RedLeaf Designs has lofty long-term goals in the outdoor adventure textile world, but our foundation is and will always be the world's best canoe covers from The Bag Lady.
This week, Jeremy and Cassandra worked hand-in-hand with Sue Audette, the one-and-only original Bag Lady. After 42 years of sewing unequaled canoe covers, she welcomed us into her home and sewing loft with wonderful food, great stories, and a genuine and deep desire to help us keep The Bag Lady's legacy alive and well.
We sewed countless bags, learned the many fine points of her refined designs, and talked about the hundreds of canoes and patterns that she's amassed in her long career as a master of thread and cloth. As I (Jeremy) type this, we've "graduated" from canoe cover school and the van and trailer are filled with machines, rolls of fabric, patterns (SO MANY PATTERNS), and many odds and ends. Tomorrow morning, we'll begin the drive back to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where we'll set up The Bag Lady in her new sewing loft on our family property.
Sue's devotion to canoes, her customers, and The Bag Lady's wonderful covers is not lost on us. She has spent more than half of her life building a business and a reputation that is storied and loved in the paddling world. We are committed to carrying the torch that she's handed to us high and bright. We hope that you will see our commitment to continuing Sue's unequaled quality, expertise, and exceptional covers in our work, just as you saw it in hers.
Thank you, Sue and Vinny, for your hospitality, shared knowledge, and friendship. We look forward to making you proud!