Elegant handbags and totes Native made in the heart of the Humboldt Nation.
Jodi Lee's inspiration and the start of Jolee Designs
Native Roots
Born into the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Jodi Lee spent her childhood summers in North Dakota surrounded by the creative process of Native American beadwork with her cousins, aunts, and grandmother. She also learned the art of quilt making from her Grandmother which also taught her how to match fabrics.
Jodi has sewn since she could "reach the pedal." Mostly self taught, she would sew clothes for her dolls. That lead to her sewing her own clothes, and altering them to be in style. She was around 14 when she made her first handbag from her grandfather's old overalls.
Jodi has always had a sewing room of some sort since she was young. She used money from her first job to buy a sewing machine, a Sears Kenmore. She started making fabric wallets and this and thats. She took those creations to craft fairs and flea markets.
Her passion for creating has stayed with her as she found her way to the beautiful mountains of Humboldt County, California. This remote area in the Northwest of the state is where she now makes her home and her handbags and totes.
The Gift That Started JoLee Designs
It was a gift from a family friend that lead her to start creating her current handbags and totes. She received a Consew Industrial Upholstery Sewing Machine with a walking foot. She immediately started to imagine all the different things she could sew with upholstery fabric.
Jodi’s enthusiasm for sewing and textiles spirited her to develop a vibrant, nurturing, fabric filled studio, that looks out upon an equally beautiful hillside garden. one of her favorite things is to throw fabric. Now she has more inspiration than ever to continue her creative journey and share it with you.