I’ve been refining the signature yarn&whiskey project bag for over five years. What began as a simple drawstring pouch has evolved into a versatile, thoughtfully constructed bag with straps, pockets, and an optional crossbody feature—designed to move with you, wherever your knitting takes you.

The first collection of yarn&whiskey project bags. January 2020. Photo by Clay Williams

I started making project bags while going back to school for a degree in Textile and Surface Design. A conversation with another maker—Alyssa from Knit Spin Quilt—sparked the idea. I met her at a yarn shop conveniently located across from my job. She was sewing and selling bags while working on her graduate degree, and something about that clicked. I’d been collecting fabric for years, sewing on and off since the early 2000s, but had drifted away after falling hard for knitting—a more portable creative outlet that fit better with my travel-heavy life.

Before that meeting and not unlike so many knitters, I was hauling my knitting around in a Ziploc bag. I tried a few of the popular project bags on the market, but they never stuck with me. Most were too stiff, too structured, or too bulky to toss in my work bag alongside my laptop and lunch. Honestly, all I wanted was something Ziploc-level simple—lightweight, flexible, and fuss-free—but much better looking.

Photo by Clay Williams. yarn&whiskey project bag from 2021.

The idea came: Why not make drawstring bags using the ankara prints that had become my uniform? I already had fabric, and—let's be real—I wanted an excuse to get more. So I started experimenting: lined bags with a good cinch, nothing fancy, just functional and in my favorite wax prints.

"More than Meets the Eye" yarn&whiskey debut collection. January 2020.

That first version had no pockets, no handles. For a long time, that was fine. My business was picking up, and in 2020, just as the pandemic hit, I pivoted to making masks—giving them away for free for months. I didn’t have time to play with new features. Even when masks became widely available, my bag sales remained steady. It wasn't broke, so I didn’t fix it.

It took three years—and a message on Instagram—for things to shift. A customer asked if I could add handles. I had the time, so I gave it a try. Around the same time, I found myself stranded on a Long Island Rail Road platform after getting on the wrong train. I had my knitting, but no way to carry my drawstring bag comfortably. I wrapped the cords around my wrist and thought: Yep, this needs a handle.

Soon after, I made handles and wrist straps optional. Being made-to-order allowed me to offer those add-ons without raising prices across the board. Customers who wanted the extras could have them, and others could keep it simple. Eventually, I realized one handle worked better than two, so I ditched the second handle and the wrist strap option. One handle was perfect. But showing customers the value of a single-handle design took longer—balancing school and solo entrepreneurship doesn’t leave much room for product R&D.

After graduating in 2024, I finally had time to photograph and properly feature the updated design. Once people saw it, they loved it. When I released the first yarn&whiskey Satchel collection featuring textiles from my thesis project, all the bags came with a handle—and they were selling out.

Photo by Tammi Williams. Lavendar Wedding Project Bags. 2024

Next came pockets. I’d always avoided them, mostly because I don’t use them myself and assumed others felt the same. But people started requesting them. At my recent pop-up at Brooklyn General, a young woman told me flat-out: “You should just add them. People want them.” That simple, confident statement from another Black woman stuck with me. So I listened—and did it.

As of last month, all yarn&whiskey project bags and satchels now come standard with pockets.
With the introduction of the Liberation Project Bag, I added another important feature: a boxed bottom. After watching knitters gather around a table with their bags—some standing tall, mine laying flat—I knew what had to be done. Now my bags stand proudly on their own, whether they’re made from durable canvas or bold wax prints.

Each evolution of the yarn&whiskey project bag comes from real-life experiences—mine and my customers'. What began as a humble, foldable pouch inspired by a Ziploc has grown into a bag that reflects the rhythm of modern makers: flexible, functional, expressive, and made with intention.

Lovely Ones Satchel. 2025

This bag isn’t just about carrying your work-in-progress. It’s about celebrating the process, the creativity, and the community that fuels it.

And just like your projects, it’s always evolving.