durdel calls in the big guns: her mother, Rosie Westendorf of Neoga.
It’s time to put a zipper on the latest exclusive purse from the in-home business started last fall by Durdel and her sister-in-law, Tracy Lawyer of Morris.
And it’s a watershed moment. Never before has a zipper been installed in this particular purse design — a “Katheryne,” named after Lawyer’s daughter.
Durdel’s 20-month-old son, Riley (who has a diaper bag design named after him, poor fellow) sits on his grandma’s lap, rooting her on to success.
“Mah Maw! Mah Maw!” he shouts.
Although she’s a veteran seamstress, Westendorf has trouble finding the special “zipper foot” on Durdel’s sewing machine. So she just wings it.
“This will be interesting,” Westendorf warns.
But fear not: A few minor adjustments and correctable mistakes later, the newest Leona Delphine purse rolls off the makeshift line in the basement of Durdel’s home east of Neoga.
No Leona Delphine purse, handbag, diaper bag or coin purse is the same, because each one is customized by each client. They start by selecting one of nine basic designs, created by Durdel and Lawyer and named after their nieces and children, and then they choose fabrics (there are more than a hundred to pick from) as well trimmings, closures, and even the number of pockets.
Prices range from $15 to $50, which does not include extra amenities.
Leona Delphine, an amalgam of the first names of Lawyer’s and Durdel’s grandmothers, does much of its business at “purse parties,” which are similar to Pampered Chef or Tupperware parties. Durdel said these gatherings are just as suitable for little girls’ birthday or slumber parties as mothers’ nights out or professional get-togethers.
Lawyer and Durdel bring all nine of their designs with them to such parties, and also samples of the numerous but limited fabric varieties they keep on hand.
They scour craft stores for their materials. “The best part is going to pick out the fabrics,” Durdel said.
“We spend hours at the fabric store.”
Durdel and Lawyer came up with the ideas for their designs and turned to Westendorf — who has made numerous wedding and prom dresses over the years — to create the actual patterns. “Sometimes it’s a little bit challenging, (getting) it so it all folds together,” said Westendorf.
The “Olivia” and “Grace” styles have proven most popular since Leona Delphine came into existence in November.
The “Olivia,” named after Durdel’s niece, Olivia Renfro, is a larger, over-the-shoulder sling type of purse preferred by college students and moms needing a stylish diaper or travel bag.
The “Grace,” another Renfro girl, is smaller and “more practical, a good size for a purse,” said Durdel.
Some styles come in different sizes, and are christened accordingly: In addition to the “Katheryne,” there’s the “Katey” and the “Kate” — scaled down in volume from the original.
The “Maggie,” a miniature version of the “Margaret,” the third Renfro niece, is enjoyed especially by younger girls, Durdel said. “They love the princess ones,” she said.
Lawyer and Durdel are working on a new design. And it just so happens that Durdel is expecting her second child in September, so coming up with a name for the latest pattern might not be too difficult — “if I have a girl,” she added.
“If not, we’ll move on to something else, (although) we’re out of nieces.”
Durdel and Lawyer were inspired to try their hand at customized purses and handbags after encountering several similar businesses in the suburban Chicago area.
They made a few trial purses, and then said, “Hey, we can do this!” Durdel recalled.
Lawyer handles more of the bookkeeping and marketing for Leona Delphine, while Durdel takes care of most of the sewing. She gets assistance from her aunt, Jane Moran of Trilla, as well as her mother.
Incidentally, Westendorf is rather proud of her daughter’s knack for making purses, considering that Durdel shunned sewing as a child despite the best efforts by her mother.
“I have always had the dream my daughter would sew,” Westendorf said. “When she was little she wouldn’t have any of it. So when she started sewing, it was a real dream (come true) for me.”
Durdel said, “Growing up, I hated to sew, (but) now I don’t mind it so much.”
Business has picked up considerably since last fall. At the last purse party, they took more than 15 orders.
“I didn’t expect it would take off this soon,” said Durdel, who also teaches preschool in Mattoon.
She spends about eight hours per week in the sewing room, and generates three to four purses each week. “We have some very supportive husbands,” she added.
Customers raved about their Leona Delphine products.
Kim Romack of Neoga already has chosen a diaper bag and three purses as gifts for other people — including a “Maggie” for her daughter. “She was thrilled,” Romack said.
“It’s really neat,” she added. “You get to pick out pretty much whatever you want.
“You can shop around forever (at department and discount stores) and not find what you’re looking for. But with Amy, you can pick it out and she’ll make it.”
Amanda McKinney of Neoga is commissioning Durdel to make a diaper bag following the success of her initial Leona Delphine purse — one of the prototypes, coincidentally.
McKinney said she mentioned to Durdel that she and her family were going to the St. Louis Zoo the next day, and she didn’t want to lug around both a purse and a travel bag for her daughter, who was a baby at the time.
Durdel made a combination purse/diaper bag that night.
“I love it,” McKinney said. “I’ve had so many compliments on it. People say, ‘Where did you get that?’”
McKinney gave birth to a son in early March, and now wants a diaper bag that is suited for both a toddler and an infant.
“I have two kids now, and one diaper bag isn’t enough, and they’re so cute,” she said of the purses. “I can make it look more like me, and not like (the purses) everybody else has.”
For more information visit www.leonadelphine.com or call 895-2197.
Contact Nathaniel West at nwest@jg-tc.com or 238-6860.
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