Fabric Artist Angela Anderson Craves Variety

Angela Anderson creates handmade tote bags and purses with stylistic flair. The artist sells her original textile works under the name Eichhorn Creations at Artisans United Craft Gallery on Hummer Road in Annandale. “The most exciting part of belonging to the gallery is that I get to meet a lot of artists in one place,” said Anderson. “I used to be the only one in my circle of friends who would do this kind of stuff. The gallery opened up this world of right-brained people.”

Anderson also sells her bags on Etsy, the popular online marketplace for handmade items. She prefers to work from scratch with her materials. “It’s very time-consuming, but that’s how I work,” said Anderson.

Bold colors and prints are part of her design repertoire. She tends to follow current trends on Etsy or the suggestions of her friends and fellow artists. “I don’t think I have a signature style yet,” she said. “I really like to find challenges. It’s very difficult to give yourself a challenge. My favorite thing is figuring out how something is done and figuring out new techniques myself. I like it when people request a certain bag and I get to figure out how to meet their needs.”

Annandale resident and founding member of Fairfax Chamber Ensemble Harriet Vorona asked Anderson to make a tote bag to carry her sheet music in and later a sophisticated, feminine messenger bag. Vorona said Anderson combined functionality and great style with the messenger bag. “I’ve had strangers approach me about the bag,” Vorona said. “Angela just knows which fabrics and patterns to use. Her bags really stand out! She is an incredibly gifted artist.”  

Anderson, who lives in Fairfax with her husband and three young children, has been sewing for 25 years. The North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany native sewed clothing as a teenager but let her sewing machine collect dust in college. She met her husband while pursuing her master’s degree in translation and moved to the States in 2005 to start a family with him. 

The artist hand-carried her sewing machine from Germany and after receiving encouragement from friends, decided to start sewing after her second child was born. “Fabric design is really just a starting point to do creative work in this kind of second part of my life,” Anderson said. “I started my life in the States with a family and I do translations and teaching on the side. With this business, I am meeting all of these nice artists and learning more about different organizations. This is just one of many creative things that I’m doing.” 

Anderson is enthusiastic about exploring other artistic mediums such as photography, web design and stained glass. She has also considered selling her work at an additional gallery but feels a strong commitment to Artisans United. “I’d like to help develop this place and really improve this organization,” she said.

The artist is fully committed to whatever she sets her mind to, whether it’s helping the gallery gain exposure or pleasing her customers with the perfect tote bag. “A couple of years ago, I saw photos of some of Angela's early work and asked her if she had time to make one for me with fabric that I selected,” said customer Lois Hines. “She agreed to do it, even though she had a two-year-old and an infant at the time, and before I knew it, the bag arrived in the mail. I love the tote bag and use it often. It's still in great shape and I expect to get a lot more use out of it. Not only is Angela a very talented seamstress, she is also very efficient!”

You can view some of Anderson's original tote bags and purses here.