Lansdale Seamstress Has Etsy In the Bag

It's what's on the bag that has Megan Reitz-McClellan's Etsy business pretty much in the bag.

As Brick & Mortar Designs, Lansdale resident Reitz-McClellan takes a drawing of a favorite city, digitally prints it onto high-quality, linen-cotten canvas, and then hand cuts and sews that canvas into fashionable purses and pillows.

For Reitz-McClellan, each finished product begins, she said, with research of each city and its feats of engineering that make it unique.

"Then, I start drawing," she said. "After that, I put all of the drawings into a textile repeat and digitally print them onto a high-quality linen-cotton canvas. Finally, each product is hand-cut and sewn."

The inspiration for each piece simply comes from the aesthetics of suburbia.

"I love architectural facades and how they define the city in which they are located," she said. "There is nothing more satisfying than creating new products. Currently, I am working on designs for a clutch and another purse."

Reitz-McClellan sees her designs as a tasteful way to show off hometown pride.

"My products are a great way to conjure up some memories from a favorite vacation town, for instance," she said. "Everything is 100 percent handmade with the utmost quality."

Reitz-McClellan's present business has its roots in her artistic past.

As a child, Reitz-McClellan found herself drawing, painting and sewing. Following graduation from North Penn in 2004, Reitz-McClellan followed in her parents' footsteps and headed to art school.

She graduated Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia with a textile design degree in Spring 2010.

"While working on my senior thesis," she said, "I developed a strong interst in architectural drawing."

Brick & Mortar Designs was born in Early Spring 2012; it was a way for Reitz-McClellan to blend all her loves together.

"It blended my passion for the aesthetic pleasure of drawing with the satisfaction I derive from the functional act of sewing. My meticulously detailed line drawings of each city's architectural icons serve to create a striking contrast to the understated design of the bags and pillows," she said.

Like any business, Brick & Mortar Designs is evolving its product line.

Reitz-McClellan wants to create more prints of different cities. She would also like to design new products to feature the prints, and eventually branch out to stock her product in boutiques.

Current bag and pillow selections include Philadelphia, New York City, Chicago, San Francisco

She is planning on making a Lansdale bag, looking to check out quality images over at the Lansdale Historical Society of landmarks like Hotel Tremont and Lansdale Theater.

Reitz-McClellan said she has completed Main Line purses and is working at present on a Skippack line, as she participates in its First Fridays event.

"Etsy's been vital in getting my business off the ground," she said. "I have been able to reach consumers from all over the world. It has also been a fantastic source to communicate with fellow artists and designers."

Get more information and order some Brick & Mortar purses at http://www.brickandmortardesigns.com/.